South Asia
By Josh Moak
Political: Although under Mughal rule, India was still fragmented. Vasco da Gama reaches India. Both the English and the Dutch entered the India Ocean and established Colonial rule there. British rulers bribed local Indian rulers to gain control. The Mughal dynasty rules India, the ruler Akbar established a bureaucracy and encouraged Hinduism and Islam so the religions could coexist. The northern borders of the Mughal Empire were under attack and the efforts to defend it contributed to the Mughal Empire’s decline.
Economic: The East India trading companies that were established by the Dutch and British brought commerce to the region and made India and Indonesia produce cheap textiles. They tried to educate the poor. India became a major cotton producer as British merchants established cotton textiles in India. Asian merchants did not disappear. They benefited from the upsurge in seaborne commerce. Southeast Asian port cities dominated the spice trade with China.
Religion: Both Hinduism and Islam flourished in India, but Akbar strayed from tradition concerning rights of women he outlawed the burning of widows called Sati which is a word of Hindu origin. Later as the Mughal Empire declined, the treatment of women steadily declined. Bhakti took place in India; it was a devotional form of Hinduism. The Bhakti movement appealed to many women because it provided an avenue for social criticism. Mirabai was one of the most beloved Bhakti poets. She was a high caste woman from northern India. Sikhism combined Hinduism and Islam.
Society: The Indian Caste system still existed, but the Bhakti movement attempted to create equality between the castes, women and men. The East India companies helped the status of merchants improve. The British were seen as high class and rich. There was still great inequality between men and women mostly because of the religious beliefs of the people.
Innovation: Although most of the famous Indian inventions came earlier, they had a monopoly on cheap textiles. The bhakti movement facilitated poetry and writings by women, and it created a unique form of Hindu literature also written by women. They also made advances in math that helped the Europeans.
Arts: Indian architecture was influenced by Muslims. They would carve religious structures such as temples directly into the rock. The Sikhs made paintings telling the story of Guru Nanak (the founder of Sikhism.) The Bhakti movement involved songs, prayers, dances poetry and rituals to achieve union with Indian gods.
Near Geography: In the Indian Ocean basin. The Himalayas are to the North while Punjab is to the North West. China is to the North East and the Islam world is directly to the west. To the South lies the Indian Ocean. Indonesia is to the south east.
Sources: The Strayer Textbook and the Martin "5 steps to a 5 AP world history" book
By Josh Moak
Political: Although under Mughal rule, India was still fragmented. Vasco da Gama reaches India. Both the English and the Dutch entered the India Ocean and established Colonial rule there. British rulers bribed local Indian rulers to gain control. The Mughal dynasty rules India, the ruler Akbar established a bureaucracy and encouraged Hinduism and Islam so the religions could coexist. The northern borders of the Mughal Empire were under attack and the efforts to defend it contributed to the Mughal Empire’s decline.
Economic: The East India trading companies that were established by the Dutch and British brought commerce to the region and made India and Indonesia produce cheap textiles. They tried to educate the poor. India became a major cotton producer as British merchants established cotton textiles in India. Asian merchants did not disappear. They benefited from the upsurge in seaborne commerce. Southeast Asian port cities dominated the spice trade with China.
Religion: Both Hinduism and Islam flourished in India, but Akbar strayed from tradition concerning rights of women he outlawed the burning of widows called Sati which is a word of Hindu origin. Later as the Mughal Empire declined, the treatment of women steadily declined. Bhakti took place in India; it was a devotional form of Hinduism. The Bhakti movement appealed to many women because it provided an avenue for social criticism. Mirabai was one of the most beloved Bhakti poets. She was a high caste woman from northern India. Sikhism combined Hinduism and Islam.
Society: The Indian Caste system still existed, but the Bhakti movement attempted to create equality between the castes, women and men. The East India companies helped the status of merchants improve. The British were seen as high class and rich. There was still great inequality between men and women mostly because of the religious beliefs of the people.
Innovation: Although most of the famous Indian inventions came earlier, they had a monopoly on cheap textiles. The bhakti movement facilitated poetry and writings by women, and it created a unique form of Hindu literature also written by women. They also made advances in math that helped the Europeans.
Arts: Indian architecture was influenced by Muslims. They would carve religious structures such as temples directly into the rock. The Sikhs made paintings telling the story of Guru Nanak (the founder of Sikhism.) The Bhakti movement involved songs, prayers, dances poetry and rituals to achieve union with Indian gods.
Near Geography: In the Indian Ocean basin. The Himalayas are to the North while Punjab is to the North West. China is to the North East and the Islam world is directly to the west. To the South lies the Indian Ocean. Indonesia is to the south east.
Sources: The Strayer Textbook and the Martin "5 steps to a 5 AP world history" book
This is Vasco Da Gama. He was the first European to reach India by sea.
The Taj Mahal is a good example of Indian Architecture with Muslim influence.
This fragment of an Indian wall hanging is what Indian textiles looked like in the 16 century.
A Sikhism painting of the Punjab region in the 16 and 17th centuries.