Section outline

  • The final topic in this unit focuses on the skill of argumentation and so provides an opportunity for your students to draw upon the key concepts and historical developments they have studied in this unit. Using evidence relevant to this unit’s key concepts, students should practice the suggested skill for this topic.

    LEARNING OBJECTIVE

    Unit 4: Learning Objective N
    Explain how economic developments from 1450 to 1750 affected social structures over time.

    REVIEW: UNIT 4 KEY CONCEPTS

    KC-4.1
    The interconnection of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, made possible by transoceanic voyaging, transformed trade and had a significant social impact on the world.

    KC-4.1.II
    Knowledge, scientific learning, and technology from the Classical, Islamic, and Asian worlds spread, facilitating European technological developments and innovation.

    KC-4.1.II.A
    The developments included the production of new tools, innovations in ship designs, and an improved understanding of regional wind and currents patterns—all of which made transoceanic travel and trade possible.

    KC-4.2
    Although the world’s productive systems continued to be heavily centered on agriculture, major changes occurred in agricultural labor, the systems and locations of manufacturing, gender and social structures, and environmental processes.

    KC-4.2.II
    The demand for labor intensified as a result of the growing global demand for raw materials and finished products. Traditional peasant agriculture increased and changed in nature, plantations expanded, and the Atlantic slave trade developed and intensified.

    KC-4.3
    Empires achieved increased scope and influence around the world, shaping and being shaped by the diverse populations they incorporated.

    KC-4.3.III.ii
    Economic disputes led to rivalries and conflict between states.