Crisis in the Seventeenth Century - Article Example

Crisis in the seventeenth century Introduction The condition of the world in the seventeenth century was characterized by the problems in the societyand economy. There were widespread revolts all over the world and the conditions in the Europe was the same. There were widespread revolts and wars in the countries of the continent. In 1643, the English civil war started which changed the course of history in the modern world. The other nations also encountered identical troubles. The condition was the same in the British isles, France, Netherlands, Naples in Italy, The Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine. In the other parts of the world like in India and Brazil some forms of revolt was taking place. The places described above experienced the political revolts. In addition to the political revolts, there were social uprisings in many parts of the world. In Acquitaine, a French province there was almost 200 revolts between the period of 1635 and 1648. The conditions all over the world affected the citizens and the society to a great extent. It was not only the society and the political world that experienced changes in this period. The climate of the world deteriorated. The rivers like the Thames froze under the intense heat wave and there were major volcanic eruptions, which affected the lives of millions in the vicinity. The economy of the countries suffered due to the intense pressure of the wars and the revolts. The rise of epidemics in major cities like Venice decreased the population largely and every country was affected by the reduced birth rate. Therefore, there was wide spread chaos in the society in the countries of Europe and in other parts of the world. Most of the countries and kingdoms around the world was plagued by some type of crisis in the 17th century. The paper deals in the details of the happenings and concludes if the happenings took the form of crisis. (Parker, 2001; Pp 1-9). Conditions in Europe The 17th century was the period of revolts and wars in the continent of Europe. The whole of the continent was ravaged by wars and revolts. The revolutions were different in the countries according to the structure and intensity. However, there was an underlying similarity between the wars and the revolts of the countries. The causes underlying the revolts were the same and the people in these countries wanted change from the existing social system. One of the biggest revolts took place in England between 1640 and 1660. At the same time when the revolution of England was going on there was similar revolts in Spain, France and the Netherlands. The revolt in Netherlands was called the palace revolution and it helped in the transformation of the Government. The revolt in Spain failed to derive the required results while that of the Portugal succeeded to a great extent. Therefore, the whole of the continent was engulfed in the web of revolts and wars, which led the society into a crisis. The general people of the continent were effected by the turn of the events and they suffered economically and socially. The period was difficult for all the countries in the continent. According to an English preacher who lived in the turbulent times of 1643, “These days are days of shaking…. And this shaking is universal”. (Aston, 1970; P 59) The remark of the preacher brings to light the general sentiments of the people in that age. The causes of the revolts and the wars all over the continent were primarily same. However, the causes for the war in the context of the scientists and the philosophers are different. The science in this age became developed with the birth of the Renaissance and there was an active interest in the history of the ancient ages. The philosophers in the society interpreted the new meanings of the ancient scriptures. With the discovery of newer stars and planets in the sky and the interpretation of the scriptures there was an anticipation of a disaster. There was also an active interest in the historical studies and the people of the society interpreted that there is a cyclical flow in the birth and the death of nations and kingdoms. The scientists of the time interpreted that there was a disaster waiting to happen that would mark the end of the civilization. Therefore, it can be interpreted that the happenings did not come out of the blue and there has been certain reasons behind it. (Aston, 1970; P 59-62) One of the main reasons for the revolts in the countries of the continent was the Thirty Years War. The war commenced in the latter part of the 1610s and continued till the latter part of the 1640s. Most of the continent was involved in the war and therefore, most of the countries were affected by it. The economy of the countries suffered and the Government and the monarchs had to tax the general people of the country. This enraged the inhabitants in the country to come up with the revolt. The increase in the taxation of the general people in the country caused the revolts in Naples in Italy, Catalonia in Spain and the Portugal. It has to be noted that the revolts in the countries were against the respective governments and there was an underlying similarity in the happenings. In places like Germany and France, the area of the peasants were destroyed frequently by the passages used by the soldiers. The conditions were so bad that the peasants could not grow the required amount of crops. This fueled the start of the revolt in these countries. The revolutions in these countries helped in the transformation of the political and the social systems in the country. (Aston, 1970; P 62-65; Rabb,1975; Pp 116-122) It has to be stated here that there were wars in the earlier centuries as well in the continent. There were wars ranging for long periods. However, it did not give rise to any revolts. This was much to do with the stable Government in place in these countries. There were small revolts in the countries but it cannot be stated that the revolts were caused by the wars. Moreover, the revolts were of short duration and it did not affect the lives of the majority of the people in the continent. (Pettergree, 2006; Pp 131-132). However, in the 17th century revolutions, the lives of the millions were affected and this was due to the changes in the social and the political system. The social system was broken due to the wars and there was a widespread dissent among the common people in the field of high taxation. Therefore, the revolts were directed mainly at the Governments of the respective countries and the people wanted a change. The conditions previous to the revolts were different from those after the revolts. The social and the political system of the countries underwent a massive change. The countries like England was quick to adopt a change in the policy which the Government thought would give them more stability. The capitalist system descended in the country. The other countries of the region were more susceptible to the change. However, the system changed completely in the centuries to come. It helped in the birth of the economic development of the countries and there was a visible change in the social system of the country. In some countries the ruling Monarch of the country was overthrown for a more stable form of Government. The revolt in the Netherlands is one of the examples in this regard. (Aston, 1970; P 65-68; Winks & Kaiser, 2004; Pp 57-59) The economy of the countries of the revolution was in shambles. Most of the countries in the continent were under the monarchy and the kings were interested in the development of the provinces under his rule. There were large areas in the country, which were not under the rule of the kingdom, and independent chiefs and chieftains ruled them. There were continuous conflicts between the provinces in the countries and the people in the country suffered from them. The people under the rule of the chiefs were governed under a small empire and the Government there was not involved in the development of the community. There was widespread disparity in the income of the people in the countries and the people were seldom ravaged by the wars with the destruction of land and property. The situation worsened during the time of the thirty years war and millions of people were affected by it. There was huge destruction of land and property and the Governments in the respective countries suffered losses. The Governments of the countries also suffered with the rise in the epidemics and natural calamities. The happenings raised the prices of the commodities, as the demand was less. Moreover, the Government taxed the people in the countries more. With the war, most of the industries were destroyed and the people were unemployed. The farmers of the countries suffered with the destruction of land. The food supply decreased. There was wide spread dissent among the people of the countries. The Government did not have any measures to help the people of the countries and revolts against the Government took place. (Kindleberger, March, 1991; Pp 149-175) Therefore, in the continent of Europe, the revolts, wars and the natural calamities gave rise to a new order in the social and the political field, which formed the base for a more stable society in the centuries to come. A significant change took place in the political and the economic field which helped in the growth of the continent in the future. The 17th century was one such period in the history that can be considered as a reconstruction phase in the history of Europe. Before the 17th century, the Renaissance took place in the continent and the after the 17th century the countries witnessed revolutions which gave birth the democratic form of Government and a stable economy. Therefore, the 17th century was the base for the growth of the European continent. Conditions in Asia In Asia, the condition was different from that of Europe. Asia was always a promising prospect for the Europeans for trade and commerce. The Europeans continued to dissent in the coasts of Asia from the latter part of the 16th century. The Europeans were attracted to Asia for the spices. The south eastern Asia was the home of the spices and large varieties of it were grown in the countries of India. One of the earliest expedition of the Europeans in the Asia was conducted by the Portuguese navy in its conquest of the Mecca. The Middle East was close to the continent of Europe and it facilitated the trade between the two areas. The Portuguese controlled the affairs of Mecca and trade and commerce developed. However, the conquest by the Europeans in this part of the world disrupted the general conditions in the society and economy. The Middle East in those days thrived on the trade and commerce and the Arabian merchants were the dominant in this area. With the arrival of the Europeans, the trade of the Arabian was disrupted to a large extent. Another country, which had an impact on the general conditions of Asia, was Holland. The Dutch were successful in establishing key areas of the spice trades and controlled these areas through the creation of Government controlled company- the VOB. The VOB was successful in establishing key links with the countries of Asia and soon they were controlling these areas. Moreover, the company seized countries like Batavia and Maluku, which were the prime producers of spices. The Dutch went on to control the islands of the Indonesian archipelago. The Japanese rulers granted the Dutch access to its country. No other country except China had access to the Japanese kingdom. This helped the Dutch to control key areas of trade in the areas. This had an adverse impact on the trade and commerce in the region. (Tarling,1999;Pp 144-148; Reid,1993, Pp 1-12) In addition to this, the global phenomenon of dip in the temperatures and natural calamity was also visible in the countries of Asia. Most of the countries reported to dip in the population. However, the climate cannot be the only reason in the drop in the population of these countries. The wars between the Europeans and the natives of the states devastated the region. The Dutch had a policy of establishing dominance over the region to cut the competition from the Portuguese. The Dutch undermined their superiority in the region by controlling the Maluku region and isolated the ports of Portuguese Melaka by destroying the town of Jepara. The conditions of the war devastated the region. Moreover, the rulers and their frequent fights also devastated the internal conditions of the countries not under the colonial rule. In the Burma region, Sultan Agung raged continuous wars with the adjoining states to establish a unified empire. In India, there was a rise in the rivalry between the Mughals and the Marathas. The Mughal monarch Aurangzeb and the Marathan leader Shivaji was in a continuous battle for the supremacy in the southern India. The Mughals, which controlled large parts of the country, could not control the vast empire and there were continuous revolts in the country. The economic condition suffered and it paved the way for the Europeans to enter the country. The Europeans were always tempted by the prospect to trade with India and the conditions in the society paved the way for the Dutch, Portuguese and the English to enter the country. This also had a hand in the degradation in the general condition of the region. (Tarling,1999; Pp 148-150; Reid, 1993; Pp 12-18; Kulke & Rothermund, 2004; Pp 208-210) The condition of the countries of Europe was further devastated by the general conditions of the economy. The conditions were similar to that of Europe. The production of the crops decreased with the change in climate. There was a general dip in the prices of the commodity and the trade of the merchants suffered. The above paragraphs have depicted the fact that the trade in the region was controlled by the Europeans and the local merchants had to give away the products at a much lesser price. The general conditions in the economy was bad due to the bad production of the crops and continuous warfare among the kingdoms. There were uprisings in some of the countries like the Chinese peasant revolution. The Europeans like the Dutch, Portuguese, French and the English controlled the majot market of India. The trade in the country were controlled by these countries and the merchants could not trade freely. Most of the products in the country were carried to the continent of Europe at a lesser price and this degraded the general conditions in the economy. One of the countries in Asia in the face of the European domination was China. The Chinese did not give access to the Europeans inside their country and maintained the inter country trade. The ports of the Chinese were major sources of economy to the country. The presence of the ports in the coastal areas of China meant that there were interactions between the Chinese and the other countries of the region. The Europeans in the building of the other countries used the Chinese inhabitants of the region. (Tarling,1999; Pp 150-152; Reid,1993; Pp 18-22) The general conditions in the Asian continent were different from that of Europe. Though few uprisings and revolts the main concern for the continent was the degradation of the economy were affluent earlier. The main reason for the degradation in the economic conditions of the region can be attributed to the presence of the Europeans in the region. Another factor for the degradation in the economy was the decrease in the production of the crops, which was due to the change in climate. There were continuous wars among the different kingdoms of the region, which further provoked the situation. Due to the wars the economic conditions in the region was pressurized and the social conditions suffered. Therefore, it can be stated the conditions of the society in Asia was far from good at this period. Was it a crisis? A general debate rises on the status of the conditions in the 17th century. The conditions in the social system and the economy were bad during the period. The conditions in Europe gave rise to uprising and revolts in the countries, which changed the general conditions. The politics of the country changed with the transformation of the power. In the Netherlands, the monarchy of the state changed to a more democratic form of the Government. The economic conditions of the country developed after the uprising and the revolts. It led to the growth of the capitalism. The sufferings of the people were compounded by the high handedness of the bureaucracy. The general conditions in the society were bad and the crisis, if any, engulfed all the matters. (Parker & Smith, 1985; Pp 32-33). The climate of the world normalized and the occurrences of the natural calamities decreased. After the 17th century the growth of the industries in the continent took place and most of the European countries went out for the search of newer areas to sustain the growth. The colonialism increased after the 17th century and large parts of Asia and Africa became colonized. The economic conditions of the continent improved to a large extent. The social conditions also underwent a massive change. Before the advent of the 17th century, the church had massive dominance in the social system of the country. After the 17th century, the influence of the church decreased. Therefore, the 17th century in Europe marked the new beginning and it cannot be termed as a crisis. The conditions in the Europe in the 17th century gave rise to the colonialism. Due to the rise in colonialism, the education system and the economic conditions of the countries improved. The Eastern and the Western world came closer. This gave rise to the growth of the trade and commerce. Therefore, in the Asian context, the 17th century cannot be termed as a crisis. It was the base for the new beginning. Conclusions The conditions in the 17th century all over the world can be termed as a crisis in the wake of the happenings in the society and economy. There were loss of lives and the economy and the social system of the world suffered. However, in the wake of the coming times, it served the base for change. The changer was visible in all spheres of life including the economy, society, and politics. Therefore, it can be said that the 17th century was the base for the modern development in the world. The 17th century can be a crisis for the people during that time but it served as the base for development for the generations to come. References: 1. Parker,G. (2001). Europe in crisis: 1598-1648. Blackwell Publishing. 2. Aston,T. (1970). Crisis in Europe: 1560-1660. Routledge. 3. Parker.G and Smith.L.M. (1985) The general crisis of the seventeenth century. Routledge. 4. Kindleberger,C. (March, 1991). The economic crisis of 1619 to 1623.The journal of economic history. Vol 51. Cambridge university Press. 5. Winks,R and Kaiser,T. (2004). Europe from the old regime to the age of revolution. Oxford University Press. 6. Rabb,T. (1975). The struggle for stability in early modern Europe. Oxford University Press. 7. Pettergree,A. (2006). Europe in the sixteenth century. Blackwell. 8. Tarling,N. (1999). The Cambridge history of South East Asia. Vol 1 Part 2. Cambridge University Press. 9. Reid,A. (1993). South East Asia in the age of Commerce. Yale University Press. 10. Kulke,H and Rothermund,D. (2004). A history of India. Routledge. Read More