Curtin Chapter 8

Curtin Chapter 8

Curtin begins this chapter by talking about agriculture: how it came to be, and when it came to be in different parts of the world (as far as we know). He's using agriculture to talk about the broader idea of diffusion. Of course the rate of diffusion depends mostly on the size of the population and the modes of transportation (in our modern world, ideas spread much more rapidly across the globe then they did in the stone age). With diffusion taking on a more major role in history, we can see a progression where intercommunication has become more global, cheaper, and faster. Curtin uses Islam and gunpowder as examples of diffusion. With diffusion also comes non-diffusion. An example of non-diffusion would be the Romans' refusal to use stirrups. They had seen stirrups and their effectiveness, but they chose to stick with chariots. We can also see one-sided non-diffusion. For example, when the west borrowed ideas from the Chinese, but the Chinese did not borrow back. Sometimes diffusion, though not necessarily wanted, becomes necessary to keep up with growing technology. For example, the Chinese alphabet and language has become a burden to computer programmers. Instead they tend to use English instead of Chinese. From the middle ages the West found itself borrowing a lot of things from the rest of the world. The West combined borrowing and innovation to create new techs which were better then the ones they borrowed. Asians before 1700, on the other hand, had no intention of borrowing from the West. When the West's production far outmatched that of the Asians, many Asians wanted the same productivity, but they did not want to lost their own sense of identity. However, at the same time if a country were to be taken over by a Western country, their whole way of life would be threatened. This meant that countries needed to modernize in order to avoid annexation by the West. This usually meant beginning with military modernization, imitations of Western military technology and methods. Military modernization couldn't be done without a certain amount of imitation in social ways, education, and political life. Curtin then goes into the Neo-Inca resistance because it was one of the earliest examples of defensive modernization with the Inca borrowing some things from Spanish culture and keeping some of their own culture. Peter in Russia decided to modernize, not only for defense, but also to expand the Russian empire. Peter's modernization did not just stop with the military. Peter attempted to take anything from the West which could make Russia more of a contender on the world scene. In Ganda two things interested them the most: arms and religion. Ganda was able to use both to channel and limit European influence. Of course there were social consequences. The office of Kabaka was strengthened at the expense of other elite groups. Client-chiefs ended up gaining a lot of power. When Uganda came to be, a landlord class was created. Ganda borrowed from the West but did not change their societies in a Western manner. Ganda did not want to imitate Europe, they just wanted to protect their values by borrowing a few concepts. Hawaii was a good example of how a country needed to give the appearance of being a Western style country in order to wade off annexation. In the 1820s, European and American missionaries came and helped the Monarchy in Hawaii form a Western-Style, making Western countries think that the island could handle its own political affairs. Hawaii avoided annexation by partly modernizing society and by playing Euro rivalries against each other (kind of like Mutesa). However, by the 1890s, a series of coups and counter coups showed that the west was gaining more influence in Hawaii. Also with the U.S.'s new wish to become an imperial country, Hawaii could be a good door to move to the East. In Madagascar the quick acquisition of firearms allowed for it to create a secondary empire. Missionaries came in 1820, and had converted the island by 1869. Imerina enjoyed quite a few Western aspects but their system was mostly based on forced-labor and slavery. They lacked the flexible Western administration and any kind of popular support. This meant that when the French came, the modernized army lacked administrative support and only had a minor resistance to the French invaders. Siam, on the other hand, was so successful with its military and social organization that it never came under European control (though parts of the Siamese empire). In the mid 1800s, Siam began the road for military organization. The Siamese played the French in Indochina against the British in Malaya. But this came at a price, it had to cede certain territories to France and some to Britain. The Siamese also started modernizing the administration. Siam created an effective tax base, and a system of public education.