HIS284H5 Lecture 3: Lecture 3 - World together, World apart
Document Summary
A global movement material goods and ideas. Remains of communities can be found todays. The great wall contributed to the myth of china"s isolation: china has always been an open empire, there was never physical or political boundaries. The 12th century was the peak of this network. The mongol empire unified a huge, diverse, territory: extremely cosmopolites. Nomadic vs. sedentary societies: nomadic life was the only option up north due to the environment, soil didn"t allow for planting. Periodical raids by the nomadic groups: great wall was never effective. Mongols had to go past the wall, they had no choice. Caused constant conflict: mongols were first to defeat the chinese, every time a foreign power defeated the chinese they took wealth. The mongols found the chinese bureaucratic system effective. They were unable to carry archives due to their nomadic lifestyle. The mongol empire integrated with the chinese, it became a eurasian empire.
