1

The

Truth Is

Out

There

2

American History

To 1877

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◆Frogs Around A Pond

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End of the World

◆End of the Roman

Empire

◆A dominant civilization

◆Geographical shift

◆Religious change

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End of the World

◆“We live

around a

sea, like

frogs around

a pond.” Plato, Phaedo

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End of the World

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End of the World

◆Pax Romana

◆Nearly 12 Centuries–Celts (Gaul) 390 BCE

◆Prophesy of 12 eagles

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End of the World

◆Hunters to Farmers

◆Migration: a slow, continuing process

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End of the World

◆406 CE

–The Rhine Frontier

–the last day of December

–Gauls, Vandals, Sueves

–lose 20,000

◆Sheer numbers

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End of the World

◆Smaller states; fewer

cities; increased

violence

◆Migration and

conflict (Adaptation)

◆End of the world

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End of the World

◆Indic

◆Byzantine

◆Vikings and the Kiev Rus

◆Mongols

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End of the World

◆China

–Should

have

dominated

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End of the World

◆Paper and

printing;

gunpowder;

textiles; silk;

stirrup; compass;

porcelain;

wheelbarrow …

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End of the World◆ Water-driven

machine for

spinning hemp 500

years before

Europe; and used

coke and coal in

blast furnaces for

smelting iron 700

years before Europe

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End of the World

◆The mystery

–We assume: knowledge and know-

how accumulate; newer methods

replace older

–But tinkering and improving stopped

–Application to other things stopped

–Except agriculture

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End of the World◆1405-1433

–Seven major naval expeditions

»Indonesia and Indian Ocean

–Advanced shipbuilding,

navigation and naval

organization

–Floating camps

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End of the World

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End of the World◆Cheng-Ho 1431-33

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End of the World◆Emperor Yong-Lo (Ming

Dynasty) 1360-1424– Repaired the Grand Canal; moved

the capital from Nanjing to Yan (Beijing); built the Forbidden City between 1402-1420.

◆ Six other Emperors between 1424 and 1505; withdrew into the Empire

– agriculture versus commerce

– taxes and finance

– no enemies from the sea» horsemen, overland from the

North and West

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End of the World– self contained

–had gone out to show themselves

»not to see and learn

»not to buy (collect specimens)

◆1477 Ministry of war

–confiscated and burned logs

◆Could not have happened at a worse time

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End of the World

◆Islam

–Middle

East,

Northern

India,

Africa,

Spain

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End of the World

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End of the World

◆Islam (to submit)

◆Mohammad (570?-632 CE)

–The true faith of Abraham

–The last prophet

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End of the World

◆A missionary religion

–Expansive

–Along the trade routes

◆It had the truth

◆Conversion (the “infidel”)

◆Trade and violence

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End of the World◆Constantinople

1453 (Istanbul)

– the Ottoman Turks

–Destroyed the Byzantine Empire

◆Vienna 1683 (siege)

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End of the World

◆But

–The discovery of Europe

(not really interested)

–The Mongols

–The Crusaders

◆Effect: Destabilization

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End of the World

◆No separation of Church and State

–no Augustine

»(637-642) “Throw them in the water. If what they contain is right guidance, God has given us better guidance. If it is error, God has protected us against it”

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The Great Divergence

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Divergence◆Catholic Europe

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Divergence◆ 1418: Prince Henry discovers the Madeira

Islands.◆ 1473: Across the Equator. Coastal sailing.◆ 1488: Bartolomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good

Hope

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Divergence

◆July 1497-99

Vasco Da Gama

◆Two discoveries

–Stronger than the

people they met

»better ships and

guns

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Divergence–Promise of huge profits

(Spice trade)

»100weight of Pepper, 3 ducets

»could sell for 80 ducets

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Divergence◆1500 the Decisive Year

– Pedro Cabral (to Brazil and Calicut)

» look for trade but fight if necessary

»13 ships, 1200 men

»could go anywhere in reach of naval cannon

◆1509: Alfonso De Albuquerque (1453-1515) was governor in India (Goa)

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Divergence◆ Purpose was to bankrupt

the Muslim countries who controlled the spice trade and had attacked Portugal from Northern Africa. A military genius who practiced mobile sea power based upon coastal forts and bases. Broke the Muslim monopoly of trade with India. Set the stage for Lepanto (1571)

◆ A new balance of world power

◆ Markets and Guns

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Divergence

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Divergence

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Divergence

◆Towns

–Merchants

–Property

–Risk

–Mathematics

»Zero

»Double-entry bookkeeping

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Divergence

◆Markets

–Enterprise was free

–Innovation was rewarded

–A new sense of power

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Divergence◆Symbiosis (complete

feedback loop)

–Chance taking

–Exploration

–Release

–New things (trade)

–New knowledge

–Continuous process

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Divergence

◆Eyeglasses

–Lens hardens around 40

–Farsightedness; but, how to

work for another 20 yrs

–1306 (?) lens which decreases

distortion, can be worn leaving

hands free (more than reading)

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Divergence–Need only magnify

–Leads to development of fine

instruments

–Tools for precision

measurement and control

–Low Countries around 1600

»Microscope and telescope

–Doubled the skilled workforce

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Divergence

◆Mechanical clock

–The “key-machine”

–To ration and organize time

without the sun

–Last quarter of the 13th Century

(Italy and England)

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Divergence

◆Mechanical clock

–The first digital device

–Counted a regular, repeating

sequence of discrete actions;

(instead) of tracking a continuous

regular motion (sundial)

–All high precision devices are based

on this principle

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Divergence

◆Mechanical clock

–Miniaturization

–Spreads authority

»Groups and individuals can

work on their own (a public

sense of time)

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Divergence◆Mechanical clock

–The modern idea of productivity

»Performance in terms of time units

»Task oriented (as time and light permit). Time filling busyness

–Leads to relentless pressure to

achieve greater accuracy

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Divergence

◆Mechanical clock

»Maximize time (time is money)

»Improving the productive

powers of labor equals the

wealth of nations

–A Western monopoly for

almost 300 years

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Divergence

◆Printing (movable type)

–Gutenberg Bible 1452-55

–Vernacular (not Latin)

–Demand for records and

documents

–New norms

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The 1520s

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1520s

◆The most important decade: the 1520s

◆The emergence of “modern times”

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1520s

◆June 1521

–Cortes

–Tenochtitlan

–Destruction of the Aztec empire

–Creates a new society

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1520s

◆May 1527

–Charles V (German)

–Troops sacked Rome

–End of the Italian Renaissance

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1520s

◆May 1527

–Henry VIII

(England)

• told his first wife

(Catherine) he

wanted a divorce

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1520s❖She was his brother’s widow

❖Seemed straightforward

❖Pope usually obliged

❖Biblical grounds

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1520s•But, Pope controlled by

Catherine’s nephew, Charles

(had sacked Rome)

•No permission

•Split the church (Anglican);

had attacked the Protestants

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1520s

•What if the Netherlands and

England had remained

Catholic?

•“Americans” would have

been Spanish

•No European “middle class”

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1520s

◆September 1529–Turks before Vienna;

Suleyman (the Magnificent)

–1521 Captured Belgrade

–1526 (Hungary)Battle of Mohacs; 30,000 killed

–Ruled the Balkans

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1520s

–An army of 75,000

–Vienna defended by 23,000

»Had time to reinforce

– A wet Spring; left in May

–Had to leave heavy artillery

behind

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1520s

–Suleyman withdrew

–The Ottoman tide

will not return

»Except for siege of

Vienna in 1628

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1520s

–What might have

happened to the Italian

Renaissance; or the

Lutheran (German) and

Anglican (England)

Reformations?

67

Divergence

◆Advantages

–No invasions

–Ship design and technology

–The gunpowder revolution

–Weapons design

–Better social organization

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The

Truth Is

Out

There