The Changing World Balance Who will succeed the Arabs as the most dominant and dynamic civilization in the 15 th Century? I. Introduction A.Shifting Balance of Power (1400) 1.Decline of Abbasid Caliphate (1258) 2.Disruptions caused by the Mongols QUESTION: Who will succeed the Arabs as the most dominant and dynamic civilization in the 15 th Century? Partner Discussion Question Look closely at the next three maps what major changes take place as we move from 1200 to 1400? What may have caused some of these changes? II. Social and Cultural Decline in the Middle East ( ) A.Caliphate Declines 1.Landlords Seize Power/Land a.Peasants b.Agricultural productivity c.Tax revenues d.Further weakens central government II. Social and Cultural Decline in the Middle East ( ) 2.Weakening of Arabs allowed for WHO to challenge them trading in the Mediterranean Sea??? a.Italian merchants b.How might historians today know this??? What evidence do we have??? III. The Contenders Decline of Arabs Not as chaotic as time following fall of Rome WHO WILL WIN??!?!?! III. The Contenders A.The Ottomans 1.Middle East 2.More Powerful Politically and Militarily 3.Did NOT become dominant world power BECAUSE: a.Trade b.Expansion focused on political, NOT commercial c.Power vacuum outside borders of empire 1)What is a power vacuum??? III. The Contenders B.The Mongols 1.Conquered III. The Contenders 2.Unlike Ottomans, what did they encourage??? a.Increased trade greatly b.Cultural diffusion 1)Benefits who most??? 3.Problems a.Fragmentation b.Ming China (1368) III. The Contenders C.Ming Dynasty in China 1.Top Seed a.Why??? For what reasons do they seem most likely to become the dominant world power??? III. The Contenders 2.Initially Explored and Traded a.Admiral Zheng He III. The Contenders 4.BUT in 1433 a.WHY ??? 1)Fighting remaining Mongols in North III. The Contenders 2)Build Capital at Beijing (Forbidden City / Temple of Heaven) Temple of Heaven Forbidden City III. The Contenders D.Western Europe 1.Between 1200 1350 many reasons why Western Europe SHOULD NOT become dominant in trade and contacts: a.Impressed by Constantinople 1)What does this mean??? 2)Wealth and Bureaucracy III. The Contenders 2.Problems with Church WHY??? 3.Military weakness a.Nobles and Knights 1)Fancy Armor 2)Rejected Actual Warfare (Court Rituals and Tournaments) III. The Contenders 4.Famines a.Population growing faster than food production b.Led to Bubonic Plague WHY??? 5.Black Death a b.Economic Disaster IV. Western Europe Emerges Dominant A.Despite weakness, by 1400 Western Europe is Rebounding 1.Feudal Monarchies IV. Western Europe Emerges Dominant 2.Hundred Years War a.Military Innovations IV. Western Europe Emerges Dominant 3.Growth of Cities 4.Mongol Impact a.Trade brought new technologies 1)??? 2)??? 3)??? b.HOWEVER 5.Trade Imbalance a.Gold Famine WHAT IS THIS??? b.Motivated ExplorationWHY???