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The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | 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. For Mahayana Buddhists, the Buddha was divine. I mean, we can, and religious historians do, fight over the exact definition of divine. But in Mahayana Buddhism, there's no question that the Buddha is venerated to a greater degree. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | And it differed from the original teachings of the Buddha in many ways, but one that was fundamental. For Mahayana Buddhists, the Buddha was divine. I mean, we can, and religious historians do, fight over the exact definition of divine. But in Mahayana Buddhism, there's no question that the Buddha is venerated to a greater degree. The idea of nirvana also transformed from a release from that cycle of suffering and desire to something much more heavenly and, frankly, more fun. And in some versions of Mahayana Buddhism, there are lots of different heavens, each more awesome than the last. Rather than focusing on the fundamental fact of suffering, Mahayana Buddhism offered the hope that through worship of the Buddha, or one of the many bodhisattvas, holy people who could have achieved nirvana but chose to hang out on Earth with us because they're super nice, one could attain a good afterlife. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | But in Mahayana Buddhism, there's no question that the Buddha is venerated to a greater degree. The idea of nirvana also transformed from a release from that cycle of suffering and desire to something much more heavenly and, frankly, more fun. And in some versions of Mahayana Buddhism, there are lots of different heavens, each more awesome than the last. Rather than focusing on the fundamental fact of suffering, Mahayana Buddhism offered the hope that through worship of the Buddha, or one of the many bodhisattvas, holy people who could have achieved nirvana but chose to hang out on Earth with us because they're super nice, one could attain a good afterlife. Many merchants on the Silk Road became strong supporters of monasteries, which in turn became convenient way stations for caravans. And by endowing the monasteries, rich merchants were buying a form of supernatural insurance. Monks who lived in the monasteries would pray for the success of trade missions and the health of their patrons. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Rather than focusing on the fundamental fact of suffering, Mahayana Buddhism offered the hope that through worship of the Buddha, or one of the many bodhisattvas, holy people who could have achieved nirvana but chose to hang out on Earth with us because they're super nice, one could attain a good afterlife. Many merchants on the Silk Road became strong supporters of monasteries, which in turn became convenient way stations for caravans. And by endowing the monasteries, rich merchants were buying a form of supernatural insurance. Monks who lived in the monasteries would pray for the success of trade missions and the health of their patrons. It was win-win, especially when you consider that one of the central materials used in Mahayana Buddhist rituals is silk. And a third reason the Silk Road changed all our lives, worldwide interconnectedness of populations led to the spread of disease. Measles and smallpox traveled along it, as did bubonic plague, which came from the east to the west in 534, 750, and most devastatingly in 1346. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Monks who lived in the monasteries would pray for the success of trade missions and the health of their patrons. It was win-win, especially when you consider that one of the central materials used in Mahayana Buddhist rituals is silk. And a third reason the Silk Road changed all our lives, worldwide interconnectedness of populations led to the spread of disease. Measles and smallpox traveled along it, as did bubonic plague, which came from the east to the west in 534, 750, and most devastatingly in 1346. This last plague, known as the Black Death, resulted in the largest population decimation in human history, with nearly half of Europeans dying in a four-year period. A sizable majority of people living in Italy died, as did two-thirds of Londoners. And it quite possibly wouldn't have happened without the Silk Road. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Measles and smallpox traveled along it, as did bubonic plague, which came from the east to the west in 534, 750, and most devastatingly in 1346. This last plague, known as the Black Death, resulted in the largest population decimation in human history, with nearly half of Europeans dying in a four-year period. A sizable majority of people living in Italy died, as did two-thirds of Londoners. And it quite possibly wouldn't have happened without the Silk Road. If you were living in London in the 14th century, you probably didn't blame the Silk Road trade for your community's devastation. But it played a role. If you look at it that way, the interconnectedness fostered by the Silk Road affected way, way more people than just those rich enough to buy silk, just as today's globalization offers both promise and threat to each of us. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | And it quite possibly wouldn't have happened without the Silk Road. If you were living in London in the 14th century, you probably didn't blame the Silk Road trade for your community's devastation. But it played a role. If you look at it that way, the interconnectedness fostered by the Silk Road affected way, way more people than just those rich enough to buy silk, just as today's globalization offers both promise and threat to each of us. Next week, we'll talk about Julius Caesar and in what situation, if any, it's okay to stab your friend in the gut. Until then, thanks for watching. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | If you look at it that way, the interconnectedness fostered by the Silk Road affected way, way more people than just those rich enough to buy silk, just as today's globalization offers both promise and threat to each of us. Next week, we'll talk about Julius Caesar and in what situation, if any, it's okay to stab your friend in the gut. Until then, thanks for watching. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Danica Johnson. Our graphics team is Thought Bubble. And the show is written by my high school history teacher, Raoul Meyer, and myself. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Danica Johnson. Our graphics team is Thought Bubble. And the show is written by my high school history teacher, Raoul Meyer, and myself. Last week's Phrase of the Week was Kim Kardashian. If you didn't like it, suggest better Phrases of the Week in comments. Every week I take one of your suggestions and find a way to squeeze it into the new episode. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | And the show is written by my high school history teacher, Raoul Meyer, and myself. Last week's Phrase of the Week was Kim Kardashian. If you didn't like it, suggest better Phrases of the Week in comments. Every week I take one of your suggestions and find a way to squeeze it into the new episode. If you liked today's episode of Crash Course, please click the like button and consider sharing the show with your friends. You can also follow us on Twitter, at The Crash Course, or on Facebook, links below. Raoul also has a Twitter where he tweets Crash Course pop quizzes, as do I. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Every week I take one of your suggestions and find a way to squeeze it into the new episode. If you liked today's episode of Crash Course, please click the like button and consider sharing the show with your friends. You can also follow us on Twitter, at The Crash Course, or on Facebook, links below. Raoul also has a Twitter where he tweets Crash Course pop quizzes, as do I. All of those links can be found below. Also, the beloved and I promise not fictitious Stan has agreed to start tweeting, so that's exciting. Thanks for watching and as we say in my hometown, don't forget to be awesome. |
The Silk Road and Ancient Trade Crash Course World History #9.m4a | Raoul also has a Twitter where he tweets Crash Course pop quizzes, as do I. All of those links can be found below. Also, the beloved and I promise not fictitious Stan has agreed to start tweeting, so that's exciting. Thanks for watching and as we say in my hometown, don't forget to be awesome. Oh hey, remember that Mongol shirt from the beginning of the episode? In addition to being a joke, it's a shirt. So many of you requested Mongol shirts that we are giving them to you. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | We haven't talked about Russia much so far because 1. It's complicated and 2. I actually speak Russian a little bit because I had some Russian in college and that makes it difficult to mispronounce things, which is my thing. Mr. Green, Mr. Green, why'd you take Russian? Well, because I had this big crush on a Russian major. But anyway, I'm sure I'll still mispronounce everything. So today we're going to talk about persistent stereotypes about Russia and how Russia came to take its current shape, a turn of events we owe largely to the Mongols. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Mr. Green, Mr. Green, why'd you take Russian? Well, because I had this big crush on a Russian major. But anyway, I'm sure I'll still mispronounce everything. So today we're going to talk about persistent stereotypes about Russia and how Russia came to take its current shape, a turn of events we owe largely to the Mongols. But before we talk about the Mongol conquest of Russia, let's discuss exactly what got conquered. So before there was a Russian empire or even a Russian kingdom, there was the Kievan Rus. We know Kiev was a powerful city-state, but who exactly founded it is a subject of debate. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | So today we're going to talk about persistent stereotypes about Russia and how Russia came to take its current shape, a turn of events we owe largely to the Mongols. But before we talk about the Mongol conquest of Russia, let's discuss exactly what got conquered. So before there was a Russian empire or even a Russian kingdom, there was the Kievan Rus. We know Kiev was a powerful city-state, but who exactly founded it is a subject of debate. Most historians now believe that the settlers of Kiev were Slavic people who migrated from around the Black Sea, but there's an older theory that the settlers of Kiev were actually like Vikings. That theory goes that Vikings came down to Kiev from rivers like the Dnieper and founded a trading outpost similar to ones they founded in Iceland and Greenland. Which is an awesome idea and everything, but Russian, the language that developed from what the Rus spoke, sounds a lot more Slavic than it sounds, you know, Swedish. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | We know Kiev was a powerful city-state, but who exactly founded it is a subject of debate. Most historians now believe that the settlers of Kiev were Slavic people who migrated from around the Black Sea, but there's an older theory that the settlers of Kiev were actually like Vikings. That theory goes that Vikings came down to Kiev from rivers like the Dnieper and founded a trading outpost similar to ones they founded in Iceland and Greenland. Which is an awesome idea and everything, but Russian, the language that developed from what the Rus spoke, sounds a lot more Slavic than it sounds, you know, Swedish. To illustrate, here is a Swede fighting a Russian over who founded Kiev. Kiev was founded by the Slavic ancestors of Russia. No, of course Kiev was founded by the Swedes. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Which is an awesome idea and everything, but Russian, the language that developed from what the Rus spoke, sounds a lot more Slavic than it sounds, you know, Swedish. To illustrate, here is a Swede fighting a Russian over who founded Kiev. Kiev was founded by the Slavic ancestors of Russia. No, of course Kiev was founded by the Swedes. Right. Okay, so trade was hugely important to Kiev. Almost all of their wars ended with trade concession treaties, and their law codes were unusually devoted to the subject of commerce. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | No, of course Kiev was founded by the Swedes. Right. Okay, so trade was hugely important to Kiev. Almost all of their wars ended with trade concession treaties, and their law codes were unusually devoted to the subject of commerce. The Rus traded raw materials like fur, wax, and also slaves. We're not going to venture into the astonishingly intense etymological debate over whether the word Slav derives from the Latin word for slave, because there is nothing more terrifying and verbose than an etymologist's flame war. But yeah, the Rus traded slaves. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Almost all of their wars ended with trade concession treaties, and their law codes were unusually devoted to the subject of commerce. The Rus traded raw materials like fur, wax, and also slaves. We're not going to venture into the astonishingly intense etymological debate over whether the word Slav derives from the Latin word for slave, because there is nothing more terrifying and verbose than an etymologist's flame war. But yeah, the Rus traded slaves. They also relied upon agriculture, and your relationship to the land determined both your social status and your tax burden. And if you ever fell into tax debt, which a lot of peasants did, then you became bonded to the land you farmed for the rest of your life. I guess that slave-like dynamic is okay as a model for social organization, but if you step on the proletariat for too long, you might end up with a communist revolution. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | But yeah, the Rus traded slaves. They also relied upon agriculture, and your relationship to the land determined both your social status and your tax burden. And if you ever fell into tax debt, which a lot of peasants did, then you became bonded to the land you farmed for the rest of your life. I guess that slave-like dynamic is okay as a model for social organization, but if you step on the proletariat for too long, you might end up with a communist revolution. But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Couple more things about Kiev. First, the ruler of Kiev was called the Grand Prince, and he became the model for future Russian kings. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | I guess that slave-like dynamic is okay as a model for social organization, but if you step on the proletariat for too long, you might end up with a communist revolution. But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Couple more things about Kiev. First, the ruler of Kiev was called the Grand Prince, and he became the model for future Russian kings. Also, the early Grand Princes made a fateful decision. They became Byzantine Christians. According to legend, Prince Vladimir chose to convert the Rus to Byzantine Christianity in the 11th century. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | First, the ruler of Kiev was called the Grand Prince, and he became the model for future Russian kings. Also, the early Grand Princes made a fateful decision. They became Byzantine Christians. According to legend, Prince Vladimir chose to convert the Rus to Byzantine Christianity in the 11th century. He purportedly chose Christianity over Islam because of Islam's prohibition on alcohol, saying, Drink is the joy of the Russian. Anyway, the Kievian Rus eventually fell in 1240, when these guys showed up and replaced them. After that, they'd been at war with pastoral nomads for centuries, from the Khazars to the Pechenegs to the Cumans, and they were tired. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | According to legend, Prince Vladimir chose to convert the Rus to Byzantine Christianity in the 11th century. He purportedly chose Christianity over Islam because of Islam's prohibition on alcohol, saying, Drink is the joy of the Russian. Anyway, the Kievian Rus eventually fell in 1240, when these guys showed up and replaced them. After that, they'd been at war with pastoral nomads for centuries, from the Khazars to the Pechenegs to the Cumans, and they were tired. Which made them easy targets. The period of Mongol rule over Russia is also known as Apennage Russia. And Apennage is a princedom, and this period basically featured a bunch of Russian princes vying for control over territory, which is not a recipe for political stability or economic growth, another theme that will re-emerge in Russian history. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | After that, they'd been at war with pastoral nomads for centuries, from the Khazars to the Pechenegs to the Cumans, and they were tired. Which made them easy targets. The period of Mongol rule over Russia is also known as Apennage Russia. And Apennage is a princedom, and this period basically featured a bunch of Russian princes vying for control over territory, which is not a recipe for political stability or economic growth, another theme that will re-emerge in Russian history. By the way, I'm describing all of this as Russia, even though if you did that in the 13th century, people would look at you funny. They'd be all like, what do you mean Russia? Also, where'd you get those pants? |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | And Apennage is a princedom, and this period basically featured a bunch of Russian princes vying for control over territory, which is not a recipe for political stability or economic growth, another theme that will re-emerge in Russian history. By the way, I'm describing all of this as Russia, even though if you did that in the 13th century, people would look at you funny. They'd be all like, what do you mean Russia? Also, where'd you get those pants? And all those teeth? Mmm, you smell pretty. Right, so to discuss how important the Mongols were to Russia, let's go to the Thought Bubble. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Also, where'd you get those pants? And all those teeth? Mmm, you smell pretty. Right, so to discuss how important the Mongols were to Russia, let's go to the Thought Bubble. The Mongols did set up the Khanate of the Golden Horde in Russia, but it didn't leave much lasting impact on the institutions of the region, which had already been set up by the Kievans. But they did bring about a population shift, away from the south, where Kiev was, toward the northeast. This was partly to get away from the Mongols and their massacring, but that noted, the Mongols were comparatively light rulers. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Right, so to discuss how important the Mongols were to Russia, let's go to the Thought Bubble. The Mongols did set up the Khanate of the Golden Horde in Russia, but it didn't leave much lasting impact on the institutions of the region, which had already been set up by the Kievans. But they did bring about a population shift, away from the south, where Kiev was, toward the northeast. This was partly to get away from the Mongols and their massacring, but that noted, the Mongols were comparatively light rulers. They were happy to live in their yurts and collect tribute from the ever-bickering Russian princes, and all the princes had to do in exchange for their relative freedom was recognize the Mongol khans as their rulers and allow the Mongols to pick the Grand Prince from among the Russians. Perhaps most importantly, Mongol rule cut the Russians off from the Byzantines and further isolated them from Europe, leaving Russia not Byzantine, not European, and not really Mongol either, since they hated the Mongols and generally believed that the Mongols were a scourge sent from God to punish them for their sinfulness and everything. But the Mongols did help propel Moscow to prominence, and in doing so, created the idea that this was Russia. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | This was partly to get away from the Mongols and their massacring, but that noted, the Mongols were comparatively light rulers. They were happy to live in their yurts and collect tribute from the ever-bickering Russian princes, and all the princes had to do in exchange for their relative freedom was recognize the Mongol khans as their rulers and allow the Mongols to pick the Grand Prince from among the Russians. Perhaps most importantly, Mongol rule cut the Russians off from the Byzantines and further isolated them from Europe, leaving Russia not Byzantine, not European, and not really Mongol either, since they hated the Mongols and generally believed that the Mongols were a scourge sent from God to punish them for their sinfulness and everything. But the Mongols did help propel Moscow to prominence, and in doing so, created the idea that this was Russia. And as an aside, they also did what Napoleon, Hitler, and many others couldn't. The Mongols successfully conquered Russia in the winter. Thanks, Thought Bubble. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | But the Mongols did help propel Moscow to prominence, and in doing so, created the idea that this was Russia. And as an aside, they also did what Napoleon, Hitler, and many others couldn't. The Mongols successfully conquered Russia in the winter. Thanks, Thought Bubble. So how did the Mongols help catapult Moscow and its princes to prominence? Well, first, they named Muscovite princes the Grand Prince on more than one occasion. More importantly, the Muscovite princes won, that is to say, purchased, the right to collect tribute on behalf of the Khan from other princes. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Thanks, Thought Bubble. So how did the Mongols help catapult Moscow and its princes to prominence? Well, first, they named Muscovite princes the Grand Prince on more than one occasion. More importantly, the Muscovite princes won, that is to say, purchased, the right to collect tribute on behalf of the Khan from other princes. That's a good gig, because it's easy to skim a little bit off the top before you send it down the line to the Mongols. Which is precisely what the Muscovite princes did to enrich themselves. One prince who was particularly good at this was known as Ivan Kalita, using my Russian I can tell you that that translates to Johnny Moneybags. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | More importantly, the Muscovite princes won, that is to say, purchased, the right to collect tribute on behalf of the Khan from other princes. That's a good gig, because it's easy to skim a little bit off the top before you send it down the line to the Mongols. Which is precisely what the Muscovite princes did to enrich themselves. One prince who was particularly good at this was known as Ivan Kalita, using my Russian I can tell you that that translates to Johnny Moneybags. As my Russian professor would tell you, I'm a creative translator. All this loot helped Moscow expand their influence and buy up principalities. The Mongols also helped them more directly by attacking their enemies. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | One prince who was particularly good at this was known as Ivan Kalita, using my Russian I can tell you that that translates to Johnny Moneybags. As my Russian professor would tell you, I'm a creative translator. All this loot helped Moscow expand their influence and buy up principalities. The Mongols also helped them more directly by attacking their enemies. Plus, Moscow was at the headwaters of four rivers, which made it well positioned for trade. And because they were kind of the allies of the Mongols, the Mongols rarely attacked them, which meant that lots of people went to Moscow because it was relatively safe, including churchy people. And in fact, Moscow became the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1325, when the metropolitan Peter moved there. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | The Mongols also helped them more directly by attacking their enemies. Plus, Moscow was at the headwaters of four rivers, which made it well positioned for trade. And because they were kind of the allies of the Mongols, the Mongols rarely attacked them, which meant that lots of people went to Moscow because it was relatively safe, including churchy people. And in fact, Moscow became the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1325, when the metropolitan Peter moved there. So you might think that the Muscovites would be grateful for all of this help from the Mongols. But you would be wrong. In fact, as the Mongols' position weakened in Russia in the latter half of the 14th century, one of Moscow's princes, Dmitry Donskoy, made war on them and inflicted the first major defeat of Mongols in Russia at the Battle of Kulikovo Field. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | And in fact, Moscow became the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1325, when the metropolitan Peter moved there. So you might think that the Muscovites would be grateful for all of this help from the Mongols. But you would be wrong. In fact, as the Mongols' position weakened in Russia in the latter half of the 14th century, one of Moscow's princes, Dmitry Donskoy, made war on them and inflicted the first major defeat of Mongols in Russia at the Battle of Kulikovo Field. This showed that the Mongols weren't invincible, which is always really bad for an imperial force. Plus, it made Moscow look like the hero of the Russians. And that helped strengthen the idea of a unified Russia, just as you'll remember the Persians helped unify the Greeks a long time ago. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | In fact, as the Mongols' position weakened in Russia in the latter half of the 14th century, one of Moscow's princes, Dmitry Donskoy, made war on them and inflicted the first major defeat of Mongols in Russia at the Battle of Kulikovo Field. This showed that the Mongols weren't invincible, which is always really bad for an imperial force. Plus, it made Moscow look like the hero of the Russians. And that helped strengthen the idea of a unified Russia, just as you'll remember the Persians helped unify the Greeks a long time ago. Aiding this growth was stability, which Moscow owed largely to luck. Muscovite princes usually had sons, which allowed them to have successors. In fact, there was only one major succession struggle, and it was between two blind guys named Basil. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | And that helped strengthen the idea of a unified Russia, just as you'll remember the Persians helped unify the Greeks a long time ago. Aiding this growth was stability, which Moscow owed largely to luck. Muscovite princes usually had sons, which allowed them to have successors. In fact, there was only one major succession struggle, and it was between two blind guys named Basil. That's not a joke, by the way. Oh, it's time for the open letter? An open letter to Basil and Basil. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | In fact, there was only one major succession struggle, and it was between two blind guys named Basil. That's not a joke, by the way. Oh, it's time for the open letter? An open letter to Basil and Basil. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, it's grislor. Yeah, I guess that is kind of how the Russians saw the Mongols. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | An open letter to Basil and Basil. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, it's grislor. Yeah, I guess that is kind of how the Russians saw the Mongols. Dear Basils, the 15th century Muscovite Civil War was insanely complicated, but it culminated with you guys essentially blinding each other. First, Basil II, the eventual winner of the Civil War, had Basil the Cross-Eyed blinded – because being cross-eyed wasn't bad enough – and that was seen as the end of the political career of Basil the Cross-Eyed. But then Basil the Cross-Eyed's brother tracked down Basil II and he was like, I'm gonna blind you back! |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Yeah, I guess that is kind of how the Russians saw the Mongols. Dear Basils, the 15th century Muscovite Civil War was insanely complicated, but it culminated with you guys essentially blinding each other. First, Basil II, the eventual winner of the Civil War, had Basil the Cross-Eyed blinded – because being cross-eyed wasn't bad enough – and that was seen as the end of the political career of Basil the Cross-Eyed. But then Basil the Cross-Eyed's brother tracked down Basil II and he was like, I'm gonna blind you back! And of course, everybody thought that would end Basil II's political career, but they were wrong. It turns out you can rule Russia like a boss, even if you're blind. Best wishes, John Green. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | But then Basil the Cross-Eyed's brother tracked down Basil II and he was like, I'm gonna blind you back! And of course, everybody thought that would end Basil II's political career, but they were wrong. It turns out you can rule Russia like a boss, even if you're blind. Best wishes, John Green. After Basil the Blind came the real man who expanded Moscow's power, Ivan III, later known as Ivan the Great. First, he asserted Russian independence from the Mongols and stopped paying tribute to the Khan, after the Khan had named him Grand Prince, of course. Then, Ivan purchased, negotiated for, or conquered multiple appendages, thus expanding Muscovite power even more. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Best wishes, John Green. After Basil the Blind came the real man who expanded Moscow's power, Ivan III, later known as Ivan the Great. First, he asserted Russian independence from the Mongols and stopped paying tribute to the Khan, after the Khan had named him Grand Prince, of course. Then, Ivan purchased, negotiated for, or conquered multiple appendages, thus expanding Muscovite power even more. Ivan later declared himself sovereign over all Russians and then married the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, thus giving him even more legitimacy. And he took the titles autocrat and czar, which means Caesar. Basically, Ivan created the first centralized Russian state, and for doing that, he probably deserves the title the Great. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Then, Ivan purchased, negotiated for, or conquered multiple appendages, thus expanding Muscovite power even more. Ivan later declared himself sovereign over all Russians and then married the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, thus giving him even more legitimacy. And he took the titles autocrat and czar, which means Caesar. Basically, Ivan created the first centralized Russian state, and for doing that, he probably deserves the title the Great. And that would be a great place to stop, except then we wouldn't see the kind of absolute rule that characterized Russia for most of the rest of its history, even unto Putin. Oh, I'm just kidding, Putin! You would never rig an election! |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Basically, Ivan created the first centralized Russian state, and for doing that, he probably deserves the title the Great. And that would be a great place to stop, except then we wouldn't see the kind of absolute rule that characterized Russia for most of the rest of its history, even unto Putin. Oh, I'm just kidding, Putin! You would never rig an election! No, I don't, don't, please don't put me in jail! While Ivan III consolidated Muscovite power, the undeniably brutal streak in Russian governance comes not from the Mongols, but from Ivan IV. Better known as Ivan the Terrible. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | You would never rig an election! No, I don't, don't, please don't put me in jail! While Ivan III consolidated Muscovite power, the undeniably brutal streak in Russian governance comes not from the Mongols, but from Ivan IV. Better known as Ivan the Terrible. Ivan the Terrible ruled from 1533 to 1584, taking the throne at the age of 16. Yet more evidence that adolescents should not be trusted with emerging empires. Ivan the Terrible's reign represents the end of princely power and the beginning of the autocracy that Russia is famous for. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Better known as Ivan the Terrible. Ivan the Terrible ruled from 1533 to 1584, taking the throne at the age of 16. Yet more evidence that adolescents should not be trusted with emerging empires. Ivan the Terrible's reign represents the end of princely power and the beginning of the autocracy that Russia is famous for. But in the beginning, he was really an innovative leader. As a young king, he worked with a group of advisors called the Chosen Council, which certainly sounds like a good thing. He also called the very first meeting of the Zemsky Sabor a grand council of representatives similar to the Estates General that would become so important in France 200 years later. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Ivan the Terrible's reign represents the end of princely power and the beginning of the autocracy that Russia is famous for. But in the beginning, he was really an innovative leader. As a young king, he worked with a group of advisors called the Chosen Council, which certainly sounds like a good thing. He also called the very first meeting of the Zemsky Sabor a grand council of representatives similar to the Estates General that would become so important in France 200 years later. And he reformed the army, emphasizing the new technology of muskets. But in the second part of his reign, Ivan earned his nickname the Terrible, which can mean either bad or just awe-inspiring, depending on your perspective. Psychological historians will point out that things started to go terribly wrong with Ivan after the death of his beloved wife, Anastasia Romanov, or they might point to the fact that he enjoyed torturing animals when he was a kid. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | He also called the very first meeting of the Zemsky Sabor a grand council of representatives similar to the Estates General that would become so important in France 200 years later. And he reformed the army, emphasizing the new technology of muskets. But in the second part of his reign, Ivan earned his nickname the Terrible, which can mean either bad or just awe-inspiring, depending on your perspective. Psychological historians will point out that things started to go terribly wrong with Ivan after the death of his beloved wife, Anastasia Romanov, or they might point to the fact that he enjoyed torturing animals when he was a kid. Regardless, Ivan set out to break the power of the nobility, the former princes and landowners, called the Boyars. They were the last link to princely rule, and after an odd episode that saw him briefly abdicate, Ivan returned to Moscow and declared that he had the right to punish all traitors and evildoers. To help him in this effort, Ivan created the Oprechniki, a corps of secret police who rode around on black horses wearing all black, whose job it was to hunt down and destroy any enemies of the Tsar. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Psychological historians will point out that things started to go terribly wrong with Ivan after the death of his beloved wife, Anastasia Romanov, or they might point to the fact that he enjoyed torturing animals when he was a kid. Regardless, Ivan set out to break the power of the nobility, the former princes and landowners, called the Boyars. They were the last link to princely rule, and after an odd episode that saw him briefly abdicate, Ivan returned to Moscow and declared that he had the right to punish all traitors and evildoers. To help him in this effort, Ivan created the Oprechniki, a corps of secret police who rode around on black horses wearing all black, whose job it was to hunt down and destroy any enemies of the Tsar. See also Nazgul and Dementors. So this was the first of Russia's purges, and over the latter half of Ivan's reign, whole towns were destroyed. It was in effect a civil war, except with no resistance. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | To help him in this effort, Ivan created the Oprechniki, a corps of secret police who rode around on black horses wearing all black, whose job it was to hunt down and destroy any enemies of the Tsar. See also Nazgul and Dementors. So this was the first of Russia's purges, and over the latter half of Ivan's reign, whole towns were destroyed. It was in effect a civil war, except with no resistance. One historian called it a civil massacre. In the end, Ivan the Terrible established absolute control of the Tsar over all the Russian people, but he also set the precedent of accomplishing this through terror, secret police, and the suspension of law. And that would echo through the ages of Russian history. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | It was in effect a civil war, except with no resistance. One historian called it a civil massacre. In the end, Ivan the Terrible established absolute control of the Tsar over all the Russian people, but he also set the precedent of accomplishing this through terror, secret police, and the suspension of law. And that would echo through the ages of Russian history. I mean, until Vladimir Putin heroically put an end to it. His little eyes. They're scary. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | And that would echo through the ages of Russian history. I mean, until Vladimir Putin heroically put an end to it. His little eyes. They're scary. So hence the stereotype of Russian brutality and barbarism, but here's the truth. The rest of Europe also knew a lot about brutality and secret police forces. For centuries, Russia was seen by Western Europe as both European and not. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | They're scary. So hence the stereotype of Russian brutality and barbarism, but here's the truth. The rest of Europe also knew a lot about brutality and secret police forces. For centuries, Russia was seen by Western Europe as both European and not. An other that was to be doubly feared because it wasn't fully other. And when we think of all these historical stereotypes about Russia, it's worth remembering that what you see as barbaric about others is often what they see as barbaric about you. Thanks for watching. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | For centuries, Russia was seen by Western Europe as both European and not. An other that was to be doubly feared because it wasn't fully other. And when we think of all these historical stereotypes about Russia, it's worth remembering that what you see as barbaric about others is often what they see as barbaric about you. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Danica Johnson. |
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols Crash Course World History #20.m4a | Thanks for watching. I'll 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 Raoul Meyer and myself, and our graphics team is Thought Bubble. Last week's Phrase of the Week was, Nobody's business but the Turks. If you want to suggest future Phrases of the Week or guests at this week's, you can do so in comments, or you can also ask questions related to today's video that will be answered by our team of historians. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Yeah, Mr. Green, capitalism just turns men into wolves. Your purportedly free markets only make slaves of us all. Oh God, Stan, it's me from college. Me from the past has become me from college. This is a disaster. The reason he's so unbearable, Stan, is that he refuses to recognize the legitimacy of other people's narratives, and that means that he will never, ever be able to have a productive conversation with another human in his entire life. So listen, me from the past, I'm going to disappoint you by being too capitalist, and I'm going to disappoint a lot of other people by not being capitalist enough, and I'm going to disappoint the historians by not using enough jargon. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Me from the past has become me from college. This is a disaster. The reason he's so unbearable, Stan, is that he refuses to recognize the legitimacy of other people's narratives, and that means that he will never, ever be able to have a productive conversation with another human in his entire life. So listen, me from the past, I'm going to disappoint you by being too capitalist, and I'm going to disappoint a lot of other people by not being capitalist enough, and I'm going to disappoint the historians by not using enough jargon. But what can I do? We only have 12 minutes. Fortunately, capitalism is all about efficiency, so let's do this, me from college. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | So listen, me from the past, I'm going to disappoint you by being too capitalist, and I'm going to disappoint a lot of other people by not being capitalist enough, and I'm going to disappoint the historians by not using enough jargon. But what can I do? We only have 12 minutes. Fortunately, capitalism is all about efficiency, so let's do this, me from college. Randy Riggs becomes a best-selling author, Josh Radner stars in a great sitcom, it is not going to work out with Emily, and do not go to Alaska with a girl you've known for 10 days. Okay, let's talk capitalism. Intro So capitalism is an economic system, but it's also a cultural system. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Fortunately, capitalism is all about efficiency, so let's do this, me from college. Randy Riggs becomes a best-selling author, Josh Radner stars in a great sitcom, it is not going to work out with Emily, and do not go to Alaska with a girl you've known for 10 days. Okay, let's talk capitalism. Intro So capitalism is an economic system, but it's also a cultural system. It's characterized by innovation and investment to increase wealth, but today we're going to focus on production and how industrial capitalism changed it. Stan, I can't wear these emblems of the bourgeoisie while Karl Marx himself is looking at me, it's ridiculous. I'm changing. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Intro So capitalism is an economic system, but it's also a cultural system. It's characterized by innovation and investment to increase wealth, but today we're going to focus on production and how industrial capitalism changed it. Stan, I can't wear these emblems of the bourgeoisie while Karl Marx himself is looking at me, it's ridiculous. I'm changing. Very hard to take off a shirt dramatically. So let's say it's 1200 CE and you're a rug merchant. Just like merchants today, you sometimes need to borrow money in order to buy the rugs you want to resell at a profit, and then you pay that money back, often with interest, once you've resold the rugs. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | I'm changing. Very hard to take off a shirt dramatically. So let's say it's 1200 CE and you're a rug merchant. Just like merchants today, you sometimes need to borrow money in order to buy the rugs you want to resell at a profit, and then you pay that money back, often with interest, once you've resold the rugs. This is called mercantile capitalism, and it was a global phenomenon, from the Chinese to the Indian Ocean Trade Network, to Muslim merchants who would sponsor trade caravans across the Sahara. But by the 17th century, merchants in the Netherlands and in Britain had expanded upon this idea to create joint stock companies. Those companies could finance bigger trade missions and also spread the risk of international trade. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Just like merchants today, you sometimes need to borrow money in order to buy the rugs you want to resell at a profit, and then you pay that money back, often with interest, once you've resold the rugs. This is called mercantile capitalism, and it was a global phenomenon, from the Chinese to the Indian Ocean Trade Network, to Muslim merchants who would sponsor trade caravans across the Sahara. But by the 17th century, merchants in the Netherlands and in Britain had expanded upon this idea to create joint stock companies. Those companies could finance bigger trade missions and also spread the risk of international trade. But the thing about international trade is sometimes boats sink or they get taken by pirates, and while that's bad if you're a sailor because, you know, you lose your life, it's really bad if you're a mercantile capitalist because you lost all your money. But if you own one-tenth of ten boats, your risk is much better managed. That kind of investment definitely increased wealth, but it only affected a sliver of the population, and it didn't create a culture of capitalism. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Those companies could finance bigger trade missions and also spread the risk of international trade. But the thing about international trade is sometimes boats sink or they get taken by pirates, and while that's bad if you're a sailor because, you know, you lose your life, it's really bad if you're a mercantile capitalist because you lost all your money. But if you own one-tenth of ten boats, your risk is much better managed. That kind of investment definitely increased wealth, but it only affected a sliver of the population, and it didn't create a culture of capitalism. Industrial capitalism was something altogether different, both in scale and in practice. Let's use Joyce Appleby's definition of industrial capitalism, an economic system that relies on investment of capital in machines and technology that are used to increase production of marketable goods. So imagine that someone made a Stan machine. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | That kind of investment definitely increased wealth, but it only affected a sliver of the population, and it didn't create a culture of capitalism. Industrial capitalism was something altogether different, both in scale and in practice. Let's use Joyce Appleby's definition of industrial capitalism, an economic system that relies on investment of capital in machines and technology that are used to increase production of marketable goods. So imagine that someone made a Stan machine. By the way, Stan, this is a remarkable likeness. And that Stan machine could produce and direct ten times more episodes of Crash Course than a human Stan. Well, of course, even if there are significant upfront costs, I'm going to invest in a Stan machine so I can start cranking out ten times the knowledge. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | So imagine that someone made a Stan machine. By the way, Stan, this is a remarkable likeness. And that Stan machine could produce and direct ten times more episodes of Crash Course than a human Stan. Well, of course, even if there are significant upfront costs, I'm going to invest in a Stan machine so I can start cranking out ten times the knowledge. Stan, are you focusing on the robot instead of me? I am the star of the show! Stan, bud, you're going behind the globe. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Well, of course, even if there are significant upfront costs, I'm going to invest in a Stan machine so I can start cranking out ten times the knowledge. Stan, are you focusing on the robot instead of me? I am the star of the show! Stan, bud, you're going behind the globe. So when most of us think about capitalism, especially when we think about its downsides, long hours, low wages, miserable working conditions, child labor, unemployed Stans, that's what we're thinking about. Now, admittedly, this is just one definition of industrial capitalism among many, but it's the definition we're going with. Alright, let's go to the Thought Bubble. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Stan, bud, you're going behind the globe. So when most of us think about capitalism, especially when we think about its downsides, long hours, low wages, miserable working conditions, child labor, unemployed Stans, that's what we're thinking about. Now, admittedly, this is just one definition of industrial capitalism among many, but it's the definition we're going with. Alright, let's go to the Thought Bubble. Industrial capitalism developed first in Britain in the 19th century. Britain had a bunch of advantages. It was the dominant power on the seas, and it was making good money off of trade with its colonies, including the slave trade. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Alright, let's go to the Thought Bubble. Industrial capitalism developed first in Britain in the 19th century. Britain had a bunch of advantages. It was the dominant power on the seas, and it was making good money off of trade with its colonies, including the slave trade. Also, the growth of capitalism was helped by the half-century of civil unrest that resulted from the 17th century English Civil War. Now, I'm not advocating for civil wars or anything, but in this particular case, it was useful, because before the war, the British crown had put a lot of regulations on the economy. Complicated licenses, royal monopolies, etc. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | It was the dominant power on the seas, and it was making good money off of trade with its colonies, including the slave trade. Also, the growth of capitalism was helped by the half-century of civil unrest that resulted from the 17th century English Civil War. Now, I'm not advocating for civil wars or anything, but in this particular case, it was useful, because before the war, the British crown had put a lot of regulations on the economy. Complicated licenses, royal monopolies, etc. But during the turmoil, it couldn't enforce them, which made for freer markets. Another factor was a remarkable increase in agricultural productivity in the 16th century. As food prices started to rise, it became profitable for farmers, both large and small, to invest in agricultural technologies that would improve crop yields. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Complicated licenses, royal monopolies, etc. But during the turmoil, it couldn't enforce them, which made for freer markets. Another factor was a remarkable increase in agricultural productivity in the 16th century. As food prices started to rise, it became profitable for farmers, both large and small, to invest in agricultural technologies that would improve crop yields. Those higher prices for grain probably resulted from population growth, which in turn was encouraged by increased production of food crops. A number of these agricultural improvements came from the Dutch, who had chronic problems feeding themselves, and discovered that planting different kinds of crops, like clover, that added nitrogen to the soil and could be used to feed livestock at the same time, meant that more fields could be used at once. This increased productivity eventually brought down prices, and this encouraged further innovation in order to increase yield to make up for the drop in prices. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | As food prices started to rise, it became profitable for farmers, both large and small, to invest in agricultural technologies that would improve crop yields. Those higher prices for grain probably resulted from population growth, which in turn was encouraged by increased production of food crops. A number of these agricultural improvements came from the Dutch, who had chronic problems feeding themselves, and discovered that planting different kinds of crops, like clover, that added nitrogen to the soil and could be used to feed livestock at the same time, meant that more fields could be used at once. This increased productivity eventually brought down prices, and this encouraged further innovation in order to increase yield to make up for the drop in prices. Lower food prices had an added benefit. Since food cost less and wages in England remained high, workers would have more disposable income, which meant that if there were consumer goods available, they would be consumed, which incentivized people to make consumer goods more efficiently, and therefore more cheaply. You can see how this positive feedback loop leads to more food and more stuff, culminating in a world where people have so much stuff that we must rent space to store it, and so much food that obesity has become a bigger killer than starvation. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | This increased productivity eventually brought down prices, and this encouraged further innovation in order to increase yield to make up for the drop in prices. Lower food prices had an added benefit. Since food cost less and wages in England remained high, workers would have more disposable income, which meant that if there were consumer goods available, they would be consumed, which incentivized people to make consumer goods more efficiently, and therefore more cheaply. You can see how this positive feedback loop leads to more food and more stuff, culminating in a world where people have so much stuff that we must rent space to store it, and so much food that obesity has become a bigger killer than starvation. Thanks, Thought Bubble. So this increased productivity also meant that fewer people needed to work in agriculture in order to feed the population. To put this in perspective, in 1520, 80% of the English population worked the land. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | You can see how this positive feedback loop leads to more food and more stuff, culminating in a world where people have so much stuff that we must rent space to store it, and so much food that obesity has become a bigger killer than starvation. Thanks, Thought Bubble. So this increased productivity also meant that fewer people needed to work in agriculture in order to feed the population. To put this in perspective, in 1520, 80% of the English population worked the land. By 1800, only 36% of adult male laborers were working in agriculture, and by 1850, that percentage had dropped to 25. This meant that when the factories started humming, there were plenty of workers to hum along with them, especially child laborers. Err, err, err. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | To put this in perspective, in 1520, 80% of the English population worked the land. By 1800, only 36% of adult male laborers were working in agriculture, and by 1850, that percentage had dropped to 25. This meant that when the factories started humming, there were plenty of workers to hum along with them, especially child laborers. Err, err, err. So far all this sounds pretty good, right? I mean, except for the child laborer, who wouldn't want more, cheaper food. Yeah, well, not so fast. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Err, err, err. So far all this sounds pretty good, right? I mean, except for the child laborer, who wouldn't want more, cheaper food. Yeah, well, not so fast. One of the ways the British achieved all this agricultural productivity was through the process of enclosure, whereby landlords would reclaim and privatize fields that for centuries had been held in common by multiple tenants. This increased agricultural productivity, but it also impoverished many tenant farmers, many of whom lost their livelihoods. Okay, for our purposes, capitalism is also a cultural system rooted in the need of private investors to turn a profit. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Yeah, well, not so fast. One of the ways the British achieved all this agricultural productivity was through the process of enclosure, whereby landlords would reclaim and privatize fields that for centuries had been held in common by multiple tenants. This increased agricultural productivity, but it also impoverished many tenant farmers, many of whom lost their livelihoods. Okay, for our purposes, capitalism is also a cultural system rooted in the need of private investors to turn a profit. So the real change needed here was a change of mind. People had to develop the capitalist values of taking risks and appreciating innovation. And they had to come to believe that making an upfront investment in something like a stand machine could pay for itself and then some. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Okay, for our purposes, capitalism is also a cultural system rooted in the need of private investors to turn a profit. So the real change needed here was a change of mind. People had to develop the capitalist values of taking risks and appreciating innovation. And they had to come to believe that making an upfront investment in something like a stand machine could pay for itself and then some. One of the reasons that these values developed in Britain was that the people who initially held them were really good at publicizing them. Writers like Thomas Munn, who worked for the English East India Company, exposed people to the idea that the economy was controlled by markets, and other writers popularized the idea that it was human nature for individuals to participate in markets as rational actors. Even our language changed. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | And they had to come to believe that making an upfront investment in something like a stand machine could pay for itself and then some. One of the reasons that these values developed in Britain was that the people who initially held them were really good at publicizing them. Writers like Thomas Munn, who worked for the English East India Company, exposed people to the idea that the economy was controlled by markets, and other writers popularized the idea that it was human nature for individuals to participate in markets as rational actors. Even our language changed. The word individuals did not apply to persons until the 17th century. And in the 18th century, a career still referred only to horses racing lives. Perhaps the most important idea that was popularized in England was that men and women were consumers as well as producers, and that this was actually a good thing because the desire to consume manufactured goods could spur economic growth. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Even our language changed. The word individuals did not apply to persons until the 17th century. And in the 18th century, a career still referred only to horses racing lives. Perhaps the most important idea that was popularized in England was that men and women were consumers as well as producers, and that this was actually a good thing because the desire to consume manufactured goods could spur economic growth. The main spur to trade, or rather to industry and ingenuity, is the exorbitant appetite of men, which they will take pain to gratify. So wrote John Kerry, one of capitalism's cheerleaders, in 1695. And in talking about our appetites, he wasn't just talking about food. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Perhaps the most important idea that was popularized in England was that men and women were consumers as well as producers, and that this was actually a good thing because the desire to consume manufactured goods could spur economic growth. The main spur to trade, or rather to industry and ingenuity, is the exorbitant appetite of men, which they will take pain to gratify. So wrote John Kerry, one of capitalism's cheerleaders, in 1695. And in talking about our appetites, he wasn't just talking about food. That doesn't seem radical now, but it sure did back then. So here in the 21st century, it's clear that industrial capitalism, at least for now, has won. Sorry, buddy, but, you know, you gave it a good run. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | And in talking about our appetites, he wasn't just talking about food. That doesn't seem radical now, but it sure did back then. So here in the 21st century, it's clear that industrial capitalism, at least for now, has won. Sorry, buddy, but, you know, you gave it a good run. You didn't know about Stalin. But capitalism isn't without its problems or its critics, and there were certainly lots of shortcomings to industrial capitalism in the 19th century. Working conditions were awful. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Sorry, buddy, but, you know, you gave it a good run. You didn't know about Stalin. But capitalism isn't without its problems or its critics, and there were certainly lots of shortcomings to industrial capitalism in the 19th century. Working conditions were awful. Days were long, arduous, and monotonous. Workers lived in conditions that people living in the developed world today would associate with abject poverty. One way that workers responded to these conditions was by organizing into labor unions. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Working conditions were awful. Days were long, arduous, and monotonous. Workers lived in conditions that people living in the developed world today would associate with abject poverty. One way that workers responded to these conditions was by organizing into labor unions. Another response was in many cases purely theoretical. Socialism, most famously Marxian socialism. I should probably point out here that socialism is an imperfect opposite to capitalism, even though the two are often juxtaposed. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | One way that workers responded to these conditions was by organizing into labor unions. Another response was in many cases purely theoretical. Socialism, most famously Marxian socialism. I should probably point out here that socialism is an imperfect opposite to capitalism, even though the two are often juxtaposed. Capitalism's defenders like to point out that it's natural, meaning that if left to our own devices, humans would construct economic relationships that resemble capitalism. Socialism, at least in its modern incarnations, makes fewer pretenses toward being an expression of human nature. It's the result of human choice and human planning. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | I should probably point out here that socialism is an imperfect opposite to capitalism, even though the two are often juxtaposed. Capitalism's defenders like to point out that it's natural, meaning that if left to our own devices, humans would construct economic relationships that resemble capitalism. Socialism, at least in its modern incarnations, makes fewer pretenses toward being an expression of human nature. It's the result of human choice and human planning. So socialism as an intellectual construct began in France. How'd I do, Stan? Mmm, the border between Egypt and Libya. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | It's the result of human choice and human planning. So socialism as an intellectual construct began in France. How'd I do, Stan? Mmm, the border between Egypt and Libya. There were two branches of socialism in France, utopian and revolutionary. Utopian socialism is often associated with Comte de Saint-Simon and Charles Fourier, both of whom rejected revolutionary action after having seen the disaster of the French Revolution. Both were critical of capitalism, and while Fourier is usually a punchline in history classes because he believed that in his ideal socialist world, the seas would turn to lemonade, he was right that human beings have desires that go beyond basic self-interest and that we aren't always economically rational actors. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Mmm, the border between Egypt and Libya. There were two branches of socialism in France, utopian and revolutionary. Utopian socialism is often associated with Comte de Saint-Simon and Charles Fourier, both of whom rejected revolutionary action after having seen the disaster of the French Revolution. Both were critical of capitalism, and while Fourier is usually a punchline in history classes because he believed that in his ideal socialist world, the seas would turn to lemonade, he was right that human beings have desires that go beyond basic self-interest and that we aren't always economically rational actors. The other French socialists were the revolutionaries, and they saw the French Revolution, even its violence, in a much more positive light. The most important of these revolutionaries was Auguste Blanqui, and we associate a lot of his ideas with communism, which is a term that he used. Like the utopians, he criticized capitalism, but he believed that it could only be overthrown through violent revolution by the working classes. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Both were critical of capitalism, and while Fourier is usually a punchline in history classes because he believed that in his ideal socialist world, the seas would turn to lemonade, he was right that human beings have desires that go beyond basic self-interest and that we aren't always economically rational actors. The other French socialists were the revolutionaries, and they saw the French Revolution, even its violence, in a much more positive light. The most important of these revolutionaries was Auguste Blanqui, and we associate a lot of his ideas with communism, which is a term that he used. Like the utopians, he criticized capitalism, but he believed that it could only be overthrown through violent revolution by the working classes. However, while Blanqui thought that the workers would come to dominate a communist world, he was an elitist. And he believed that workers could never on their own overcome their superstitions and their prejudices in order to throw off bourgeois oppression. And that brings us to Karl Marx, whose ideas and beard cast a shadow over most of the 20th century. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Like the utopians, he criticized capitalism, but he believed that it could only be overthrown through violent revolution by the working classes. However, while Blanqui thought that the workers would come to dominate a communist world, he was an elitist. And he believed that workers could never on their own overcome their superstitions and their prejudices in order to throw off bourgeois oppression. And that brings us to Karl Marx, whose ideas and beard cast a shadow over most of the 20th century. Oh, it's time for the open letter? An open letter to Karl Marx's beard. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | And that brings us to Karl Marx, whose ideas and beard cast a shadow over most of the 20th century. Oh, it's time for the open letter? An open letter to Karl Marx's beard. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, robots? Stanbots? Two Stanbots, one of them female. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, robots? Stanbots? Two Stanbots, one of them female. Now I own all the means of production. You're officially useless to me, Stan. Now turn the camera off. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Two Stanbots, one of them female. Now I own all the means of production. You're officially useless to me, Stan. Now turn the camera off. Turn the ca- I'm gonna have to get up and turn the camera off? Stanbot, go turn the camera off! Hey there, Karl Marx's beard. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Now turn the camera off. Turn the ca- I'm gonna have to get up and turn the camera off? Stanbot, go turn the camera off! Hey there, Karl Marx's beard. Wow, you are intense! Karl Marx, these days there are a lot of young men who think beards are cool. Beard lovers, if you will. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Hey there, Karl Marx's beard. Wow, you are intense! Karl Marx, these days there are a lot of young men who think beards are cool. Beard lovers, if you will. Those aren't beards, they're glorified milk mustaches. I mean, I haven't shaved for a couple weeks, Karl Marx, but I'm not claiming a beard. You don't get a beard by being lazy, you get a beard by being a committed revolutionary. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | Beard lovers, if you will. Those aren't beards, they're glorified milk mustaches. I mean, I haven't shaved for a couple weeks, Karl Marx, but I'm not claiming a beard. You don't get a beard by being lazy, you get a beard by being a committed revolutionary. That's why hardcore Marxists are literally known as bearded Marxists. These days, that's an insult. But you know what, Karl Marx, when I look back at history, I prefer the bearded communists. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | You don't get a beard by being lazy, you get a beard by being a committed revolutionary. That's why hardcore Marxists are literally known as bearded Marxists. These days, that's an insult. But you know what, Karl Marx, when I look back at history, I prefer the bearded communists. Let's talk about some communists who didn't have beards. Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Kim Jong-il, Joseph freakin' Stalin with his face caterpillar. So yeah, Karl Marx's beard, it's my great regret to inform you that there are some paltry beards trying to take up the class struggle these days. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | But you know what, Karl Marx, when I look back at history, I prefer the bearded communists. Let's talk about some communists who didn't have beards. Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Kim Jong-il, Joseph freakin' Stalin with his face caterpillar. So yeah, Karl Marx's beard, it's my great regret to inform you that there are some paltry beards trying to take up the class struggle these days. Best wishes, John Green. Although he's often considered the father of communism because he co-wrote the Communist Manifesto, Marx was above all a philosopher and a historian. It's just that unlike most philosophers and historians, he advocated for revolution. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | So yeah, Karl Marx's beard, it's my great regret to inform you that there are some paltry beards trying to take up the class struggle these days. Best wishes, John Green. Although he's often considered the father of communism because he co-wrote the Communist Manifesto, Marx was above all a philosopher and a historian. It's just that unlike most philosophers and historians, he advocated for revolution. His greatest work, Das Kapital, sets out to explain the world of the 19th century in historical and philosophical terms. Marx's thinking is deep and dense and we're low on time, but I want to introduce one of his ideas, that of class struggle. So for Marx, the focus isn't on the class, it's on the struggle. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | It's just that unlike most philosophers and historians, he advocated for revolution. His greatest work, Das Kapital, sets out to explain the world of the 19th century in historical and philosophical terms. Marx's thinking is deep and dense and we're low on time, but I want to introduce one of his ideas, that of class struggle. So for Marx, the focus isn't on the class, it's on the struggle. Basically, Marx believed that classes don't only struggle to make history, but that the struggle is what makes classes into themselves. The idea is that through conflict, classes develop a sense of themselves, and without conflict, there is no such thing as class consciousness. So Marx was writing in 19th century England, and there were two classes that mattered, the workers and the capitalists. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | So for Marx, the focus isn't on the class, it's on the struggle. Basically, Marx believed that classes don't only struggle to make history, but that the struggle is what makes classes into themselves. The idea is that through conflict, classes develop a sense of themselves, and without conflict, there is no such thing as class consciousness. So Marx was writing in 19th century England, and there were two classes that mattered, the workers and the capitalists. The capitalists owned most of the factors of production, in this case, land and the capital to invest in factories. The workers just had their labor. So the class struggle here is between capitalists, who want labor at the lowest possible price, and the workers, who want to be paid as much as possible for their work. |
Capitalism and Socialism Crash Course World History #33.m4a | So Marx was writing in 19th century England, and there were two classes that mattered, the workers and the capitalists. The capitalists owned most of the factors of production, in this case, land and the capital to invest in factories. The workers just had their labor. So the class struggle here is between capitalists, who want labor at the lowest possible price, and the workers, who want to be paid as much as possible for their work. There are two key ideas that underlie this theory of class struggle. First, Marx believed that production, or work, was the thing that gave life material meaning. Second is that we are by nature social animals. |