Summary
Highlights
European states began establishing maritime empires driven by "Gold, God, and Glory." They sought to enrich themselves, spread Christianity, and achieve global dominance, leading to intense rivalry among them.
The Portuguese were the first to establish a trading post empire around Africa and in the Indian Ocean. They leveraged their heavily armed ships to dominate the trade network by force, rather than peaceful participation.
The Spanish set up full-blown colonies in the Philippines, differing from the Portuguese's trading posts. They employed tribute systems, taxation, and coerced labor, similar to their practices in the Americas.
The Dutch, with their advanced fluyt ships, quickly displaced the Portuguese as the dominant power in the Indian Ocean trade. The British initially struggled but later transformed their trading posts in India into colonial rule, mirroring the Dutch in Indonesia.
Despite European domination, many established Asian merchants continued to operate in the Indian Ocean trade, and in some cases, even increased their profits due to the European presence. This maintained some continuity in the trade networks.
Asian states resisted European attempts to dominate trade. Tokugawa Japan expelled Christian missionaries and suppressed the faith to preserve its hard-won unification. Ming China, after initial voyages, adopted isolationist policies and resisted Portuguese trade attempts, further isolating itself from growing European influence.
Two African states, the Asante Empire and the Kingdom of the Congo, grew wealthy and powerful through economic partnerships with European traders, primarily by providing gold, ivory, copper, and enslaved laborers. These alliances enabled them to expand their influence and military strength.
Colonial economies in the Americas were heavily agricultural, relying on various labor systems. The Spanish adapted the existing Inca Mita system for silver mining and introduced new systems including race-based chattel slavery, indentured servitude, the encomienda system, and the hacienda system.
Slavery demonstrated both continuity and change during this period. Historically, African slave trade existed in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, with slaves often assimilated and holding various roles. However, in the Americas, there were significant changes: a preference for male slaves, a massive increase in the scale of the transatlantic slave trade, and the introduction of a racial component where slavery became identified with Blackness, justifying brutal treatment.