Era 2 Notebook: a short version of the content

This unit builds on Unit 1, as we see the established powers in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe start to compete against each other for larger shares of world trade (and wealth).

This unit centers on empires that are all on land that is connected. The big ones are called GUNPOWDER EMPIRES, because of the new weaponry that is developed as a result of the connections through trade networks we saw in Unit 2 (that's a little contextualization for you!). The new weapons enabled empires to conquer and maintain territory much easier.

So, that's kind of the theme of this unit (similar to Unit 1): how did empires get and maintain authority and territory? We see this a couple ways: special soldiers, religious ideals, and taxation.

The essential question to keep in mind is: How did land-based empires shape politics, economics, and culture?

This unit walks us through how empires become more global by branching out across oceans. The big story here is Europe catching up (in terms of wealth and power) to Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and then surpassing them.

The AMERICAS become a part of the world network in this unit, and South & Southeast Asia become extremely important in continuing trade networks. China is initially the goal, for both the goods and the markets, but Europe soon turns its gaze almost entirely to the Americas.

The essential question to keep in mind is: How did trade and technology impact states in 1450 - 1750?