Article Abstract:
A highlight of recent research on modern Chinese history has been the discovery of how dynamic the 18th century in that country was. Developments included fast commercialization, changes in social classes, exponential growth in the population and increased mobility. Research on the 19th and 20th centuries has continued to show how violent that period of China's history was, although research on international trade and domestic political and economic growth have shown that military conflict is not the only hallmark of recent Chinese history. Further research might consider the history of warfare.
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Article Abstract:
European pirates and outlaws operating in Asia and Africa played an important role in the Asian maritime economy of the early modern period by sending goods and slaves to the American and Caribbean colonies. They also played an important role in the extension of European power in Asia and Africa by keeping their countrymen informed of the local situation, by discovering new and important trade routes, and by enabling Westerners to enter new markets. Their activities in Asia and Africa ended as European states became powerful and were able to extend their military power over far-flung areas.
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Article Abstract:
Encounters between Asia and Europe, dating from the 1498 voyage of Vasco da Gama, left the West largely unchanged until the latter half of the 20th century. Once Eastern nations, led by Japan, began to adopt Western manufacturing techniques, the East became materially superior to the West.
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