World History

The Taiping Uprising is also known as the Taiping Civil War or, the Taiping Revolution which was caused by the culmination of China’s internal crisis (1850-1864).   The leader of the Taiping rebels asserted that he (Hong Xiuquan) was the younger brother of Jesus who was sent to purify “the world of demons and to establish a ‘heavenly kingdom of great peace.’”   The Taiping rebels followed a unique form of Christian ideology while Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism were rejected.   The Taiping rebels wanted prostitution and opium smoking to be terminated along with the abolition of private property and, a redistribution of land.   Meanwhile, Hong Xiuquan’s cousin, Hong Rengan had generated plans that would transform China into an industrial nation.   Some of his plans included, health insurance for all, newspapers, railroads, and widespread public education.   It’s interesting to see how Rengan was pushing for health insurance for all (so long ago) and, it...

The diseases that were transmitted during the growth of the silk, sand, and sea roads were incredibly deadly with the Black Death accounting for the deaths of half the population of Europe.   It was interesting to read that some Europeans gained an advantage because of the diseases in transit.   The text mentioned that, the exposure the Europeans had to the diseases over time caused them to develop some degree of immunity to Eurasian diseases.   When the Europeans confronted the Native Peoples societies which had no exposure to domesticated animals and diseases, they didn’t have any kind of immunity that the Europeans had.   The Native peoples had little to no defense against the diseases, so their societies quick died out in horrendous numbers.   I really enjoyed the picture on page 309 because it is so incredible to see a path that was made so long ago!   I enjoyed the zooming in section of the text that talks about the Japanese poet and loved named...

I feel like I’m learning about the American and French Revolutions for the first time.   The British decided to introduce additional taxes in North America without warning.   This introduction of new taxes led to the American Revolution because the British government was trying to extract more revenue by adding taxes that would help to tighten its control over the separate colonies.    It’s interesting that France joined North America by being able to come together and fight against the British government.   The North America Revolution took place between 1775-1787 with the Declaration of Independence in 1776 that resulted in a military victory in 1781 which then created the Federal Constitution in 1787 which brought together 13 previously separated colonies into a new nation.   I was happy to read that slavery was gradually being abolished in the Northern states, although it shouldn’t have taken that long.   I cannot fathom why the southern states c...

The Columbian Exchange was interesting because of all the revolutionary changes the Europeans brought over to the Americas.   They brought over their people, animals and plants, as well as germs.   Horses, pigs, cattle, goats, and sheep were new to the Americas where they played a significant role in the Post-Columbian development of the Americas.   I was also surprised to read that those domesticated animals gave way to the ranching economies and cowboy cultures.   This was also a time where the Native American women were losing their roles as food producers since the warrior culture and male-dominated hunting arose.   Wheat, rice, sugarcane, grapes, many garden fruits and vegetables and weeds began to take hold in the Americas which caused the land to change.   Corn and potatoes were two of the most substantial crops that came from the Americas.   Corn became essential throughout the Old World and especially in Africa.   Potatoes made a signif...

I thought it was interesting to read that the Quran can have such a powerful effect on people when they hear it.   I think the third pillar is actually something I would expect “believers to give generously to support the poor and needy community” (368).   It’s interesting that after Muhammad’s death, his followers called themselves “believers” which is said to be found in the Quran more than the word “Muslims.”   I’m not sure if I understood the tax thing correctly about how people can retain their own beliefs and systems, but they had to pay jizya tax imposed on non-Muslims.   First, do Muslim’s get taxed or is that part of their almsgiving where they donate to the poor and needy?   It comes off as being manipulative when I read that different incentives were offered to people that claimed Muslim identity…So, I must pay this special tax to continue with my beliefs and I don’t receive any incentives, but I still pay the jizya tax?   I wonder how many peo...

I thought it was very interesting that in the first century C.E., the Romans began to respect/claim that their deceased emperors were gods.   This new belief system caused a “religious cult” to form which helped boost the authority of the living rulers (pg. 123).   I have met a lot of brilliant people, some have a better way with words than the others which makes them appear even more wise because they have a certain confidence about themselves.   I wonder how many of people back then used their ways with words, stories, and charisma to make people think they come from a background of rulers which gives them more authority.   To put it simply, I wonder how many amazing bull-shitters there were back then.   This section also mentioned that because the early Christians refused to take part in this “religious cult” they were persecuted by the Roman authorities for a period. I liked the story about Trung Trac resisting the Chinese empire.   The Chinese Empi...