Winner takes all: Pre-Colonial Societies...

[Gregory Hewett]

1. List the things that were traded between the inhabitants of present day Burkina Faso and those of North Africa prior to the age of colonization.

2. Describe the agricultural methods used in Burkina Faso prior to the age of colonization.

3. Describe the agricultural methods used in Peru prior to the age of colonization.

4. (GENERAL) What does Harrison believe is the reason for Asia’s major impediment to the emergence of full scale industrialization prior to the 1900s? Describe it, give examples and your opinion.

5. (MORE SPECIFIC) What unique characteristic of Indian society does Harrison believe may have prevented industrialization prior to the 1900s? Describe it, give examples and your opinion.

6. (MORE SPECIFIC) What unique characteristic of Chinese society does Harrison believe may have prevented industrialization prior to the 1900s? Describe it, give examples and your opinion.

7. What are the reasons that Harrison offers for Europe’s early industrialization?

8. Which inventions does Harrison accredit for northwest Europe’s ability to produce a surplus of food? What else does he state aided in the process?

9. What led to Europeans quest for a sea route to E. Asia?

10. What is “triangular trade” and how did it contribute to the development of mills in S. Lancashire?

11. How did Europe’s fragmentation result and/or contribute to the development of a strong military?

[sohee]

Developing Nations
Arpita and So Hee
6.09.07

1) The things that were traded between Burkina Faso and North Africa were gold, slaves, and ivory which went north in return for salt, horses, beads, and cloth.
2) Prior to the age of colonization, some agricultural methods used in Burkina Faso was the usage of the hoe, no rotating of crops, and keeping livestock and arable farming separate.
3) In Macchu Picchu the Incas kept some of the agricultural surplus for themselves, the temples, the courts, and the armies, but most of it was kept in public granaries for the relief of needy individuals and for when there is a famine.
4) Harrison believed that the major impediment of industrialization in Asia was the institution of oriental despotism and the lack of water resources for agriculture. Dams and canals were built to spread, conserve, and control the water. Because of this there had to be a central authority with power to put together large armies. To get all this done, run the installations and defend the state, the dictator would have to have an extremely efficient bureaucracy, a very large and well-equipped army, and all-embracing intelligence networks. All of these use up the most of the agricultural surplus.
5) A unique characteristic of Indian society is the Caste system. The caste system is where you are born into your occupation. You can’t work your way up to a higher job. You have to stay with this occupation for your entire life. For example, a sweeper or cobbler had to sweep or cobble for a group of clients. They are paid with a part of agricultural produce. We don’t think the caste system is a good idea because some people who are working as say a street cleaner, can’t put their ideas forward to help development even thought they might have the best ideas.
6) Harrison believed that a unique characteristic of Chinese society was that even though they had already developed automatic water-driven machines, banks with branches all over China, and also some large factories which had large number of employees, their industry did not develop. The Chinese kept being overpowered and dictated by other nations that were smaller than them.
7) There are several reasons why Europe developed:
a) They had a healthy agricultural surplus
b) Enough capital to finance investment
c) The availability to expand markets to encourage the rapid development of machine production.

[sam]

1) Burkina Faso traded gold, slaves, and ivory in exchange for slat, horses, beads and cloth, which they received from North Africa.
2) They were not advanced at all in their agricultural methods. Their most advanced tool in use was the hoe. Crops were not rotated; livestock and arable farming were separate.
3) Their agricultural methods were also primitive; their most advanced tool in use was the foot plough. They had no domesticated animals, and the wheel was not used for economic purposes.
4) Harrison believes the reason for Asia’s major impediment to the emergence of full scale industrialization was the institution of oriental despotism. Tyrannical rule, he thinks, may have had an effect on the advancement of Asia’s industrial economy. The despot was a jealous ruler and therefore tries to suppress all sources of power and wealth that is not under his rules and could cause a threat to him. For example, he and his relatives may live in incredible luxury, but anyone who dares defy him runs the risk of being executed and having his wealth confiscated. As a result motivation for private enterprise was scarce. I guess I would have to agree with Harrison, as he has facts and I can understand that aggressive and tyrannical rulers can oppress all advancement in fear of losing power and control over his people.
5) Harrison believes that certain characteristics in India’s society may have kept them from evolving to industrialization. Institutions of despotism were probably imitated even though they were not ecologically necessary, for the simple reason that they appeal to straightforward power lust. The agricultural surplus was taken over by the ruler and used for wars or squandered in conspicuous consumption. For example, the rulers used almost all of the profit to construct huge palaces at immense costs. In small villages there was no need for anything beyond basics, as they could produce many of the essentials they needed. The ruler had taken all the surplus that would have used for extras. I agree that this would have an effect on India’s industry and keep them from evolving past simple tyrannical rule and forced labor.

[yulli]

Yulli and Sparsh

1. Things that were traded between the inhabitants of present day in Burkina Faso and those of North Africa before the age of colonization were gold, slaves and ivory.

2. One of the agricultural methods used in Burkina Faso prior to the age of colonization was using of the hoe, which was the most advanced implement for farming. However, in Burkina Faso, the agricultural technology was very limited.

3. The agricultural methods that were used in Peru or Machu Pichu before the age of colonization were building of lined canals for irrigation. The nation’s most advanced agricultural implement was foot plough. Unfortunately they did not have any domesticated animals.

4. Asia’s major impediment to the emergence of full scale industrialization before 1900s was due to the oriental despotism. The oriental despotism is basically like a dictatorship but different. Central authority was needed to conscript huge armies of workers. Examples for this were dams and canals. In our opinions, Sparsh and Yulli, this could have distracted agricultural development to emerge in Asia in different ways. We also don’t like about the idea of central authority because it seems very ‘primitive’ thing to do and we are totally against with the idea of one person taking everything.

5. Indian society had some unique characteristic that may have prevented industrialization prior to the 1900s. The oriental despotism did also exist in India as well as other Asian countries. In pre-colonial India villages, they were highly self-sufficient and could produce most of the supplies they needed. The market demands for manufactures were limited due to the court’s luxuries. Caste was the final barrier to industrialization. No competition was there to stimulate technical improvement either. An example for a caste was that if one’s father was a slave, then one should also be a slave. We’ve heard a lot about a caste in India and for the most parts, we don’t think that it helped India in any ways. So, again, we disagree with this method. We think that it could’ve been better if India was more open to other nations.

6. Like Indian society, Chinese society had some unique characteristic that may have prevented industrialization prior to the 1900s. Though it wasn’t as despotic as India, huge population for limited land held China back. China could not pass through the agricultural revolution of Western Europe because they had not enough land to look into fertile areas. For example, if European nations had 200 people each, then China had more than 2000. It is not exaggerating to say that huge population grabbed China backward. In our opinions, for countries like China and India, they should have tried different methods for agriculture. For instance, trying to come up with laws that restrict or can help to decrease to population. Other nations could have helped India, or trade with her.

7. Europe’s early industrialization was due to several reasons.
A. she had healthy agricultural surplus, especially north west Europe was extensively settled, had reliable climate, moderate rainfall and physical endowment.
B. A lot of entrepreneurs were there to pursue their wealth- venturing out.
C. An enough capital to finance investment and development of practical science had also impact on Europe’s industrialization.
D. Western merchants were there, who were free in actions so they took one step further toward to venture out to the new world.

8. The invention of the heavy plough that slices through the sod and turns it over accredits for northwest Europe’s ability to produce a surplus of food. This heavy plough made areas more fertile. Other inventions like crop rotation and mixed farming helped to provide the basis on the cities and industry to grow.

9. There are several factors that led to Europeans’ conquest for a sea route to East Asia. However, their main reason was for the voyage of discovery.

10. Triangular trade was a trade for slaves, cotton and rum between West Africa, West Indies and Britain. It helped South Lancashire’s mill to develop because it financed the mills.

11. Europe was practically divided into so many different small countries. This was somehow a very great chance for each nation to develop their military. Each nation often fought against one another for territory during the times. Thus, European nations had to keep improving weapons and stuff to win the battles.

[jayanth23]

1. Burkinia Faso had good trading connections with North Africa before colonization. They traded gold, slaves and ivory in return they received horses, beads, salt and cloth.

2. The people of Burkina Faso used primitive methods compared to the Europeans before colonization. The plough was unknown to them and the most advanced tool was the hoe. Crops were not rotated. Agricultural based farming was separate from animal husbandry. The disadvantage of this was that animals could not be used for labor and everything had to be done by man. Technology did not improve because they didn’t need it to.

3. The agricultural methods used in Peru prior to the age of colonization was quite advanced. Incas built stone canals to irrigate their farms. They were fully aware of manure and other concerns for the welfare of soil conservation. Also they divided land such that each farmer got equal share of the fertile land.

4. The main reason that Asia didn’t industrialize was because of absolute monarchy. The king had all the authority and power the king and his men took all the surplus of goods. Ultimately the kings had all the wealth and left the citizens poor. A weak king would result in a weak economy. If there was scarcity of water the king would have to organize and plan the distribution of water. Such has building canals and dams which could conserve and control the water distribution of the land. I feel that India and China had excellent systems of canals. The main reason why the Indians didn’t industrialize was because of the British. They took over the Indian economy and led to the downfall of many technologies.

[divya]

Eun Ju and Divya

1. The items traded between the inhabitants of present day of Burkina Faso and those of North Africa prior to the age of colonization were salt, horses, beads, clothes, slaves, gold, ivory, scarlet, emerald, and many more riches.

2. The methods used in Burkina Faso prior to the age of colonization were extremely primitive. They produced enough food for themselves, but there was never really a surplus of food because of the land use and the lack of technology. They only used about one-third of the land because the rest was not fertile enough for the growth of plants. Fertile land was scarce because their only form of farming technology was the hoe. This was not effective because it could only turn over so much soil, but failed to bring necessary nutrients to the surface. These techniques were a hindrance to society and did not benefit them while other societies were developing new technologies to produce more.


3. The agricultural methods used in Peru were much more advanced than the African methods. The reason for this is their civilization was much more developed and they found ways to produce more in an effective way. Yet, their technique was not perfect.
Their irrigation ways were extremely wide spread because of their use of canals and terraces also known as stair steps. Water could flow down and plants could use it. They also used manure as a source of nutrients for their soil which was an advantage for them. But though they had the animal’s
“product” they did not have the right animals to farm and use on their land. Lack of domesticated animals did not help them and actually pushed them back. But the Peruvians used the foot plough which was better than the hoe but still did not turn the soil as much as they would have liked. The wheel was invented at that time but it did not occur to them that they could use it with farming.

4. Harrison believes the reason for Asia’s major impediment to the emergence of full scale industrialization prior to the 1900’s was oriental despotism. Oriental despotism was a system of government where the ruler has unlimited power and rules tyrannically. Some examples of this occurred in India where they hired one person to handle and guide them with the conservation of water. As time went on, this person got more and more power and became a ruler of the Mogul Empire. The rulers of the empire used the money for residential or personal enhancement such as the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and Peathingy Throne.
This theory makes sense for two reasons and we agree that it hurt Asia’s potential to become a power in the world. The first reason is because of this system, no one dares to challenge the authority of the ruler. This doesn’t encourage people to share their ideas or motivate them to make a difference in their society. The second reason is because it encumbers society and creates two types of people; affluent and poor, and not a large middle class since the ruler takes much of the money from the people and uses it for himself.


5. The unique characteristic of Indian society that Harrison believes may have prevented industrialization prior to the 1900s was the caste system. The caste system was a system that categorized people into different groups based on their status. But their status was hereditary and they had no chance to work up in their society. Examples of this system were suppose your family was of the working class, you were destined to be in that class for your life. There were even categories of Untouchables where as the name suggests, they were untouchable by any other people except of their own type. This gave them no choice to run their own lives and basically decided their lives for them. We believe that this system was a burden and terrible mistake of the Indian society because it regulates society and does not allow change or chance for development.

6. The unique characteristic of Chinese society that Harrison believes may have prevented industrialization prior to the 1900s was their population crisis. Luckily they occasionally did have a surplus of food but most of the time they had just enough for all the people living in that country. Because so many people were living there, there was no extra land for farming and therefore productivity could not be increased and no additional development could be made. We think this argument is plausible because more people equal less room which results in less produce.

7. The reasons that Harrison offers for Europe’s early industrialization was that the people had more chance and freedom to become what they wanted. For example, a lower class person could become of higher status by pursuing art, and if they had a talent, they could make a lot of money and have a higher status. Their rulers did not degrade their work and had a free enterprise (no permanent status or prejudice). Also lucky advantages such as climate, technological enhancements, and domesticated animals made them ahead of many other societies. We agree with this statement and belief because that is the difference even today between Europe and Asia, though things in Asia are quickly developing.

8. The inventions that Harrison accredits to northwest Europe’s ability to produce a surplus of food was the heavy plough. This technology was extremely beneficial to the farmers in that area because it turned, sliced and rotated the soil so that new nutrients could come to the top and plants could grow more abundantly and healthy. No other societies had come up with this advancement and that let Europe develop much more quickly. Also, favorable weather, rainfall and other climate factors helped Europe.

[sujata]

Winner takes it all: Pre-Colonial Societies and Colonialism

1.The things that were traded between the inhabitants of the present day Burkina and those of North Africa prior to the age of colonization were gold, slaves and ivory in the north, and salt, horses, beads and cloth in the south.

2.The agricultural methods used in Burkina Faso prior to the age of colonization insignificant, which is due to the infertility of soil. They left 3/4th’s of the land unused. Crops were not rotated; livestock and arable farming were separate.

3.The agricultural method used in Peru was step farming, where they grew crops in steps or levels so the water could flow down from the highest step to the lowest, which helped their irrigation system for agriculture.

[miriam]

Pre-colonial societies

Miriam and Ye Eun
06.09.07
Developing Nation 4th period

1. List the things that were traded between the inhabitants of present day Burkina Faso and those of North Africa prior to the age of colonization.

-The things that were traded were gold, slaves and ivory from the south and salt, horses, beads and cloth from the north.

2. Describe the agricultural methods used in Burkina Faso prior to the age of colonization.

The most advanced implement in Burkina Faso was the hoe. The plough was unknown, and because they didn’t know the importance of manure, they separated livestock and arable farming. They also did not rotate crops. There was no food shortage and therefore technology did not progress any further.

3. Describe the agricultural methods used in Macchu Picchu prior to the age of colonization.

On the other hand, in Macchu Picchu prior, they knew the importance of manure so they invented the foot plough, but there were no domesticated animals for ploughing or in the time of drought. All of their transport was done exclusively on foot.

4. (GENERAL) What does Harrison believe is the reason for Asia’s major impediment to the emergence of full scale industrialization prior to the 1900s? Describe it, give examples and your opinion.

The reason for Asia’s major impediment was the institution of oriental despotism. For example, to provide water to arid or semi-arid areas, Asians started building dams, and to end quarrels over who got the water. They needed one person to control the dams. This was the development of despotism, however that one person ended up with so much power that he began to exploit the agricultural land.

5. (MORE SPECIFIC) What unique characteristic of Indian society does Harrison believe may have prevented industrialization prior to the 1900s? Describe it, give examples and opinion.

One of the characteristic of India which was kind of horrible was the Caste system. The reason that this system was horrible was because people had no choice of what they wanted concerning their jobs. So they did not have to compete with productions or marketing.

[pyeonchan]

Rikke & Yeonchan
1. The things there were traded between the inhabitants were gold, slaves, ivory, salt, horses, beads, and cloth. Gold, slaves, and ivory went North, and salt, horses, beads, and cloth came South in exchange.

2. One of the agricultural methods used in Burkina Faso was the use of tools. They did farming and had used a few tools, such as hue or plough, before the colonization. The crops were not rotated, livestock and arable farming were separate. There was no need to progress the agricultural technologies. The soil was not vegetated, but barren, so it was difficult to produce a lot of crops due to the terrible soil composition.

3. The agricultural methods used in Peru prior to the age of colonization were the use of a few tools, manure on their soil. They allocated each region a portion of the manure deposit because they were aware of the importance of manure. However, the technology for farming was primitive and the most advanced implement was the foot plough. There were no domesticated animals for the farming, either. Compared to advanced technology in architecture, the agricultural technology was very low.

4. The major impediment to the emergence of full-scale industrialization in Asia prior to the 1900s was probably the institution of Oriental despotism.
Ex)

5. The market demand for manufactures was largely limited to the courts requirements for luxuries, and these would be one-off, hand-made items from skilled craftsman. Caste was the final barrier to industrialization. There was no competition that could have stimulated technical improvements, because Caste blocked the social activities of people who are included in the low caste.

[hawklim]

1. The things that were traded between the inhabitants if present day Burkina Faso and those North Africa prior to the age of colonization were gold, slaves, ivory, salt, horses, beads, and cloth!
2. Agriculture methods used in Burkina Faso prior to the age of colonization was, they didn’t use the plough, but they use the hoe. The farming was separate.
3. The agricultural methods used in Peru prior to the age of colonization, they have invented the stairs or stone terraces on valley sides. They are still in use. (great invention)
4. Harrison believes is the reason for Asia’s major impediment to the emergence of full scale industrialization prior to the 1900s because of institution of oriental despotism. Also Asia didn’t develop enough for agriculture like Europe. I think that he was not really care about Asia, because he didn’t mention about its future.
5. Unique characteristic of Indian society does Harrison believe may have prevented industrialization prior to the 1900s, were they could have made the contemporary court of England’s queen Elizabeth 1 look like modest private house. The peathingy thrown was encrusted with an estimated 12 million pound worth of gold and jewels. The Taj Mahal, it has been calculated, would cost around 35 million pounds to build that today’s prices. My opinion is that British did a very good job for them selves, for their economy and for the colonization of England.
11. Europeans fragmentation result contributed to the development of a strong military because of frictions between each other. For example, England and France always fight and jealous of each other they made strong army to conquer each other. They try not to lose to other countries that made best country in fighting.