Asian+Transitions

MI: The Asian trading world was divided up into three sectors, the Arab, Indian, and Chinese zones, where each zone traded amongst each other. ++: Spices, textiles, glass, and the like were the most popular of all products. ++: The Asian trading world was for the most part peaceful, until the intervention of the Portuguese. ++: Merchants were only trading for their own livelihood and for the princes who sponsored them.

MI: Portuguese desire for controlling the Asian trading world, as a result of mercantilism, led to them using methods that involved force and violence to get what they wanted. ++: Used their naval fleet to fight back the fleets of the Chinese junks and other fleets. ++: Captured coastal towns and created **factories**, points where spices and other products could be stored until shipped to Europe.

MI: The Portuguese were eventually weakened enough to the point where the Dutch and the English could have a role in the Asian trading world. ++: Resistance of Asian rivals, poor military discipline, corruption and heavy shipping losses weakened the Portuguese. ++: The Dutch had better armed ships w/ which to carry out attacks and monitor the trade. ++: However, both the Dutch and English adopted peaceful trading means, which in the end, became more profitable for them.

MI: As the Europeans began to travel inland, they began to create systems of tribute. ++: There was little interference in the indigenous peoples' daily lives. ++: However, they obtained tributes that were in the form of the agricultural products that the natives grew.

MI: Religious conversion saw success in some parts of Asia, while it failed in other parts due to conflicting beliefs. ++: Christian conversion failed in India due to the higher caste refusing to worship w/ the lower caste, an action that went against the idea that everybody was equal before God. ++: The Philippines saw success because it was in some ways similar to the New World and its Indians. Old traditions were meshed with newer ideas.

Summary: The Asian trading world had attracted the attention of European nations, both economically and religiously. Nations like Portugal vied for the products being traded within Asia, as part of the mercantilism belief, sometimes using force to do so, while the Dutch and the English were a bit more pacifist in comparison. Religious conversions saw mixed results during this era due to beliefs that conflicted with Christianity, and beliefs that went well with Chrisitianity.