Fighting To Keep Society Alive

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Midterm Essay - History

Through the ages, people of diverse cultures have shared various changes to their lives. From their successes to their downfalls, these groups of people wholeheartedly fought to keep their society alive.

When the Black Death appeared in China after the Mongols came, the Chinese population fell in astonishing numbers. Ironically, the Black Death was also responsible for killing the Mongol rulers of China. Then, when religious movements predicting the end of the world began to challenge authority, Zhu Yuanzhang rose against Mongol rule. Zhu, after founding the Ming dynasty, declared himself the Hongwu emperor and defeated Mongol leaders in northern China. Eventually, the Ming dynasty developed a centralized system of putting people in hierarchies. The Ming were able to create a large, stable society because of its bureaucracy. China’s extensive population made it difficult to rule, but under Zhu’s system of killing off seemingly threatening soldiers, scholars, and even his own bureaucracy, the Ming stayed powerful for a long time. During the 1400s, China’s commerce had increased dramatically. Although foreign trade was banned, the Chinese still traded with the Indians and the Europeans for silver. Silks and porcelains were considered the best products fit for wealthy people, but in the end, silver and other precious metals proved to be the most valuable to the Chinese. Due to this economic boost, China had the opportunity to improve their agriculture and develop textile industries. Its population had grown to over one-third of the world’s total, and cities began to expand and include more palaces, temples, and schools. After Zhu died, so did his ban of private, foreign trade, which he believed would under...

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...Some regional leaders even fought for control over the trade. Although about twelve million slaves made it to the New World, other few millions died during or before their shipment, where they faced disease and a one-fifths mortality rate. Furthermore, there was gender imbalance because slavers favored males working on their plantations over females. This caused inequality in ratios between Africa and the New World. As a result, the slavers had to wait for new slave arrivals for reproduction opportunities, and large female plantations in Africa were common. With their great numbers, the female slaves sometimes declared their own power. The slave trade ultimately slimmed Africa’s population and caused slaving tribes to fight against one another. Tribes such as the Asante dominated their neighbors and thrived with profits while everyone else suffered from being poor.

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