Expansion Beginning 1500 of Asian Empires

There has been a rapid expansion of Asian empires from 15th centuries and there eventual impact from Europe. There are many components that have contributed to the exploration and growth of these empires; it ultimately came down to two key forces that continued to stroke the engines of expansion, religious zeal and trade. Asia had a lot goods Europe imported from them on the other hand there are empires that were hostile towards Christianity; the ottoman empire, the Chinese and the Japanese.

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The start of Chinese empire did not occur in a steady rate but an erratic rate. It all started when the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties created a Chinese state in and around present day China. Chinese has an outstanding naval capacity in the early 1400s. The Chinese political and social order is at its height in the latest imperial period of the last two dynasties; from Tang dynasty onwards. China has had advanced commercial development through the years and the development has been facilitated by geographic unity and canals of internal trade. Its size and political unity has enhanced the interregional trade within China. The labor needs in the region were also taken of by shifting manufacture to another area. The Chinese use a tribute system as a way to restrict foreign traders of Chinese markets by limiting them to access specific ports established by the central government (Columbia University 2).

The weakness of China economy was during the period when it decided that all the citizens to pay taxes in silver after it had fixed their currency to silver because paper money proved to be unstable in the country. The policy was stable for some time but it started experiencing downfall. China had little silver of its own so it had to start trading it.

Europe has played part in decline of China. The Western European made attempts to reach the Asian markets b sea in the 15th and 16th centuries. It reached China in the form of formal embassy and trading pirates to attack the Asian markets. It is during this period that China started undergoing an economic downfall. European started to dominate in products such as silver as a result of the slow-burn decline of Asian empires especially China. As China and other Asia empires declined in wealth and power in early modern era, European empires on the other hand competed; it also strengthened in power and expanded its territories. The firearms and cannons promoted the centralization of state governments in Europe (Pinkerton 1).

Ottoman Empire is an empire on the Middle East Asia that Europe played part in its decline. The Ottoman Empire was an agrarian economy that was rich in land and scarce in labor. Most of the population earned their living from the small holdings that contributed 40 percent of the taxes tribute to the empire directly as well as indirectly through customs revenues from the goods exported to other countries. The empire continued to excel and expand its imperial rule in the early modern periods at the expense of Europe. It used the latest military technology and cannons that were amazingly huge as a defense mechanism protection from the Europeans in a decisive manner during wars.

The Ottoman Empire began to lose its importance for various reasons. Ottoman Empire started to weaken through pressure from within. The diverse ethnic and religious groups within the empires borders demanded for ways to have more control over their own affairs; this would deliberately bring some tension between the groups. The groups only created more convulsions within themselves. The greatest loss of the last Christian stronghold opened doors to the Europeans to seek a sea route to Asian markets. After Europeans explored the region in 1500s, the mass of world trade shifted from where it previously was-Mediterranean sea to the Atlantic Ocean. There was a time Islams from Ottoman was civilized and had overshadowed Europe in its scientific innovations, inventions and cultural achievements, but it could no longer keep up with the pace from scientific, political and industrial developments that had started taking place in Europe. Europe had taken the dominance in the scientific development sector (BBC 2).

Japan from the East Asia was also one of the regions the Europeans struggled and were eager to see their downfall. Japanese pirates were active along the China coast in carrying out trade. Dynasties in Japan had a reestablishment in social, political and international relations during that period of civil war and turmoil. When Japan dynasties were reestablishing international relations they were prohibited from going abroad to trade.

In conclusion, as these Asian empires declined in wealth, and governance, Europe empires enjoyed superiority in wealth, expansion of their boundaries as well as their competence. They advanced their technology and dominated in many products that they acquired from Asia. Asia at that same period was going through civil wars as the Europeans were exploding with new ideas.

Works Cited

BBC. The Ottoman Empire. 04 SEPT 2009. 14 FEB 2016 <http:www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/ottomanempire_1.shtml>.

Pinkerton, Stephen. The Turning Point in Asia. 2005. 14 FEB 2016 <http:www.webs.bcp.org/sites/vclearly/ModernWorldHistoryTextbook/Imperialism/section_3/turningpoint2.html>.

University, Colombia. "Key Points in Developments in East Asia." 2009. China; The Ming Dynasty. 14 FEB 2016 <http:www.afe.easia.columbia.edu/main_pop/kpct/kp_ming_htm>.