1. Unit 4 Review
The First Global Age: Mesoamerican Civilizations, the Ming Dynasty in China, the Ottoman Empire, Explorations/Encounters/Imperialism, Absolutism & the Puritan Revolution

2. Unit 4, Section 1 – Mesoamerican Civilizations
Mesoamerican Civilizations **Flourished prior to contact with Europeans** and **adapted to their environments**.

3. Unit 4, Section 2 – The Ming Dynasty of China
Established after Mongols overthrown
Ethnocentric (thought that their ethnic group was the best in the world)
The Chinese were very ethnocentric
Considered China the Middle Kingdom (the center of the earth and the source of civilization)
Admiral Zheng He established trade links with many distant trading centers.
China dominant power in Asia
Influenced Japan and Korea (served as cultural “bridge” between China and Japan)

4. Unit 4, Section 3 – The Ottoman Empire
In the 1400s-1600s, the Ottomans:
Defeated the Byzantine empire
Traded using the Mediterranean Sea.
They spread Muslim culture over a large area, but tolerated other religions.
Suleiman the Magnificent or “the Lawgiver” was the most famous, effective ruler.
It began to decline in 1699, and certain areas were taken over by other countries.

5. Unit 4, Section 4 – Explorations, Encounters, and Imperialism
The Commercial Revolution was the expansion of trade and business that transformed European economies in the 16th and 17th centuries. Economies were growing! Europe wanted to expand.
During the 1400s, Europe began exploring places like Africa, India, and Asia. European demand for resources from Asia like spices and silk.

6. Unit 4, Section 4 – Explorations, Encounters, and Imperialism
Christopher Columbus convinced Spanish king & queen Ferdinand and Isabella to support him in his voyage. He believed that if he sailed West, he would reach Asia and India.
European countries began competing to see who could get more colonies.
What did people want:
Labor from natives
Gold
Raw materials
Convert people to Christianity

7. Unit 4, Section 4 – Explorations, Encounters, and Imperialism
After Columbus, other explorers from Europe that traveled to the Americas to CONQUER the people there were called conquistadors. One of the earliest conquistadors was Hernan Cortes. He landed in Mexico and conquered the Aztecs. Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas in Peru.

8. Unit 4, Section 4 – Explorations, Encounters, and Imperialism
Europeans captured slaves from Africa to take to the Americas to work on plantations. The voyage from Africa to the Americas was called the Middle Passage . By the 1800s, over 11 million Africans were sent to the Americas.

9. Unit 4, Section 4 – Explorations, Encounters, and Imperialism
The Encomienda System:

10. Unit 4, Section 4 – Explorations, Encounters, and Imperialism
The Columbian Exchange and Mercantilism:
Mercantilism: European nations built up their wealth by selling more goods than it bought. This came in the form of colonies. Selling more goods than you buy is a favorable balance of trade.
The Columbian Exchange was a global exchange of people, plants, animals, ideas, and technology.

11. Unit 4, Section 5 – Absolutism & the Reaction to Absolutism in England
In the 1500s and 1600s, rulers in Europe wanted to centralize their power. Rulers who had COMPLETE POWER over their people were called absolute rulers. Absolute rulers (such as Philip II of Spain) claimed that they got their power from God. This is called divine right.

12. Unit 4, Section 5 – Absolutism & the Reaction to Absolutism in England
One divine right monarch was Louis XIV from France. He was called the Sun King and transformed Versailles into a beautiful, ornate palace. An absolute ruler from Russia during this time was Peter the Great. He was called “the Great” because he did great things for Russia – modernized and westernized it.

13. Unit 4, Section 5 – Absolutism & the Reaction to Absolutism in England
1215: Magna Carta signed – document that limited the king’s power
King Charles I put on trial and executed after the English Civil War
England became a Commonwealth, and Oliver Cromwell was its leader.
In 1688, monarchs William and Mary were asked to rule again, and this bloodless, peaceful transfer of power is known as the Glorious Revolution.
William and Mary, the new king and queen, did NOT have absolute power. They were forced to accept the English Bill of Rights and share power with Parliament. England became a limited monarchy.