Northern Eurasia1500-1800

Japan 1500-1800• Daimyo = Regional warlords who

gained control of Japan– Invasion & Occupation of Korea (1592-

1606)

• Tokugawa Shogunate (1600) takes over

– Loyal Lords = Farm lands in Central Japan

– “Disloyal” Lords = Undeveloped lands in the North / South

– Emperor has no political power

• Decentralized Govt. has direct effect on economy

– Regional Lords = Development of many Urban centers

– Shogun Req. Visits = Transportation & Commerce

– Samurai = Creation of Wealthy Merchant class

Fall of the Shogunate• Japan “Closed”

– 1649 after a rebellion was blamed on Christians (Jesuits)

– Intended to prevent the spread of foreign influence

– Dutch given limited access / “Dutch Studies” allow access to European knowledge

– “Outer Lords” of North / South ignored this ban & traded with Korea, China, SE Asia = Wealthy maritime system

• Population & Economic Growth Changes Political Power

– Inner Lords = Pop. Growth strains agricultural economy

– Outer Lords = Econ. Growth exceeds Pop. Growth

– Rice Prices Rise = Samurai dependent on loans from merchant class

– Merchant class gains power in the 1700’s

• Forty-Seven Ronin Incident (1702) = Illustrates transformation from military to civil society

The Russian Empire• Former Mongol Controlled Areas /

Diverse Populations make up “Russia”– Cossacks = Independent, close-knit,

“guns for hire”– Boyars = Russian Aristocracy– Russian Peasants legally made serfs in

1649– Siberia = Furs, Timber, Gold, Coal, Iron

(Eventually becomes prison colony)

• Peter the Great Ruled Russia (1689-1725) Romanov Royal Family

– Goal = Use European Tech / Culture to make Russia a European Power

• Actions– Well educated and well traveled– Modernized (Westernized) Russia’s

Economy, Military, and Education system– Reduced power of nobles– Built St. Petersburg (110,000 people died

in construction)– Had a violent temper– Heavily taxed Russian people

Peter’s Legacy & Catherine the Great

• Impact of Peter’s Rule– Russia became a powerful

European country– Advanced the role of women in

Russia– Fought in expensive and costly

wars against Swedes & Ottomans– Destroyed many Russian traditions

in order to modernize

• Catherine the Great Ruled 1729-1796– Russia = Largest Empire in the

world– Continued policies of Peter (very

harsh on serfs) – Friend of the Enlightenment =

Western European Law, Art, architecture

– Economy built on territory, agriculture, logging, fishing, furs