Political Transformations: Empires and Encounters

1450-1750

Chapter 13

Colonial Societies in the Americas

• Spanish, Portuguese, British, French• Wholly new societies• Mercantilism: Colonies provided markets for

goods and bullion.• Comparisons?– Catholic Spain and Protestant England– Type of economy– Urbanized Mesoamerican and Andean natives

versus rural villages of North America– Role of women

Spanish Colonies• Long before British and French• Economic foundation: commercial agriculture, silver and gold

mining• Encomienda: The Spanish crown granted to particular Spanish

settlers a number of local native people from whom they could require labor, gold, or agricultural produce and to whom they owed “protection” and instruction in the Christian faith.

• Repartimiento/Mita: Same but with more control from the Spain, seen more as a tax/tribute, a certain % of natives were required to work for the estate owners for a certain amount of days

• Hacienda: The owners of the large estates directly employed native workers.

Social Structure of Colonial Latin

AmericaChapter 13

Colonial Latin American Caste System• When Spanish and Portuguese colonies were

established in central and south America a caste system formed. (castas)

• One’s social class was directly tied to how “pure” his blood was and his place of birth.

• The kings wanted to keep the colonies under their control and only have “loyal” people in office.

Africans

Zambos

Amerindians

Mulattoes

Mestizos

Creoles

Peninsulares

Peninsulares

• “pure blood” ???• From the Iberian Peninsula• Highest social class and the only class

which could hold high office (church, military, administrative)• Spain wanted to keep loyalty of

colonial leaders.

Creoles

• Born in Americas• Land-owning• Elite • Could not hold highest positions• In 1800s will rebel against peninsulares

in wars of independence

Mestizos• Of Spanish and

Amerindian descent• Spanish and

Portuguese men married native women and had families.

Zambos = Amerindian and African descent

Mulattoes = Spanish and African descent

Africans

• Many Africans were brought over from Africa to the colonies as slaves.• Some of these Africans would escape

from a plantation and find their way to native villages.• Natives were usually sympathetic to

the African people.

Factions by Fractions• There were various levels in society, in

between the main groups, based on blood quantum.

Example: Castizos = ¾ European, no more than ¼ Amerindian

• Derogatory Slurs

Comparisons• Spanish and Portuguese colonies differed in

that Africans were not a huge factor in Spanish colonial society but were in Portuguese society.

• North American colonization was different in that women were colonists. There was not a shortage of women like in Meso and South America. Less racial mixing.

• In North America three main groups: white, red and black; in Spanish and Portuguese colonies many mixed-race groups

Settler Colonies in North America

• Many British settlers wanted to escape Old World society and start over, not recreate what they had.

• They could escape class restrictions of England.• More British settlers came to New World than

Spanish or Portuguese.• Protestants not as interested in spreading

Christianity as Catholics, but provided more literacy.• More local self-government, joint-stock companies

and royal charters. British crown relatively unconcerned with colonies.

Russian Empire• From Moscow to world’s largest state (1500-

1800)• Brought the steppes and Siberia under its

control• Submission to Tsar, yasak (tribute), and

Christianity• Settlers put pressure on pastoralists/nomads• Russified

Russian Empire• Became multi-ethnic through conquest (Slavs,

pastoralists, Siberians)• Wealth in agriculture, furs, mineral deposits• Peter the Great: 1689-1725, westernization

and modernization• Catherine the Great: 1762-1796, Enlightened

despot

Chinese Empire• Stopped possible maritime expansion but

grew empire to the north and west• Qing dynasty or Manchu (1644-1912),

they were from Manchuria and had conquered the Chinese

• Brought Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet under Chinese control or “unified”

• Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) with Russia to set boundary

• Court of Colonial Affairs, local rulers• Change in that area: not cosmopolitan,

nomadic pastoralists removed from world stage

Mughal Empire in India

• Rare period of political unity, 1526-1707• Divided between Muslims and Hindus• Akbar: had tolerance toward Hindu majority, married

Hindu princess, put Hindus in political-military elite, built temples, lessened restrictions on women, removed jizya/tax, House of Worship, Indian-Persian-Turkic culture

• Opposition from Shayk Ahmad Sirhindi: it is the women’s fault

• Aurangzeb: reversal of Akbar’s policy• Opposition movements weakened India

Ottoman Empire• The “Sword of Islam”: conquered and

defending Islam• Women had many rights, more than

Europeans• Balkans: Christian majority, mostly

tolerance, devshirme• Europeans worried about a Muslim

takeover, Suleiman