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Archdukes, Cynicism, and World War I Crash Course World History #36.m4a | That defined Hemingway's worldview. And it also defines ours. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Meredith Danko. Our associate producer is Danica Johnson. |
Archdukes, Cynicism, and World War I Crash Course World History #36.m4a | I'll see you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Meredith Danko. Our associate producer is Danica Johnson. The show is written by my high school history teacher Raoul Meyer and myself, and our graphics team is Thought Bubble. Last week's Phrase of the Week was, Unless You Are the Mongols, we brought it back for you. If you'd like to suggest future Phrases of the Week or guests at this week's, you can do so in comments, where you can also ask questions about today's video that will be answered by our team of historians. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Today we're gonna talk about war. AHH! EXPLOSIONS EVERYWHERE! So traditionally, historians are pretty keen on wars because they feature clearly delineated beginnings and middles and ends, and because they always have a fair bit of death and drama and mortally wounded generals who have great last words like, let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of those trees. Whereas the last words of plague victims are always like, ugggghh. Sorry, plague victims, as if you don't have enough troubles, now you've got me teasing you about your uninspired death throes. Wars have easy whens, wheres, whos, and whys. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | So traditionally, historians are pretty keen on wars because they feature clearly delineated beginnings and middles and ends, and because they always have a fair bit of death and drama and mortally wounded generals who have great last words like, let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of those trees. Whereas the last words of plague victims are always like, ugggghh. Sorry, plague victims, as if you don't have enough troubles, now you've got me teasing you about your uninspired death throes. Wars have easy whens, wheres, whos, and whys. 1861 to 1865, the United States, the North versus the South to end slavery and save the Union. Mr. Green, Mr. Green, are you gonna show us the hidden complexities behind something we already think we understand again? Sorry me from the past, but yes. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Wars have easy whens, wheres, whos, and whys. 1861 to 1865, the United States, the North versus the South to end slavery and save the Union. Mr. Green, Mr. Green, are you gonna show us the hidden complexities behind something we already think we understand again? Sorry me from the past, but yes. However, to placate you, here are some more explosions. Boom boom boom boom boom boom. The 17th and 18th centuries saw a bunch of top-notch wars, but today we're going to focus on the Seven Years' War, also called the French and Indian Wars, because it was the first truly global war. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Sorry me from the past, but yes. However, to placate you, here are some more explosions. Boom boom boom boom boom boom. The 17th and 18th centuries saw a bunch of top-notch wars, but today we're going to focus on the Seven Years' War, also called the French and Indian Wars, because it was the first truly global war. In fact, no less a historian than Winston Churchill called it the First World War. But we've been so Eurocentric here on Crash Course that all we are going to say about the entire war in Europe is that Prussia and Great Britain fought France and Austria, and that the Austrian Habsburgs wanted to win back Silesia, which they failed to do there. That's all you get, Europe! |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | The 17th and 18th centuries saw a bunch of top-notch wars, but today we're going to focus on the Seven Years' War, also called the French and Indian Wars, because it was the first truly global war. In fact, no less a historian than Winston Churchill called it the First World War. But we've been so Eurocentric here on Crash Course that all we are going to say about the entire war in Europe is that Prussia and Great Britain fought France and Austria, and that the Austrian Habsburgs wanted to win back Silesia, which they failed to do there. That's all you get, Europe! So the Seven Years' War lasted for... anyone? Anyone? 23 years? |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | That's all you get, Europe! So the Seven Years' War lasted for... anyone? Anyone? 23 years? I hate you, me from the past. But as it happens, by sheer coincidence, you are not necessarily wrong. INTRO So the when. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | 23 years? I hate you, me from the past. But as it happens, by sheer coincidence, you are not necessarily wrong. INTRO So the when. The Seven Years' War began in 1756 and ended in 1763. Unless you believe, as many historians do, that the Seven Years' War lasted 23 years because it was really a continuation of the war for Austrian succession. Then you have the fact that much of the information in today's episode is taken from a book called The Global Seven Years' War, 1754-1763, a nine year period. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | INTRO So the when. The Seven Years' War began in 1756 and ended in 1763. Unless you believe, as many historians do, that the Seven Years' War lasted 23 years because it was really a continuation of the war for Austrian succession. Then you have the fact that much of the information in today's episode is taken from a book called The Global Seven Years' War, 1754-1763, a nine year period. As for the who, it was mainly fought between the British and the French, seen here reenacting the knife fight from either Beat It or West Side Story, depending on your age. But some of the British were actually Americans, and both the British and the French were supported by American Indians. And there was fighting in India between Indian Indians, the British, and the French. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Then you have the fact that much of the information in today's episode is taken from a book called The Global Seven Years' War, 1754-1763, a nine year period. As for the who, it was mainly fought between the British and the French, seen here reenacting the knife fight from either Beat It or West Side Story, depending on your age. But some of the British were actually Americans, and both the British and the French were supported by American Indians. And there was fighting in India between Indian Indians, the British, and the French. And as previously noted, the French were fighting the Prussians and the British were fighting the Austrians. The where, Europe, the continental US, the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Africa, India, basically the world. And the why? |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | And there was fighting in India between Indian Indians, the British, and the French. And as previously noted, the French were fighting the Prussians and the British were fighting the Austrians. The where, Europe, the continental US, the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Africa, India, basically the world. And the why? Ostensibly, land. British colonists wanted to expand into land west of the original 13 colonies. And that land was technically held by the French, who left it alone except for a bunch of trading posts, and they were like, je ne veux pas l'Anglais. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | And the why? Ostensibly, land. British colonists wanted to expand into land west of the original 13 colonies. And that land was technically held by the French, who left it alone except for a bunch of trading posts, and they were like, je ne veux pas l'Anglais. Thank you, four years of high school French. Anyway, the war wasn't really about land. It was really about our old friend, trade. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | And that land was technically held by the French, who left it alone except for a bunch of trading posts, and they were like, je ne veux pas l'Anglais. Thank you, four years of high school French. Anyway, the war wasn't really about land. It was really about our old friend, trade. The British wanted to expand into the American interior to allow for more colonists, because the British benefited both from the export of raw materials from the Americas and the import of British consumer goods to the Americas. So more colonists meant more trade, which meant more wealth, which meant ever fancier hats. And the French realized that this British Atlantic Maritime trade was making Britain so rich that Britain might come for France's actually valuable colonies, which were not in the continental US, but those slave-based sugar plantations in the Caribbean. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | It was really about our old friend, trade. The British wanted to expand into the American interior to allow for more colonists, because the British benefited both from the export of raw materials from the Americas and the import of British consumer goods to the Americas. So more colonists meant more trade, which meant more wealth, which meant ever fancier hats. And the French realized that this British Atlantic Maritime trade was making Britain so rich that Britain might come for France's actually valuable colonies, which were not in the continental US, but those slave-based sugar plantations in the Caribbean. So the fighting began around here, and while the British did send over actual British troops, much of the early fighting was done by colonial militias. Probably the most famous commander of British troops was a Virginia colonel named George Washington. In fact, he may have actually started the shooting at the Battle of Fort Necessity in May of 1754. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | And the French realized that this British Atlantic Maritime trade was making Britain so rich that Britain might come for France's actually valuable colonies, which were not in the continental US, but those slave-based sugar plantations in the Caribbean. So the fighting began around here, and while the British did send over actual British troops, much of the early fighting was done by colonial militias. Probably the most famous commander of British troops was a Virginia colonel named George Washington. In fact, he may have actually started the shooting at the Battle of Fort Necessity in May of 1754. Washington was captured in that battle, but then he was immediately released, because 18th century war was super weird. Anyway, the real North American action was in New York and Canada. At the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, for instance, the British defeated the French and captured the city of Quebec. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | In fact, he may have actually started the shooting at the Battle of Fort Necessity in May of 1754. Washington was captured in that battle, but then he was immediately released, because 18th century war was super weird. Anyway, the real North American action was in New York and Canada. At the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, for instance, the British defeated the French and captured the city of Quebec. Both the British commander General Wolfe and the French commander General Montcalm were killed in that battle, with the death of the former being immortalized in this famous painting by Benjamin West. As indicated by the picture, almost all the battles in North America featured significant participation by Native Americans. Different Native tribes sided with both the British and the French, but as a broad generalization, Native Americans were more likely to support the French. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | At the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, for instance, the British defeated the French and captured the city of Quebec. Both the British commander General Wolfe and the French commander General Montcalm were killed in that battle, with the death of the former being immortalized in this famous painting by Benjamin West. As indicated by the picture, almost all the battles in North America featured significant participation by Native Americans. Different Native tribes sided with both the British and the French, but as a broad generalization, Native Americans were more likely to support the French. Up to this point, shrewd Indian tribes had been able to play the British and the French off each other and maintain a degree of autonomy for themselves. And as long as the French were present, the British were prevented from encroaching too much on lands Native Americans were using for hunting and agriculture. Now, we haven't talked much about American Indians, mostly because they were geographically isolated and didn't have a written language, but let's at least give them a thought bubble. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Different Native tribes sided with both the British and the French, but as a broad generalization, Native Americans were more likely to support the French. Up to this point, shrewd Indian tribes had been able to play the British and the French off each other and maintain a degree of autonomy for themselves. And as long as the French were present, the British were prevented from encroaching too much on lands Native Americans were using for hunting and agriculture. Now, we haven't talked much about American Indians, mostly because they were geographically isolated and didn't have a written language, but let's at least give them a thought bubble. Before the arrival of the Europeans, most Native Americans lived in tribal groups, and they subsisted on a combination of small-scale agriculture and hunting and gathering, depending on where they were situated. There were too many tribes to generalize about specific social structures, but it's probably safe to say that in terms of gender, they were much more egalitarian than the Europeans who they met up with, which may explain why European women who were taken captive by Indians sometimes preferred to stay with the tribe rather than be rescued, although that's somewhat controversial. One thing we can say about the Indians, their notions of what it meant to hold property were very different from those of the Europeans. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Now, we haven't talked much about American Indians, mostly because they were geographically isolated and didn't have a written language, but let's at least give them a thought bubble. Before the arrival of the Europeans, most Native Americans lived in tribal groups, and they subsisted on a combination of small-scale agriculture and hunting and gathering, depending on where they were situated. There were too many tribes to generalize about specific social structures, but it's probably safe to say that in terms of gender, they were much more egalitarian than the Europeans who they met up with, which may explain why European women who were taken captive by Indians sometimes preferred to stay with the tribe rather than be rescued, although that's somewhat controversial. One thing we can say about the Indians, their notions of what it meant to hold property were very different from those of the Europeans. Individual Indians did not own land in the European sense. They used it, and not always particularly intensively. Europeans, when they came to North America, had a hard time even recognizing that the Indians were raising crops because their forms of farming were so different from European agriculture. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | One thing we can say about the Indians, their notions of what it meant to hold property were very different from those of the Europeans. Individual Indians did not own land in the European sense. They used it, and not always particularly intensively. Europeans, when they came to North America, had a hard time even recognizing that the Indians were raising crops because their forms of farming were so different from European agriculture. So the French, and especially the English, just assumed that the Indians weren't improving the land, which meant that they didn't own the land, so that meant that it was okay for Europeans to take it. As you might imagine, that was problematic for the Indians. In general, Indian tribes initially got along better with the French than with the Dutch or English because 1. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Europeans, when they came to North America, had a hard time even recognizing that the Indians were raising crops because their forms of farming were so different from European agriculture. So the French, and especially the English, just assumed that the Indians weren't improving the land, which meant that they didn't own the land, so that meant that it was okay for Europeans to take it. As you might imagine, that was problematic for the Indians. In general, Indian tribes initially got along better with the French than with the Dutch or English because 1. The French did not settle in large numbers, as they were mostly traders and fur trappers, and 2. French missionaries who made the journey to the Americas were Catholic, often Jesuits, who were so intent on converting the Indians that they took the time to learn Indian languages and try to make Catholicism more amenable to Indian religion. The end result of the war, a greatly reduced French presence on the American mainland, meant that Indians could no longer easily play the British and French off each other, which opened the floodgates of British settlers. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | In general, Indian tribes initially got along better with the French than with the Dutch or English because 1. The French did not settle in large numbers, as they were mostly traders and fur trappers, and 2. French missionaries who made the journey to the Americas were Catholic, often Jesuits, who were so intent on converting the Indians that they took the time to learn Indian languages and try to make Catholicism more amenable to Indian religion. The end result of the war, a greatly reduced French presence on the American mainland, meant that Indians could no longer easily play the British and French off each other, which opened the floodgates of British settlers. In the end, the American Indians were perhaps the biggest losers of the Seven Years War. Thanks, Thought Bubble. So 2,000 miles south, in the Caribbean, there was also quite a lot of fighting between the British and the French over sugar colonies. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | The end result of the war, a greatly reduced French presence on the American mainland, meant that Indians could no longer easily play the British and French off each other, which opened the floodgates of British settlers. In the end, the American Indians were perhaps the biggest losers of the Seven Years War. Thanks, Thought Bubble. So 2,000 miles south, in the Caribbean, there was also quite a lot of fighting between the British and the French over sugar colonies. Most of these were naval battles, and by 1761, Spain got involved because, you know, they had some sugar colonies of their own. While these battles get a lot of ink, it's interesting to note that by far the greatest threat to combatants was disease. By October of 1761, the British had lost about 1,000 men to war and 5,000 to disease. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | So 2,000 miles south, in the Caribbean, there was also quite a lot of fighting between the British and the French over sugar colonies. Most of these were naval battles, and by 1761, Spain got involved because, you know, they had some sugar colonies of their own. While these battles get a lot of ink, it's interesting to note that by far the greatest threat to combatants was disease. By October of 1761, the British had lost about 1,000 men to war and 5,000 to disease. Meanwhile, in West Africa, the British and the French were fighting there, too, because, you know, why not? The British attacked the French at a trading post called St. Louis. Oh, Stan, don't make me say it right. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | By October of 1761, the British had lost about 1,000 men to war and 5,000 to disease. Meanwhile, in West Africa, the British and the French were fighting there, too, because, you know, why not? The British attacked the French at a trading post called St. Louis. Oh, Stan, don't make me say it right. Fine. Saint Louis. And at a town called Goree, both in Senegal. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Oh, Stan, don't make me say it right. Fine. Saint Louis. And at a town called Goree, both in Senegal. Why? Well, trade, of course. Senegal was the main source of gum Arabic, which is notable for many reasons, but most importantly it is a key ingredient in the diet coke and Mentos phenomenon, so of course the British wanted lots of it. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | And at a town called Goree, both in Senegal. Why? Well, trade, of course. Senegal was the main source of gum Arabic, which is notable for many reasons, but most importantly it is a key ingredient in the diet coke and Mentos phenomenon, so of course the British wanted lots of it. And the French were also fighting the British in India. In the 18th century, India was nominally ruled by the Mughal Empire. I bet I'm saying that wrong, aren't I? |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Senegal was the main source of gum Arabic, which is notable for many reasons, but most importantly it is a key ingredient in the diet coke and Mentos phenomenon, so of course the British wanted lots of it. And the French were also fighting the British in India. In the 18th century, India was nominally ruled by the Mughal Empire. I bet I'm saying that wrong, aren't I? Mughals. Yeah, that sounds more plausible. But as throughout most of its history, the real power in India lay with local kings and princes, sometimes called Nawabs. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | I bet I'm saying that wrong, aren't I? Mughals. Yeah, that sounds more plausible. But as throughout most of its history, the real power in India lay with local kings and princes, sometimes called Nawabs. And these princes, just like their European counterparts, were constantly vying for power and control over more territory. And to get it, they often enlisted the help, especially the military help, of Europeans. This is what happened in the most notorious event in the Seven Years' War in India, the Black Hole of Calcutta. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | But as throughout most of its history, the real power in India lay with local kings and princes, sometimes called Nawabs. And these princes, just like their European counterparts, were constantly vying for power and control over more territory. And to get it, they often enlisted the help, especially the military help, of Europeans. This is what happened in the most notorious event in the Seven Years' War in India, the Black Hole of Calcutta. In June of 1756, the British governor of Calcutta, Roger Drake, made the mistake of insulting the emissaries sent by the Nawab Siraj ad-Dula, who duly besieged and captured the English garrison of 500 with his own army of 30,000. Drake escaped to nearby ships with the town's women and children. You know the old saying, women, children, and governors first. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | This is what happened in the most notorious event in the Seven Years' War in India, the Black Hole of Calcutta. In June of 1756, the British governor of Calcutta, Roger Drake, made the mistake of insulting the emissaries sent by the Nawab Siraj ad-Dula, who duly besieged and captured the English garrison of 500 with his own army of 30,000. Drake escaped to nearby ships with the town's women and children. You know the old saying, women, children, and governors first. But the town's defenders remained, and the survivors were imprisoned in a small, windowless room that came to be known as the Black Hole. And 40 of 63 prisoners suffocated overnight. This story is mostly famous in a war that killed a million people, because the British press exaggerated the numbers in order to build support for the war in India. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | You know the old saying, women, children, and governors first. But the town's defenders remained, and the survivors were imprisoned in a small, windowless room that came to be known as the Black Hole. And 40 of 63 prisoners suffocated overnight. This story is mostly famous in a war that killed a million people, because the British press exaggerated the numbers in order to build support for the war in India. Not the last time that exaggerations of enemy brutality would be used to gin up support for a war. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the military campaigns in this part of the world is that, at least initially, they were not undertaken by governments themselves, but by corporations that had their own armies. The British East India Company was the most successful of these corporations, primarily because of the military skill of its leader, Robert Clive. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | This story is mostly famous in a war that killed a million people, because the British press exaggerated the numbers in order to build support for the war in India. Not the last time that exaggerations of enemy brutality would be used to gin up support for a war. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the military campaigns in this part of the world is that, at least initially, they were not undertaken by governments themselves, but by corporations that had their own armies. The British East India Company was the most successful of these corporations, primarily because of the military skill of its leader, Robert Clive. Oh, it's time for the open letter? An open letter to Robert Clive. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | The British East India Company was the most successful of these corporations, primarily because of the military skill of its leader, Robert Clive. Oh, it's time for the open letter? An open letter to Robert Clive. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, bubbles. That makes sense, Stan. The British East India Company was involved in several early market bubbles. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, bubbles. That makes sense, Stan. The British East India Company was involved in several early market bubbles. Mmm, bubbles. Dear Robert Clive, you were a complicated man and not entirely likable, but you did win a very important battle at Plassey in 1757. And the way you won it says a lot about the relationship between Europe and its colonies. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | The British East India Company was involved in several early market bubbles. Mmm, bubbles. Dear Robert Clive, you were a complicated man and not entirely likable, but you did win a very important battle at Plassey in 1757. And the way you won it says a lot about the relationship between Europe and its colonies. So the key to your success was a conspiracy to overthrow the existing Nawab orchestrated by a Bengali banking family called the Seths. No, Stan. The Seths. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | And the way you won it says a lot about the relationship between Europe and its colonies. So the key to your success was a conspiracy to overthrow the existing Nawab orchestrated by a Bengali banking family called the Seths. No, Stan. The Seths. Yes. Come on. And in thanks for your support of their conspiracy, the new Nawab quickly signed a treaty with your company, the East India Company. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | The Seths. Yes. Come on. And in thanks for your support of their conspiracy, the new Nawab quickly signed a treaty with your company, the East India Company. And thereafter, the British had effective control over trade in Bengal, and the French were excluded from it. This was an incredibly valuable region because it produced silk and inexpensive cotton cloth for export, and it gave the British a decisive advantage over the French and eventually allowed them to control all of India. And you accomplished this, Robert Clive, primarily by fomenting revolution. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | And in thanks for your support of their conspiracy, the new Nawab quickly signed a treaty with your company, the East India Company. And thereafter, the British had effective control over trade in Bengal, and the French were excluded from it. This was an incredibly valuable region because it produced silk and inexpensive cotton cloth for export, and it gave the British a decisive advantage over the French and eventually allowed them to control all of India. And you accomplished this, Robert Clive, primarily by fomenting revolution. How does this work for you and it never works for the CIA? Best wishes, John Green. So by now you've probably figured out that since the French kept losing battles, they eventually lost the war. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | And you accomplished this, Robert Clive, primarily by fomenting revolution. How does this work for you and it never works for the CIA? Best wishes, John Green. So by now you've probably figured out that since the French kept losing battles, they eventually lost the war. The main peace treaty signed in Paris in 1763 limited French presence in the Caribbean, in India, and in North America. Although not completely, otherwise they couldn't have sold Louisiana to Thomas Jefferson in 1803. So France was obviously dramatically weakened, but overall, so was Britain. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | So by now you've probably figured out that since the French kept losing battles, they eventually lost the war. The main peace treaty signed in Paris in 1763 limited French presence in the Caribbean, in India, and in North America. Although not completely, otherwise they couldn't have sold Louisiana to Thomas Jefferson in 1803. So France was obviously dramatically weakened, but overall, so was Britain. One thing rarely mentioned is the actual human cost of war. As many as a million combatants died in the Seven Years' War, but even that doesn't tell the whole story. In the 18th century, armies usually fed themselves by foraging, which really meant just pillaging the countryside. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | So France was obviously dramatically weakened, but overall, so was Britain. One thing rarely mentioned is the actual human cost of war. As many as a million combatants died in the Seven Years' War, but even that doesn't tell the whole story. In the 18th century, armies usually fed themselves by foraging, which really meant just pillaging the countryside. In Europe, a single Prussian province lost a fifth of its population to pillaging, and in North America, settlers in frontier regions lived in constant fear of raids. And one of the perhaps lesser known outcomes of the war was the systematic deportation of French Acadians from Maine to Louisiana, where they became Cajuns. Meaning that the stars of the television shows Lobster Wars and Swamp Wars are basically the same people. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | In the 18th century, armies usually fed themselves by foraging, which really meant just pillaging the countryside. In Europe, a single Prussian province lost a fifth of its population to pillaging, and in North America, settlers in frontier regions lived in constant fear of raids. And one of the perhaps lesser known outcomes of the war was the systematic deportation of French Acadians from Maine to Louisiana, where they became Cajuns. Meaning that the stars of the television shows Lobster Wars and Swamp Wars are basically the same people. What's that? There's no television show called Swamp Wars? Stan, cancel everything and get me on the phone with the Discovery Channel! |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Meaning that the stars of the television shows Lobster Wars and Swamp Wars are basically the same people. What's that? There's no television show called Swamp Wars? Stan, cancel everything and get me on the phone with the Discovery Channel! One last thing about wars, they are expensive. In 1756, the British national debt was 75 million pounds. In 1763, it was 133 million pounds. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Stan, cancel everything and get me on the phone with the Discovery Channel! One last thing about wars, they are expensive. In 1756, the British national debt was 75 million pounds. In 1763, it was 133 million pounds. Someone had to pay for this, and the British felt it was only fair that the American colonists should foot the bill. Those taxes, which helped fuel the American Revolution, were a direct result of the Seven Years' War. So in one way, winning the Seven Years' War cost Britain its first empire. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | In 1763, it was 133 million pounds. Someone had to pay for this, and the British felt it was only fair that the American colonists should foot the bill. Those taxes, which helped fuel the American Revolution, were a direct result of the Seven Years' War. So in one way, winning the Seven Years' War cost Britain its first empire. But when we remember that it was a global war, and especially when we think about what happened in India, then the Seven Years' War also begins to look like the beginning of Britain's second and much greater empire. Winning is losing is winning is losing. Such is life, and such is history. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | So in one way, winning the Seven Years' War cost Britain its first empire. But when we remember that it was a global war, and especially when we think about what happened in India, then the Seven Years' War also begins to look like the beginning of Britain's second and much greater empire. Winning is losing is winning is losing. Such is life, and such is history. Thanks for watching. See you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller, our script supervisor is Danica Johnson, the show is written by my high school history teacher, Roland Meyer, and myself, and the graphics team is Thought Bubble. |
The Seven Years War Crash Course World History #26.m4a | Such is life, and such is history. Thanks for watching. See you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller, our script supervisor is Danica Johnson, the show is written by my high school history teacher, Roland Meyer, and myself, and the graphics team is Thought Bubble. Last week's Phrase of the Week was Your Grandpa. If you want to take a guess at this week's Phrase of the Week or suggest future ones, you can do so in the comments, or you can also ask questions about today's video that will be answered by our team of historians. Thanks for watching Crash Course, and as we stay in my hometown, don't forget to be awesome. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | But his early life is difficult. His mother dies when he's six. His grandfather, who's taken charge of him, dies when he's eight years old. But he's able to, under the care of his uncle, become a merchant. And at the age of 25, he marries a wealthy merchant widow named Khadijah, who is 15 years his senior. Then we saw at age 40, in 610, while meditating in a mountain outside of Mecca, he receives the first revelations of the Quran, according to Islamic tradition. And he's skeptical of it at first, but he is reassured. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | But he's able to, under the care of his uncle, become a merchant. And at the age of 25, he marries a wealthy merchant widow named Khadijah, who is 15 years his senior. Then we saw at age 40, in 610, while meditating in a mountain outside of Mecca, he receives the first revelations of the Quran, according to Islamic tradition. And he's skeptical of it at first, but he is reassured. And then he soon receives many more revelations. And within roughly three years, he starts to preach those revelations. Now, as we mentioned in that last video, what he was preaching did not sit well with his own tribe, those who ruled Mecca, the Quraysh. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And he's skeptical of it at first, but he is reassured. And then he soon receives many more revelations. And within roughly three years, he starts to preach those revelations. Now, as we mentioned in that last video, what he was preaching did not sit well with his own tribe, those who ruled Mecca, the Quraysh. He was preaching a monotheistic tradition based on Judaism and Christianity. He was preaching that there is no god but God. But Mecca's power, its economy, was based on people making pilgrimages there to worship the idols at the Kaaba. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | Now, as we mentioned in that last video, what he was preaching did not sit well with his own tribe, those who ruled Mecca, the Quraysh. He was preaching a monotheistic tradition based on Judaism and Christianity. He was preaching that there is no god but God. But Mecca's power, its economy, was based on people making pilgrimages there to worship the idols at the Kaaba. So the Quraysh did not like Muhammad's revelations, and they did not like these early Muslims, and they persecuted them. They killed them, they tortured them. And we saw in 615, the migration of some of Muhammad's followers to Abyssinia, the kingdom of Aksum, modern-day Eritrea in Ethiopia, to escape some of that persecution. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | But Mecca's power, its economy, was based on people making pilgrimages there to worship the idols at the Kaaba. So the Quraysh did not like Muhammad's revelations, and they did not like these early Muslims, and they persecuted them. They killed them, they tortured them. And we saw in 615, the migration of some of Muhammad's followers to Abyssinia, the kingdom of Aksum, modern-day Eritrea in Ethiopia, to escape some of that persecution. Things got worse for Muhammad. We saw in that last video the death of his first wife, and up to that point, his only wife. And this is where we start to see a bit of a turning point for Muhammad and his followers. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And we saw in 615, the migration of some of Muhammad's followers to Abyssinia, the kingdom of Aksum, modern-day Eritrea in Ethiopia, to escape some of that persecution. Things got worse for Muhammad. We saw in that last video the death of his first wife, and up to that point, his only wife. And this is where we start to see a bit of a turning point for Muhammad and his followers. In 620, and this is according to Muslim traditions, there isn't historical evidence for this, and this is one of the more metaphysical events that we'll talk about in this narrative. But according to the Islamic faith, in 620, Muhammad had a night journey from Mecca to the farthest mosque, which today is believed by many Muslims to be the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was built later in Jerusalem. So right, right, let me, right over here. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And this is where we start to see a bit of a turning point for Muhammad and his followers. In 620, and this is according to Muslim traditions, there isn't historical evidence for this, and this is one of the more metaphysical events that we'll talk about in this narrative. But according to the Islamic faith, in 620, Muhammad had a night journey from Mecca to the farthest mosque, which today is believed by many Muslims to be the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was built later in Jerusalem. So right, right, let me, right over here. So a night journey, according to the Muslim faith, to Jerusalem, where he ascended with Gabriel to the heavens and he conversed with some of the prophets of old. And once again, this is clearly a metaphysical thing, but it's a significant event in the Muslim faith. Now, the Quraysh continued to persecute Muhammad and the early Muslims in Mecca. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | So right, right, let me, right over here. So a night journey, according to the Muslim faith, to Jerusalem, where he ascended with Gabriel to the heavens and he conversed with some of the prophets of old. And once again, this is clearly a metaphysical thing, but it's a significant event in the Muslim faith. Now, the Quraysh continued to persecute Muhammad and the early Muslims in Mecca. We have some of them that are now in the kingdom of Aksum. And Muhammad learns that there's a community, a growing community of Muslims in the town of Yathrib who are starting to follow Muhammad or his revelations, and they come to him and they invite him to come to Yathrib because there's actually a lot of fragmentation, there's warring tribes, and they're seeking an outsider to help bring some peace and authority to this place where there is already a burgeoning Muslim community. So in 622, you have the famous migration of Muhammad and his followers to Yathrib, which is renamed Medina, and Medina literally means the city. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | Now, the Quraysh continued to persecute Muhammad and the early Muslims in Mecca. We have some of them that are now in the kingdom of Aksum. And Muhammad learns that there's a community, a growing community of Muslims in the town of Yathrib who are starting to follow Muhammad or his revelations, and they come to him and they invite him to come to Yathrib because there's actually a lot of fragmentation, there's warring tribes, and they're seeking an outsider to help bring some peace and authority to this place where there is already a burgeoning Muslim community. So in 622, you have the famous migration of Muhammad and his followers to Yathrib, which is renamed Medina, and Medina literally means the city. And from then on, it really becomes the base of Muhammad and the early Muslims. And Muhammad, once he's in Medina, he is no longer just a prophet. He isn't just continuing to have his revelations, according to Islamic tradition, but he essentially rules over Medina and governs it. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | So in 622, you have the famous migration of Muhammad and his followers to Yathrib, which is renamed Medina, and Medina literally means the city. And from then on, it really becomes the base of Muhammad and the early Muslims. And Muhammad, once he's in Medina, he is no longer just a prophet. He isn't just continuing to have his revelations, according to Islamic tradition, but he essentially rules over Medina and governs it. So he's starting to become both a political ruler and a spiritual ruler. Now, the Quraysh in Mecca are still not happy because Muhammad is continuing to preach and he's continuing to get more and more followers. And so you start having, at first, a series of skirmishes between the armies of the Quraysh, or the members of the Quraysh, and some of the early Muslims. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | He isn't just continuing to have his revelations, according to Islamic tradition, but he essentially rules over Medina and governs it. So he's starting to become both a political ruler and a spiritual ruler. Now, the Quraysh in Mecca are still not happy because Muhammad is continuing to preach and he's continuing to get more and more followers. And so you start having, at first, a series of skirmishes between the armies of the Quraysh, or the members of the Quraysh, and some of the early Muslims. But these skirmishes eventually emerge into full-on conflict. And here are some of the significant battles that occurred between the Quraysh tribe, remember, that's Muhammad's own tribe, and the early Muslims, the early followers of Muhammad and his revelations. So most famously, perhaps, you have the Battle of Badr, because this is the first time that you have a significant confrontation between a very small, you wouldn't even necessarily call this an army, a small group of Muslims, roughly a little over 300, according to Muslim tradition, versus 900, or a little over 900, on the Quraysh side. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And so you start having, at first, a series of skirmishes between the armies of the Quraysh, or the members of the Quraysh, and some of the early Muslims. But these skirmishes eventually emerge into full-on conflict. And here are some of the significant battles that occurred between the Quraysh tribe, remember, that's Muhammad's own tribe, and the early Muslims, the early followers of Muhammad and his revelations. So most famously, perhaps, you have the Battle of Badr, because this is the first time that you have a significant confrontation between a very small, you wouldn't even necessarily call this an army, a small group of Muslims, roughly a little over 300, according to Muslim tradition, versus 900, or a little over 900, on the Quraysh side. And the Muslims are outnumbered three to one. But this results in a Muslim victory. And so you can imagine, the early Muslims start to see this as a turning tide. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | So most famously, perhaps, you have the Battle of Badr, because this is the first time that you have a significant confrontation between a very small, you wouldn't even necessarily call this an army, a small group of Muslims, roughly a little over 300, according to Muslim tradition, versus 900, or a little over 900, on the Quraysh side. And the Muslims are outnumbered three to one. But this results in a Muslim victory. And so you can imagine, the early Muslims start to see this as a turning tide. They were able to defeat the powerful Quraysh tribe. Now, the Quraysh weren't happy with that. And roughly a year later, you have another battle outside of Medina, on Mount Uhud. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And so you can imagine, the early Muslims start to see this as a turning tide. They were able to defeat the powerful Quraysh tribe. Now, the Quraysh weren't happy with that. And roughly a year later, you have another battle outside of Medina, on Mount Uhud. And once again, the Muslims, which are now larger, but they continue to be outnumbered even more than three to one. This is closer to four to one right over here. And this results in a Quraysh victory. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And roughly a year later, you have another battle outside of Medina, on Mount Uhud. And once again, the Muslims, which are now larger, but they continue to be outnumbered even more than three to one. This is closer to four to one right over here. And this results in a Quraysh victory. This is right over there, outside on the northern side of what is now called Medina. But then a few years later, you have a significant battle, where the Quraysh have built a confederacy, and they wanna end the teachings of Muhammad. They wanna end these Muslims who are threatening, whose preachings are threatening the pilgrimage, the legitimacy of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And this results in a Quraysh victory. This is right over there, outside on the northern side of what is now called Medina. But then a few years later, you have a significant battle, where the Quraysh have built a confederacy, and they wanna end the teachings of Muhammad. They wanna end these Muslims who are threatening, whose preachings are threatening the pilgrimage, the legitimacy of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. And so they laid siege to the city of Medina. And as a defensive measure, the Muslims in Medina create a trench around the city. And that's why this is called the Battle of the Trench. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | They wanna end these Muslims who are threatening, whose preachings are threatening the pilgrimage, the legitimacy of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. And so they laid siege to the city of Medina. And as a defensive measure, the Muslims in Medina create a trench around the city. And that's why this is called the Battle of the Trench. And once again, according to Islamic tradition, the Muslims are outnumbered three to one. So this is right over here, the Battle of the Trench, in which the Muslims are victorious. And this is a significant blow to the legitimacy, the prestige of the Quraysh tribe. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And that's why this is called the Battle of the Trench. And once again, according to Islamic tradition, the Muslims are outnumbered three to one. So this is right over here, the Battle of the Trench, in which the Muslims are victorious. And this is a significant blow to the legitimacy, the prestige of the Quraysh tribe. A year later, you have the Treaty of Hudabiyah between the Quraysh and the Muslims. And this is significant because it's starting to put these early Muslims on the same footing as the powerful Quraysh tribe. It has some allowances for the Muslims to make pilgrimages to the Kaaba. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And this is a significant blow to the legitimacy, the prestige of the Quraysh tribe. A year later, you have the Treaty of Hudabiyah between the Quraysh and the Muslims. And this is significant because it's starting to put these early Muslims on the same footing as the powerful Quraysh tribe. It has some allowances for the Muslims to make pilgrimages to the Kaaba. But then as we go into 630, there's an incident in which one tribe is, kills some members of another tribe. Remember, we're still in a very tribal society. And the other tribe, the one that had some members killed, was aligned, was friendly with the early Muslims. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | It has some allowances for the Muslims to make pilgrimages to the Kaaba. But then as we go into 630, there's an incident in which one tribe is, kills some members of another tribe. Remember, we're still in a very tribal society. And the other tribe, the one that had some members killed, was aligned, was friendly with the early Muslims. So the early Muslims did not appreciate this. They sent an ultimatum to the Quraysh. And the Quraysh essentially say, well, you know, that doesn't matter. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And the other tribe, the one that had some members killed, was aligned, was friendly with the early Muslims. So the early Muslims did not appreciate this. They sent an ultimatum to the Quraysh. And the Quraysh essentially say, well, you know, that doesn't matter. We don't really take what you have to say seriously. And they take one of the options of the ultimatum, which is making the Treaty of Hudabiyah null and void. So now that the treaty is not there, and once again, this is according to Muslim traditions, which are our main accounts that we have of this time, we then have in 630, 10,000 Muslims, which is a very significant number. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And the Quraysh essentially say, well, you know, that doesn't matter. We don't really take what you have to say seriously. And they take one of the options of the ultimatum, which is making the Treaty of Hudabiyah null and void. So now that the treaty is not there, and once again, this is according to Muslim traditions, which are our main accounts that we have of this time, we then have in 630, 10,000 Muslims, which is a very significant number. Remember, where six years ago, we're talking about only 300 Muslims in the Battle of Badr. But 10,000 Muslims march on Mecca, and they're able to take the city peacefully. And what this results in is essentially most of the city converting to Islam. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | So now that the treaty is not there, and once again, this is according to Muslim traditions, which are our main accounts that we have of this time, we then have in 630, 10,000 Muslims, which is a very significant number. Remember, where six years ago, we're talking about only 300 Muslims in the Battle of Badr. But 10,000 Muslims march on Mecca, and they're able to take the city peacefully. And what this results in is essentially most of the city converting to Islam. And famously, Muhammad goes into the Kaaba and destroys the idols there. And according to Islamic tradition, makes the Kaaba a center of the Muslim faith, and it is even today. Now from that point, the spread of Islam continues. |
Beginnings of Islam part 2 World History Khan Academy.m4a | And what this results in is essentially most of the city converting to Islam. And famously, Muhammad goes into the Kaaba and destroys the idols there. And according to Islamic tradition, makes the Kaaba a center of the Muslim faith, and it is even today. Now from that point, the spread of Islam continues. You have Muhammad and his armies. This green area is essentially what they were able to conquer in the remainder of his life. And he lives for another, he lives, whoops, he lives for another two years after the acceptance of Islam by Mecca. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Hi there, I'm John Green, this is Crash Course World History, and today we're going to talk about the Silk Road, so-called because it was not a road, and was not made of silk. So this is a t-shirt. It was designed in Belgium and contains cotton from both Brazil and Texas, which was turned into cloth in China, stitched in Haiti, screen-printed in Washington, sold to me in Indiana, and now that I am too fat to wear it, it will soon make its way to Cameroon or Honduras or possibly even back to Haiti. Can we just pause for a moment to consider the astonishing fact that most t-shirts see more of the world than most of us do? Mr. Green, Mr. Green, but t-shirts can't see the world because they don't have eyes. Look me from the past. It's difficult for me to isolate what I hate most about you because there is so much to hate. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Can we just pause for a moment to consider the astonishing fact that most t-shirts see more of the world than most of us do? Mr. Green, Mr. Green, but t-shirts can't see the world because they don't have eyes. Look me from the past. It's difficult for me to isolate what I hate most about you because there is so much to hate. But very near the top is your relentless talent for ignoring everything that is interesting and beautiful about our species in favor of pedantic sniveling in which no one loses or gains anything of value. I'm going to go put on a collared shirt because we're here to tackle the big picture. INTRO So the Silk Road didn't begin trade, but it did radically expand its scope, and the connections that were formed by mostly unknown merchants arguably changed the world more than any political or religious leaders. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | It's difficult for me to isolate what I hate most about you because there is so much to hate. But very near the top is your relentless talent for ignoring everything that is interesting and beautiful about our species in favor of pedantic sniveling in which no one loses or gains anything of value. I'm going to go put on a collared shirt because we're here to tackle the big picture. INTRO So the Silk Road didn't begin trade, but it did radically expand its scope, and the connections that were formed by mostly unknown merchants arguably changed the world more than any political or religious leaders. It was especially cool if you were rich because you finally had something to spend your money on other than temples. But even if you weren't rich, the Silk Road reshaped the lives of everyone living in Africa and Eurasia as we will see today. Let's go straight to the Thought Bubble. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | INTRO So the Silk Road didn't begin trade, but it did radically expand its scope, and the connections that were formed by mostly unknown merchants arguably changed the world more than any political or religious leaders. It was especially cool if you were rich because you finally had something to spend your money on other than temples. But even if you weren't rich, the Silk Road reshaped the lives of everyone living in Africa and Eurasia as we will see today. Let's go straight to the Thought Bubble. As previously mentioned, the Silk Road was not a road. It's not like archaeologists working in Uzbekistan have uncovered a bunch of yield signs and baby on board stickers. It was an overland route where merchants carried goods for trade. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Let's go straight to the Thought Bubble. As previously mentioned, the Silk Road was not a road. It's not like archaeologists working in Uzbekistan have uncovered a bunch of yield signs and baby on board stickers. It was an overland route where merchants carried goods for trade. But it was really two routes, one that connected the eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia and one that went from Central Asia to China. Further complicating things, the Silk Road involved sea routes. Many goods reached Rome via the Mediterranean, and goods from Central Asia found their way across the Pacific to Japan and even Java. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | It was an overland route where merchants carried goods for trade. But it was really two routes, one that connected the eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia and one that went from Central Asia to China. Further complicating things, the Silk Road involved sea routes. Many goods reached Rome via the Mediterranean, and goods from Central Asia found their way across the Pacific to Japan and even Java. So we shouldn't think of the Silk Road as a road, but rather as a network of trade routes. But just as now, the goods traveled more than the people who traded them. Very few traders traversed the entire Silk Road. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Many goods reached Rome via the Mediterranean, and goods from Central Asia found their way across the Pacific to Japan and even Java. So we shouldn't think of the Silk Road as a road, but rather as a network of trade routes. But just as now, the goods traveled more than the people who traded them. Very few traders traversed the entire Silk Road. Instead, they'd move back and forth between towns, selling to traders who'd take the goods further toward their destination, with everybody marking up prices along the way. So what'd they trade? Well, silk, for starters. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Very few traders traversed the entire Silk Road. Instead, they'd move back and forth between towns, selling to traders who'd take the goods further toward their destination, with everybody marking up prices along the way. So what'd they trade? Well, silk, for starters. For millennia, silk was only produced in China. It is spun from the cocoons of mulberry tree-eating worms, and the process of silk making, as well as the techniques for raising the worms, were closely guarded secrets since the lion's share of China's wealth came from silk production. The Chinese used silk as fishing line, to buy off nomadic raiders to keep things peaceful, and to write before they invented paper. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Well, silk, for starters. For millennia, silk was only produced in China. It is spun from the cocoons of mulberry tree-eating worms, and the process of silk making, as well as the techniques for raising the worms, were closely guarded secrets since the lion's share of China's wealth came from silk production. The Chinese used silk as fishing line, to buy off nomadic raiders to keep things peaceful, and to write before they invented paper. But as an export, silk was mostly used for clothes. Silk clothing feels light in the summer and warm in the winter, and until we invented $700 pre-distress designer jeans, decking yourself out in silk was the number one way to show people that you were wealthy. Thanks, Thought Bubble. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | The Chinese used silk as fishing line, to buy off nomadic raiders to keep things peaceful, and to write before they invented paper. But as an export, silk was mostly used for clothes. Silk clothing feels light in the summer and warm in the winter, and until we invented $700 pre-distress designer jeans, decking yourself out in silk was the number one way to show people that you were wealthy. Thanks, Thought Bubble. But the Silk Road wasn't all about silk. The Mediterranean exported such cliché goods as olives, olive oil, wine, and mustachioed plumbers. China also exported raw materials like jade, silver, and iron. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Thanks, Thought Bubble. But the Silk Road wasn't all about silk. The Mediterranean exported such cliché goods as olives, olive oil, wine, and mustachioed plumbers. China also exported raw materials like jade, silver, and iron. India exported fine cotton textiles. Ivory that originated in East Africa made its way across the Silk Road. And Arabia exported incense and spices and tortoise shells. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | China also exported raw materials like jade, silver, and iron. India exported fine cotton textiles. Ivory that originated in East Africa made its way across the Silk Road. And Arabia exported incense and spices and tortoise shells. Oh god, it's a red one, isn't it? It's just gonna chase me. I just... Ow! |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | And Arabia exported incense and spices and tortoise shells. Oh god, it's a red one, isn't it? It's just gonna chase me. I just... Ow! Up until now on Crash Course, we've been focused on city-dwelling, civilizational types. But with the growth of the Silk Road, the nomadic peoples of Central Asia suddenly become much more important to world history. Most of Central Asia isn't great for agriculture, but it's difficult to conquer unless you are, wait for it, the Mongols. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | I just... Ow! Up until now on Crash Course, we've been focused on city-dwelling, civilizational types. But with the growth of the Silk Road, the nomadic peoples of Central Asia suddenly become much more important to world history. Most of Central Asia isn't great for agriculture, but it's difficult to conquer unless you are, wait for it, the Mongols. It also lends itself fairly well to herding, and since nomads are definitionally good at moving around, they're also good at moving stuff from point A to point B, which makes them good traders. Plus, all their travel made them more resistant to diseases. One group of such nomads, the Yuezhi, were humiliated in battle in the 2nd century BCE by their bitter rivals the Xiongnu, who turned the Yuezhi's king's skull into a drinking cup, in fact. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Most of Central Asia isn't great for agriculture, but it's difficult to conquer unless you are, wait for it, the Mongols. It also lends itself fairly well to herding, and since nomads are definitionally good at moving around, they're also good at moving stuff from point A to point B, which makes them good traders. Plus, all their travel made them more resistant to diseases. One group of such nomads, the Yuezhi, were humiliated in battle in the 2nd century BCE by their bitter rivals the Xiongnu, who turned the Yuezhi's king's skull into a drinking cup, in fact. And in the wake of that, the Yuezhi migrated to Bactria and started the Kushan Empire in what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although Silk Road trading began more than a century before the birth of Jesus, it really took off in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, and the Kushan Empire became a huge hub for that Silk Road trade. By then, nomads were being eclipsed by professional merchants who traveled the Silk Roads, often making huge profits. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | One group of such nomads, the Yuezhi, were humiliated in battle in the 2nd century BCE by their bitter rivals the Xiongnu, who turned the Yuezhi's king's skull into a drinking cup, in fact. And in the wake of that, the Yuezhi migrated to Bactria and started the Kushan Empire in what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although Silk Road trading began more than a century before the birth of Jesus, it really took off in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, and the Kushan Empire became a huge hub for that Silk Road trade. By then, nomads were being eclipsed by professional merchants who traveled the Silk Roads, often making huge profits. But those cities that had been founded by nomadic peoples became hugely important. They continued to grow because most of the trade on the Silk Road was by caravan, and those caravans had to stop frequently, you know, for like food and water and prostitutes. These towns became fantastically wealthy. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | By then, nomads were being eclipsed by professional merchants who traveled the Silk Roads, often making huge profits. But those cities that had been founded by nomadic peoples became hugely important. They continued to grow because most of the trade on the Silk Road was by caravan, and those caravans had to stop frequently, you know, for like food and water and prostitutes. These towns became fantastically wealthy. One, Palmyra, was particularly important because all of the incense and silk that traveled to Rome had to go through Palmyra. Silk was so popular among the Roman elite that the Roman Senate repeatedly tried to ban it, complaining about trade imbalances caused by the silk trade and also that silk was inadequately modest. To quote Seneca the Younger, I see clothes of silk if materials that do not hide the body, nor even one's decency, can be called clothes. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | These towns became fantastically wealthy. One, Palmyra, was particularly important because all of the incense and silk that traveled to Rome had to go through Palmyra. Silk was so popular among the Roman elite that the Roman Senate repeatedly tried to ban it, complaining about trade imbalances caused by the silk trade and also that silk was inadequately modest. To quote Seneca the Younger, I see clothes of silk if materials that do not hide the body, nor even one's decency, can be called clothes. He also said of the woman who wears silk, Her husband has no more acquaintance than any outsider or foreigner with his wife's body. And yet, all attempts to ban silk failed, which speaks to how much, even in the ancient world, wealth shaped governance. And with trade there was a way of becoming wealthy without being a king or a lord who takes part of what your citizens produce. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | To quote Seneca the Younger, I see clothes of silk if materials that do not hide the body, nor even one's decency, can be called clothes. He also said of the woman who wears silk, Her husband has no more acquaintance than any outsider or foreigner with his wife's body. And yet, all attempts to ban silk failed, which speaks to how much, even in the ancient world, wealth shaped governance. And with trade there was a way of becoming wealthy without being a king or a lord who takes part of what your citizens produce. The merchant class that grew along with the Silk Road came to have a lot of political clout, and in some ways that began the tension that we still see today between wealth and politics, whether it's, you know, corporations making large donations or Vladimir Putin periodically jailing billionaires. Mr. Putin, I just want to state for the record that I did not mean that in any way. I was... Stan wrote that joke. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | And with trade there was a way of becoming wealthy without being a king or a lord who takes part of what your citizens produce. The merchant class that grew along with the Silk Road came to have a lot of political clout, and in some ways that began the tension that we still see today between wealth and politics, whether it's, you know, corporations making large donations or Vladimir Putin periodically jailing billionaires. Mr. Putin, I just want to state for the record that I did not mean that in any way. I was... Stan wrote that joke. Oh, it's time for the open letter. An open letter to billionaires. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | I was... Stan wrote that joke. Oh, it's time for the open letter. An open letter to billionaires. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, it's some fake silk. The stuff that put real silk out of business. Dear billionaires, I've wrapped myself in the finest of polyester so that you will take my message seriously. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, it's some fake silk. The stuff that put real silk out of business. Dear billionaires, I've wrapped myself in the finest of polyester so that you will take my message seriously. Here at Crash Course we've done a lot of research into our demographics, and our show is watched primarily by grammar Nazis, muggle quidditch players, people who have a test tomorrow, and billionaires. And I have a message for you, billionaires. It will never be enough. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Dear billionaires, I've wrapped myself in the finest of polyester so that you will take my message seriously. Here at Crash Course we've done a lot of research into our demographics, and our show is watched primarily by grammar Nazis, muggle quidditch players, people who have a test tomorrow, and billionaires. And I have a message for you, billionaires. It will never be enough. Your relentless yearning is going to kill us all. Best wishes, John Green. Speaking of billionaires, the goods that traveled on the Silk Road really only changed the lives of rich people. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | It will never be enough. Your relentless yearning is going to kill us all. Best wishes, John Green. Speaking of billionaires, the goods that traveled on the Silk Road really only changed the lives of rich people. Did the Silk Road affect the rest of us? Yes, for three reasons. First, wider economic impact, relatively few people could afford silk, but a lot of people devoted their lives to making that silk. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Speaking of billionaires, the goods that traveled on the Silk Road really only changed the lives of rich people. Did the Silk Road affect the rest of us? Yes, for three reasons. First, wider economic impact, relatively few people could afford silk, but a lot of people devoted their lives to making that silk. And as the market for silk grew, more and more people chose to go into silk production rather than doing something else with their lives. Second, the Silk Road didn't just trade luxury goods. In fact, arguably the most important thing traded along the Silk Road? |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | First, wider economic impact, relatively few people could afford silk, but a lot of people devoted their lives to making that silk. And as the market for silk grew, more and more people chose to go into silk production rather than doing something else with their lives. Second, the Silk Road didn't just trade luxury goods. In fact, arguably the most important thing traded along the Silk Road? Ideas. For example, the Silk Road was the primary route for the spread of Buddhism. When we last saw the Buddha's eightfold path to escaping the cycle of suffering and desire that's inherent to humans, it was beginning to dwindle in India. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | In fact, arguably the most important thing traded along the Silk Road? Ideas. For example, the Silk Road was the primary route for the spread of Buddhism. When we last saw the Buddha's eightfold path to escaping the cycle of suffering and desire that's inherent to humans, it was beginning to dwindle in India. But through contacts with other cultures and traditions, Buddhism grew and flourished and became one of the great religious traditions of the world. The variation of Buddhism that took root in China, Korea, Japan, and Central Asia is known as Mahayana Buddhism. And it differed from the original teachings of the Buddha in many ways, but one that was fundamental. |