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Lesson 1.5 Vocab

aristocrat
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Definition

a member of a titled or privileged class

Use In A Sentence

Aristocrats can be distinguished from peasants by their style of clothing.

colony
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Definition

a territory governed by a distant country, often occupied by numbers of citizens of that country

Use In A Sentence

Before declaring independence, America consisted of 13 British colonies.

commerce
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Definition

the exchange of goods or services for money

Use In A Sentence

The trade agreement is expected to increase commerce between the two nations.

empire
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Definition

a single political unit, with one supreme ruler, composed of different nations or peoples

Use In A Sentence

The emperor expanded the Russian empire to the east.

monarch
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Definition

a sole, often hereditary ruler, such as a king, queen, or emperor

Use In A Sentence

The monarch's legitimacy was questioned after it was revealed that he had killed his brother to gain his position of power.

peasant
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Definition

a country person considered unsophisticated by urban elite, or a person considered to be crude and unlearned

Use In A Sentence

In feudal time, peasants worked the land but had no right to own it.

social mobility
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Definition

the ability of people to move up in wealth or status

Use In A Sentence

Social mobility in early modern Europe was generally easier in cities than in rural areas.

Comparing Europe and China in 1750

Teacher Resources

Course Guide icon

Lesson Guide

The Lesson Guide is your first stop for timing, sample answers, and everything else you need to teach this lesson.

Driving Question: How were eighteenth-century Europe and China similar and different?

We know that there were huge changes taking place around the world in the mid-eighteenth century. Comparing two regions very far from each other—Europe and China—gives us a variety of useful perspectives. These perspectives allow us to evaluate the changes and continuities that people experienced during this tumultuous period.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Compare how states in eighteenth-century Europe and China were organized, traded with others, and made and shared goods.
  2. Practice quick sourcing to evaluate the similarities and differences between eighteenth-century Europe and China.
  3. Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.

Vocab Terms:

STEP 1

Opener: Comparing Europe and China in 1750

If you were picking out gifts to bring to the Emperor of China, you’d probably put a lot of thought into it. Look at the gifts an eighteenth-century British ambassador decided on—what can you hypothesize from this gift list?

Opener

Gifts from the West External link

A present can tell you a lot about both the giver and the receiver. What can gifts given by Britain to China tell you about both countries in 1793?

Gifts from the West Slideshow

Gifts from the West: Portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte, along with a book of pictures of notable people of England and their estates.
Gifts from the West: This two-part air gun could be used as a normal black-powder musket, or it could be used as an air gun (without gunpowder). The user would first fill the round tank with air. Then, by pressing the trigger, a small amount of the air would be released from the tank. This air pressure would fire the gun.
Gifts from the West: Volumes of copperplate prints, including images of cities, fortresses, bridges, chapels, and gardens.
Gifts from the West: Black suede Western belt with embedded metal springs and porcelain decoration.
Gifts from the West: Various "astronomical mapping instruments," such as this Herschel reflector telescope, which allowed the user to clearly observe stars and constellations in the night sky.
Gifts from the West: Portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte, along with a book of pictures of notable people of England and their estates.
Gifts from the West: This two-part air gun could be used as a normal black-powder musket, or it could be used as an air gun (without gunpowder). The user would first fill the round tank with air. Then, by pressing the trigger, a small amount of the air would be released from the tank. This air pressure would fire the gun.
Gifts from the West: Volumes of copperplate prints, including images of cities, fortresses, bridges, chapels, and gardens.
Gifts from the West: Black suede Western belt with embedded metal springs and porcelain decoration.
Gifts from the West: Various "astronomical mapping instruments," such as this Herschel reflector telescope, which allowed the user to clearly observe stars and constellations in the night sky.
Slide 1 of 5
STEP 2

A Tale of Two Powers

Teaching Tools

Remind students of metacognitive strategies: Before they start reading, remind students to monitor their thinking as they go. They should stop at the end of a sentence (or paragraph) and ask themselves such questions as:

  • What did I just read?
  • Do I understand what I just read?
  • How does what I read relate to the overall topic?

In 1750, China and European empires were changing rapidly as they adapted to new ideas, increasing interconnections, and growing populations. Learn how these empires ruled, and then compare them head-to-head in an Eighteenth-Century Battle Royale.

Article

European States and Empires External link

In Europe, ideas about rationality, science, sovereignty, and progress were changing the ways people thought about themselves and their communities.

Article

Qing Dynasty External link

In the eighteenth century, not only did the Qing Dynasty rule over a massive multiethnic empire, it also experienced an economic boom.

Activity

Eighteenth-Century Battle Royale: Empire Edition External link

It’s a head-to-head match-up—Qing China vs. the European powers. Which empire will emerge victorious?
STEP 3

Boom or Bust: Economics in 1750

Teaching Tools

This is the first source collection in this course. The Quick Sourcing: Introduction activity offers a routine to help students work with historical texts. If you need a quick introduction to OER Project’s approach to sourcing, check out our sourcing one-pager.

Deepen your comparison of Europe and China through an analysis of primary and secondary sources using the quick-sourcing approach.

Activity

Quick Sourcing: Introduction External link

Learn how to use the Quick-Sourcing Tool to source documents and help you prepare to respond successfully to document-based questions (DBQs).

Article

Source Collection: Europe and China in 1750 External link

This collection gives a snapshot of European and Chinese production, distribution, and trade networks around 1750. The sources let you walk in the shoes of those who used, created, or profited from these vast networks.
STEP 4

The Lord and the Pirate Queen

Teaching Tools

There’s a lot for students to tackle here! For support, check out this blog post on keeping students engaged with video External link . In this post, Dr. Bob Bain suggests several strategies, such as:
Set the purpose: Set context prior to watching a video with students: Why are we watching this video? What do we hope to learn from it? How does the information in this video align with or go against what we have learned in class thus far? Make sure students have enough background knowledge for the video to make sense.

The global economy in 1750 was rapidly changing as European powers rose. But older powers like China remained dominant. The stories of Lord Macartney and Qing Shih—both mariners, but quite different otherwise—help illustrate the picture of the global economy in 1750.

Article

Global Production and Distribution in 1750 External link

In 1750, the Industrial Revolution had begun, but most people still made and shared things the same way they always had. In just a few years, industrialization would dramatically change these systems and processes.

Macartney’s Expedition and the Global Economy External link

In 1793 the global economy was centered in East and South Asia, not in Europe. The British embassy, led by Lord Macartney, wanted to change that.

Graphic Biographies

Qing Shih External link

Qing Shih was a pirate queen in eighteenth-century southern China. Her life demonstrates the complexity of community and networks in this interconnected era.
STEP 5

Closer: Comparing Europe and China in 1750

Take one more look—literally—at Macartney’s visit to China. Using your understanding from this lesson, analyze two illustrations of this meeting.

Closer

Cartoon Analysis: Macartney’s Visit External link

Use your expertise in the relationship between Britain and China at the end of the eighteenth century to take one more look at Macartney’s famous expedition—this time in the form of illustrations.
Extension Materials
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Simulate how global connections have expanded over time with Our Interconnected World, or explore the debates over the study of world history in “The Rise of the West.”
...

Expanding Networks of Production and Distribution

Get out the yarn! Explore how our networks have changed from 1450 to today—from silk to iPhones.

Activity

Our Interconnected World External link

This activity will provide you with an active demonstration of the global interconnectedness that exists in the world today, with a specific focus on the networks and production and distribution frames.
...

Competing Narratives of History

Many narratives of world history ask the question, Why did Europe become so powerful after 1750? This article explains why many world historians have been asking the wrong questions.

Article

The Rise of the West? External link

A respected historian described the last 250 years as the “Rise of the West.” Then, 25 years later, this idea was challenged—by the same historian. What changed?