Global Connections: 1450-1750

Caravels

Submarines

Battleships

Aircraft carriers

Barley

Rice

Wheat

Potatoes

Electric Telegraph

Compass

Printing Press

Steam Engine

To improve agricultural productivity

To enhance communication systems

To facilitate exploration and establishment of trade routes

To develop better healthcare techniques

The invention of windmills

The development of gunpowder weapons.

The use of mechanical clocks

The introduction of three-field crop rotation

His reliance solely on oral sermons limited the potential reach; printed materials helped spread his message only after his death.

Martin Luther actively discouraged the use of print, preferring to keep discussions confined to academic settings to avoid stirring public outcry.

Printing technology had negligible effect because literacy rates remained low, rendering mass communication ineffective.

It expedited widespread dissemination of his ideas, thereby fostering religious reform movements.

The influx of American silver only affected local economies minimally since it was largely hoarded by elite classes instead of being circulated widely.

Silver extraction resulted exclusively in technological advancements within mining industries but no broader economic changes.

Silver currency fueled both inflationary trends in Spain and facilitated widespread commercial exchange across empires.

Silver trade singularly caused an economic downturn across Asian markets due to fluctuations solely related to silver supply levels.

It triggered immediate abolition movements that undermined colonial profits and stunted economic growth.

It provided a labor source that underpinned plantation economies and bolstered mercantilist policies.

It led to the decline of feudalism as landowners shifted focus from agriculture to industrial production.

It weakened merchant class power by reducing the demand for indentured servants from Europe.

The creation of laser printers

The invention of movable type printing

The development of digital printers

The introduction of inkjet printers

The spread of Buddhism and Confucianism may be slowed due to less external influences from armed contact.

Land-based tax systems in Asia may undergo reforms more rapidly in response to non-military pressures.

The Mughal Empire might collapse earlier due to the absence of European military alliances.

Asian polities may maintain more traditional warfare styles, leading to changes in regional balances of power.