European Civilization Compared to India and China. The Impact of Black Death

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Question 1: European Civilization Compared to India and China

There was a significant trajectory, and rise of European civilization. The latter can be compared to the civilizations, which occurred in India and China. In Europe, after the tenth century, people benefited from territorial expansion, population growth and prosperity. People became aware of the importance of specialization, and in turn, commerce and trade occurred in the towns and rural areas. Example of towns, which prospered due to commerce and trade, were Italian cities such as Venice. Furthermore as the fourteenth century began, many people lost their lives due to various calamities. The latter included; epidemics. The Black Death, wars, as well as famines. The result was that the population levels declined, and people had to deal with rising wages and falling rents (Duiker& Spielvogel, 2011).

On the other hand, in China, many people existed as compared to Europe, in a phase known as the Common Era. As compared to Europe, political stability existed in China and even its economy improved drastically. Europe was in dire need of Chinese products, such as ceramics and tea, which in turn, contributed to it being a stable and competitive market. In India, a caste system existed, which had an impact on its population growth and the economy (Duiker& Spielvogel, 2011). Thus, most parts of India were not as developed as compared to china and Europe. On the other hand, in India, there was extreme advancement in technology and commerce. However, it did not assist in making India have prosperous industries.

There were also differences that existed between the Arab civilization and civilization, which existed in Europe. The latter were mostly Christians, while the former were Muslims, and they had different lifestyles. In the Arab civilizations, the men were the ones who dictated how society ought to be. Also, in European society this existed, but to a limited extent as witnessed. For example, the Puritans did not give any rights to their women and they were expected to be passive in societal matters (McNeill & McNeill, 2003). In a nutshell, the European civilization is described as being more advanced as compared to the Arab one. Moreover, most Europeans migrated to other regions and they influenced other civilization such as the Americas.

Question 2: The Impact of Black Death

The Black Death is a notable period, which took place in history, as many people died due to the spread of deadly diseases. Also, it had a significant impact on the Byzantium as well as in Medieval Europe. In turn, many societies in Western Europe were affected as they became vulnerable to many other problems. It is believed that the Black Death originated in Asia before it spread to other parts. Rats and fleas were the ones that transmitted the disease and then spread to human beings. There was a tremendous strain, especially to the population of mediaeval Europe. Furthermore, people began to doubt traditional values, and others even began to challenge and change their old institutions. Even the Byzantines were affected, including the son to the king, and he came up with ways to protect his people from the plague. The people who were affected by the Black Death had to change their lifestyles. For example, those who usually took a bath many times, had to reduce, and only the rich had the privilege of bathing regularly. The calamities, which took place in Byzantium and medieval Europe, lead to many areas becoming developed (Bennett & Hollister 2006).

References

Duiker, William. & Spielvogel, Jackson. (2011). The Essential World History, 6th Ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

McNeill, J. & McNeill, William. (2003). The Human Web: A Bird’s Eye View of World History 1st Ed. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company.

Bennett, M. & Hollister, C. (2006). Medieval Europe: A Short History .New York: McGraw-Hill.