No topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

No topic - Assignment Example It is difficult to underestimate the importance that mercantilism played with respect to the Atlantic trade that took place within this same time period. Whereas it may be understood that Britain was the power that most greatly benefited from mercantilism, other European powers engaged with this very same model; up to and including the Portuguese, Spanish, the Dutch, and the French. Maintaining colonies in South America, Africa, the Caribbean, and Canada respectively, these powers utilize mercantilism as a way of both developing the colonial allegiance of the territories they held as well as benefiting the economy of the mother nation. This model of course shifted as the strength that the mother country could exert over these colonies began to diminish during the 18th century. Naturally, the American Revolution heralded the greatest reduction in mercantilism that had yet been witnessed. 2. European culture expanded throughout the world. Discuss how the Islamic kingdoms of the Ottoman s, Safavids and Mughals blended European culture with their own. How did Sharia law adjust to European influences? As European culture expanded throughout the world, trade routes were of course the most powerful mechanisms through which culture was integrated with foreign peoples. At the mixing point between East and West, European culture often came in direct contact with Muslim culture; a culture that specifically relied upon sharia law as a means of delineating justice and ordering their lives. However, as with any cultural interaction and the means through which this takes place, a synthesis of these two cultures and dominant religions came to take place. For instance, the Mughals, Safavids, and Ottomans adopted the European model of maintaining a standing army at all times through a regiment pay structure. This served as a fundamental difference with regards to the manner by which these entities had traditionally integrated with military affairs. Ultimately, rather than draftin g a conscript army that had little to no training and experiencing the massive losses from casualties that such an untrained and ill-prepared army necessarily engendered. Moreover, Western influences with regards to clothing, science, and technology were also represented within these cultures as they sought to change with the times and develop their own culture alongside what was, by the measurement of that era, the most advanced societies that existed. 3. How did the rulers of the world show their power? What did they build and how did they treat the common people in regards to the buildings? Be specific with the major powers of France, China, Persia, India and African empires. As might be expected, different cultures integrated with their subjects in different ways; choosing to display their power with regards to the buildings they created, the institutions they formed, and the manner through which society integrated. With respect to Persia, the power and majesty of Persia can be seen with respect to the architectural projects that were engaged and the emphasis upon beauty and art. By means of comparison, China was perhaps the most developed with respect to building architectural wonders in creating a society that could take pride in the splendor and beauty of the capital and surrounding regions. Interestingly, even though France was, and continues to be, and a dominant power in the world, the level and extent to which