1. Globalization and Culture
Origins of the Modern World
September 9, 2013

2. Marks: Origins of the Modern World
Introduction, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6

3. Introduction
What do we mean by Eurocentrism?

4. Introduction
What do we mean by Eurocentrism?
● Idea that Europe is naturally superior
● View of history that centers Europe

5. Introduction
What do we mean by Eurocentrism?
● Idea that Europe is naturally superior
● View of history that centers Europe
How does the Marks book challenge
Eurocentrism?

6. Introduction
Goal of the book:
to show how the current world system got put in
place - the historical, economic, political, social
forces that produced modern globalization

7. Introduction
Conceptual Tools (pages 10-13)
● historical contingency
● accident
● conjuncture

8. Chapter 1
What does Marks mean by biological old
regime?
What were the results of the agricultural
revolution (and why does Marks say some
authors disagree with calling it a “revolution”)?

9. Chapter 1
What does it mean to describe the world pre-
1800s as polycentric?
And what, according to Marks, changed the
polycentric nature of the globe?

10. Chapter 1
Marks discusses the bubonic plague and its
impact on Europe.
What do we learn about this plague, and
how does it illustrate the concept of
conjuncture?

11. Chapter 2
What were the nature and scope of Chinese
trade in the 15th century?
What brought China’s sea voyages to an
end?

12. Chapter 2
What does dar al-Islam describe?
How was the spread of Islam significant for
world history at this time?

13. Chapter 2
What does dar al-Islam describe?
How was the spread of Islam significant for
world history at this time?
It helped create common culture and
language, and cut Europe off from the
Indian Ocean, leading in part to Europe’s
“dark ages.”

14. Chapter 2
What was a common source of wealth in Africa,
and how did this wind up being significant?
What was a common source of wealth in
Europe during this time, and what was Europe’
s general mode or orientation to the world
during this time?

15. Chapter 2
What was the nature and significance of
warfare in Europe in the period of 1000 to
1500?

16. Chapter 2
What was the nature and significance of
warfare in Europe in the period of 1000 to
1500?
● Wars were constant
● Warfare drove European states to a
common form
○ territorial-based
○ towns and cities to generate wealth
○ population large enough to sustain armies

17. Chapter 2
What did Portugal introduce to sea-trade that
changed it forever?

18. Chapter 3
From 1500 to 1800, empires flourished across
the globe.
● What does the term sovereignty mean?
● How did empires administer their rule?

19. Chapter 3
“Pre-contact” empires of the Americas
● Aztec
● Inca
Spanish Empire
● What killed off most of the people
conquered by Spanish empire?
● What did the Spanish empire not maitain
and build its wealth?

20. Chapter 3
How did the European slave trade allow the
sugar economy to develop and spread?

21. Chapter 3
Nation-state system
● emerges out this time period
● related to demands and effects of warfare
○ wars result in consolidation - fewer states
○ infrastructure for tax collection
○ assemblies for negotiating with wealthy landowners
○ concept of “national debt”

22. Chapter 3
Nation-state system
● emerges out this time period
● related to demands and effects of warfare
○ wars result in consolidation - fewer states
○ infrastructure for tax collection
○ assemblies for negotiating with wealthy landowners
○ concept of “national debt”
● England & France emerge as power centers
from these connected process of warfare
and state-building

23. French Revolution
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizens (1789) states, "The source of all
sovereignty resides
essentially in the nation."
What does nation mean
here and what is the
significance of this?

24. New Political Formations
The French Revolution helps establish the
modern notion of the nation-state, which
connects three things:
the state (government)
the nation (citizenry)
the land (territory)
And they are connected in a Constitutional
framework.

25. Chapter 3
Mercantalism
● Economic theory/policy related to emerging
state system
● Focused on collection of precious metals as
wealth
● Protectionism: trade restrictions to restrict
flow of metals out (to pay for foreign goods)

26. Chapter 4
What do we mean by the term industrial
revolution?

27. Chapter 4
Why was Britain the center of industrialization?
● Naval power and war
● An industry suited to industrializing = cotton
● Economic structure that allowed for it to take
advantage of that industry = colonialism

28. Britain: Slavery and Cotton
● Cotton industry - there was money to be
made and it was rapidly expanding, so it
attracted investment
●
● Machinery was cheap, easy to construct,
and promised quick returns
●
● Raw materials - extracted from colonies
through slave labor, thus expanding
supply; accident of coal supply and steam
power