Early Latin America Chapter 19, pgs 404-430
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Transcript Early Latin America Chapter 19, pgs 404-430
Early Latin America
Chapter 19, pgs 404-430
Spain & Portugal: Conquest
Iberian peninsula = heart of European frontier,
conflict b/t Christianity & Islam → tradition of
military conquest & rule over diverse beliefs
Iberian Society & Tradition
Tradition
Urban w/ commoners in towns &
villages
Serfdom & slave labor from
cultural frontier
Professional bureaucracy of
lawyers
Royal nomination of church
officials
Trading posts in Africa
American Adaptations?
Chronology of Conquest
1492 to 1570: administration & economy est
1570 to 1700: colonial institutions formalized
1700 to 1800: intensified colonization
through reform
Caribbean Crucible
Caribbean proved to be a testing ground
Larger populations of natives served as serfs →
encomienda
Rumors & hopes led to immigration
Devastation of natives led to church leaders
fighting abuses → increased African slavery
↳Sets stage for colonial system in Mexico, Peru,
& Brazil
Paths of Conquest
Conquests by individuals followed by civil society
(women, missionaries, administrators)
Two pronged conquest:
Mexico
Peru
↳ Conquest then branched out, facing stiff resistance
The Conquerors
Men of humble origins conquered for greed & desire
to convert
Greed always spurred new conquest
Created new nobility w/ rights over new peasantry
Conquest & Morality
Violence of conquest raises questions of
morality
Some argue natives are not fully human
Others argue natives should be treated fairly &
converted peacefully
↳Results are mixed – only worst abuses
moderated
Destruction & Transformation
Disease created demographic catastrophe
Seizure of native communal lands
Exploitation of the Indians
Outright enslavement was prohibited, but
encomiendas acted as sources of labor
Colonists increasingly sought land as a source
of wealth & governments extract labor
Mita
Spanish & natives selectively accept aspects
of each others culture
Colonial Econ & Gov
Although Spanish America was an Ag society,
mining (silver) was essential
Silver Heart of an Empire
Major discoveries made in Zacatecas, Mexico
& Potosí, Peru
Mining labor evolves: from native slaves to
encomienda workers to mita to wage wokers
One-fifth of all silver belongs to royal gov
Stimulates Ag & economy
Haciendas & Villages
Hacienda = rural estate owned by Spanish families
& worked by natives → base of local aristocracy
Source of competition w/ native Ag villages
Industry & Commerce
America becomes self-sufficient except for luxuries
American silver key to Spanish commerce
Heavily regulated, Fleet system developed
Spanish silver envied, but much goes to wars,
Chinese luxuries, & debts
1 of 2
Ruling an Empire: State
King
Council of Indies
Viceroy of
New Spain
Viceroy
of Peru
Audiencias
Local Bureaucrats
2 of 2
Ruling an Empire: Church
Acted as a ruling force in colonies
Church & missionaries established ideological
& intellectual framework
Brazil: First Plantation Colony
1st only thought to be useful for its timber
(land of trade outposts & merchants)
Later nobles & capitaincies w/ feudal & econ
power
Sugar & Slavery
Plantation colony & model for sugar-based
Caribbean (now a backwaters)
Social hierarchy reflected plantation slavery
Bureaucracy mirrored Spanish America
(although w/ strong connection to crown)
Intellectually dependent on Portugal
Brazil’s Age of Gold
Establishment of plantation colonies in
Caribbean hurts Brazil & leads to
economically diverse set of colonies
Discovery of gold, rejuvenates Brazil as
economy & colony
Discovery of gold = mixed blessing
Positively (growth of cultural life)
Negatively (continued lack of industry in Portugal)
Multiracial Societies
Multiple ethnicities in Americas (all under varying
conditions) created relations of power
Sociedad de Castas
Society of races
Europeans: Peninsulares, Creoles
Castas: mestizos, mulattos (↑ in # & importance)
Africans & Indians
Traditional distinctions b/t gender, age, class persist
Question Slide
Considering the relative decline of serfdom in
Western Europe, what forces do you think
led creation of coerced labor systems in
colonies around the world?
th
18
Century Reforms
Expansion of economy & population in Europe led to
progressive ideas in colonies
Shifting Balance
Spain weakened by debt & war began losing
American monopoly
Death of Charles II & War of Spanish Succession led
to legal concessions to French & English
Bourbon Reforms
Reforms in Spain & Americas centered on restoring
gov & econ efficiency
Disrupted patterns of influence
Economically developed new areas & adopted more liberal
trade policies
Pombal & Brazil
Reforms in Portugal & Brazil mirror Spanish efforts
Advocated mercantilism
Monopoly companies & slaves used to expand Ag,
introduce crops, revitalize plantations
Reforms, Reactions, & Revolts
Experienced rapid population growth
Social unrest increased as a result of new
activist gov & growing economic prosperity
Success of revolts undermined by social
division
Global Connections
Created European societies
Basis for power & econ of Europe
But more complex b/c of econ,
environments, indigenous cultures
New empires
Compare to Russia
Importance of coerced labor & gunpowder
in early modern period
Question Slide
What are the similarities and differences
between the Iberian empires and Russian
empire?