Strayer Ch. 15: Global Commerce, 1450-1750

What was the one major advantage that allowed the small Portuguese fleet to dominate the Indian Ocean militarily? 

• They had large amounts of gold. 
• They could speak the languages of the cultures they encountered.
• Their onboard cannon could defeat other ships and coastal forts. 
• They intermarried with local leaders; families.

Which of the following is NOT a reason for the Portuguese Empire’s steep decline in the Indian Ocean by 1600? 

• It was overextended.
• Certain powers, such the Mughals and Japanese, resisted Portuguese control.
• They were heavily outnumbered in their outposts.
• The Spanish ousted the Portuguese from Asian waters.

What strategic significance did the Philippines hold for Spain? 

• Christianity was already established on the islands.
• They were close to China, but not ruled by China.
• They could be used to launch attacks on Portuguese forts.
• They were close to Australia.

What was one main difference between the Spanish colonization of thePhilippines and the Portuguese strongholds the Indian Ocean Basin? 

• The Spanish converted Filipinos to Christianity; the Portuguese often blended into the local populations.
• The Spanish only established coastal outposts; the Portuguese conquered inland areas.
• The Portuguese killed large amounts of natives; the Spanish did not use violence to enforce their rule.
• The Portuguese were only interested in spreading Christianity; the Spanish were only interested in getting rich.

What was one main difference between the establishment of the British East India Company in Mughal India versus the establishment of the Dutch East India Company in Indonesia? 

• The British learned the local languages; the Dutch did not.
• The British used treaties with local Mughal rulers; the Dutch violently conquered and killed many Indonesians.
• The British encouraged intermarriage with elite local women; the Dutch took local women as sex slaves.
• The British had to send 50 percent of their profits back to the government in London; the Dutch only had to send a small percentage of money back to their government.

What was the attitude of Japanese shoguns toward Christian Europeans in Japan in the early seventeenth century? 

• They welcomed Europeans for their technological knowledge.
• They welcomed Europeans as teachers of Christianity, and converted. 
•  They violently expelled all but a few Europeans.
• They were opposed to Europeans, but knew they were powerless to keep Europeans out of Japan.

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship of the new European trading networks in the Indian Ocean to other Asian commercial networks? 

• Europeans became just one small group among a vast number of thriving Asian commercial networks.
• Europeans destroyed and took over almost all other Asian commercial networks.
• Europeans gained access to commercial markets only where the local population converted to Christianity.
• Europeans ended up gaining little for their efforts, eventually leaving Asia empty-handed.

Which of the following was NOT a factor in the emergence of silver as the currency of global trade in the sixteenth century? 

• Skyrocketing Chinese demand for silver as a means for paying taxes. 
• The proximity of the Spanish Philippines to China.
•  The lack of any silver mines in Asia.
• The discover of vast silver mines in Bolivia.

What impact did the discovery of the world's largest silver mine at Potosi have on the native (mostly) Incan population there? 

• They grew suddenly rich.
• They were forced to work in deadly, hellish conditions.
• They had been so decimated by disease that they barely noticed the new mine.
•  Realizing how valuable silver was to Europeans, they began digging for their own mines throughout the Andes.

How did the discovery of the vast silver mines in South America affect Spain's position in Europe? 

• It allowed Spain to pursue political and military goals far beyond what they could afford previously.
• It vastly enriched all the citizens of Spain.
• It did nothing for Spain because most of the silver went straight to China.
• Most of the silver was stolen by pirates as it was shipped across the Caribbean and Atlantic.