Global History: The Modern Era

The Modern Era is depicted as a time of the development of great empires, globalization, and transformations of the many peoples involved. This momentous period in history is highlighted by many positive and lasting effects on the world we live in today, specifically with the establishment of the European, Asian, and Russian empires. It was also a time of great disease, despair and intolerance for many societies. The effect of empire building and the establishment of global linkage on the Native Americans, the African Americans, and many others were not as favorable. The Modern Era forever changed or eliminated many significant peoples around the world. The primary sources found in Ways of the World, A Brief Global History provide visual depictions of the unsurmountable destruction faced by the Aztec and Incan populations during the Modern Era.
By the 17th century, Europeans were at the forefront of the world stage. They gained access to new lands, established impressive Empires, and sparked a global exchange network referred to as the

Cortés initially showed common courtesies and made visual attempts at alliances with the Aztec peoples. The image Moctezuma and Cortés (Strayer, 663) illustrates a peaceful encounter with the exchange of gifts between the two great leaders. This brief treaty would soon come to a bloody end with loss felt on both sides. The Massacre of the Nobles and The Spanish Retreat from Tenochtitlán (Strayer, 664, 665), give vivid depictions of the massacre at a native religious ceremony and the retaliatory uprising of the Aztecs at Lake Texcoco. Following was a short-lived reprieve from Spanish rule, but eventually disease and starvation gave way to military defeat. Of those that survived, some natives were assimilated into the new empire; while others were forced to labor in agriculture or