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Lesson 1.6 Vocab

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bureaucracy
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Definition

an organized group of hired officials, especially governmental

Use In A Sentence

The governor is at the head of the state bureaucracy.

centralized
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Definition

when power and decision-making are concentrated in a ruler, place, or government

Use In A Sentence

More than other large regions, China in 1750 was a centralized state with standard laws, currency, and taxes.

ethnic
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Definition

of or related to a large group of people who share a distinctive culture, language, or religion, or who are of the same race or national heritage

Use In A Sentence

Japanese and Chinese immigrants made up two of Hawaii's major ethnic groups in 1900.

isolationist
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Definition

of, pertaining to, or in accordance with a policy or doctrine whereby a nation or country elects not to involve itself in the affairs of other nations or countries

Use In A Sentence

Up until the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II, the United States was considered an isolationist country.

social class
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Definition

when people have different status based on their wealth, occupation, education, and similar factors

Use In A Sentence

Reformers in Russia looked to soften or erase the distinction between such social classes as the serfs and the nobility.

Eurasian Land-Based Empires in 1750

Teacher Resources

Course Guide icon

Lesson Guide

Find everything you need—lesson timing, sample answers, and teacher instructions—in the Lesson Guide.

Driving Question: How did land-based empires maintain control over such vast regions?

Viewing the world through the lenses of China and Europe helped us see how global trade and politics connected two very distant regions. Yet we also saw that the world of 1750 looked different depending on where you viewed it from. In this lesson, we’ll broaden our understanding of the “rest” of Eurasia in 1750 with an exploration of the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, and Tokugawa Shogunate.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Compare the community structures and interactions of the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, and Tokugawa Shogunate.
  2. Use close-reading and comparison skills to identify the strengths and weaknesses of eighteenth-century Eurasian empires.

Vocab Terms:

STEP 1

Opener: Eurasian Land-Based Empires in 1750

In this lesson you’ll explore empires spanning Eurasia—the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, and Tokugawa Shogunate. Make predictions about these empires through analysis of the words of an eighteenth-century teenager.

Opener

The Write Side of History External link

You’ve unearthed a letter from an eighteenth-century teenager. What can this letter tell you about their world?
STEP 2

The Past Is a Foreign Country

Teaching Tools

This is the first comparison activity in the course. If you need to brush up on your understanding of this historical thinking skill, check out OER Project supports like our Comparison Tool and Feedback Forms. You can find them—and some quick tips and tricks for teaching this skill—in a quick one-pager External link . 

Was life in the eighteenth century that different from life today? In some ways, yes—in others, no. Let’s find out just how similar or different they are.

Activity

Comparison: Life in 1750 and Today External link

The eighteenth century seems like a long time ago. But was life so different? Explore the similarities and differences between life in 1750 and today in this introduction to the Comparison Tool.
STEP 3

Empires on the Rise

Teaching Tools

If you’re short on time, the Empire Building activity can be completed in groups, with each student reading only one article and filling out those columns for their group. Be sure to check out the Lesson Guide External link for full instructions.

Did you know: Tokugawa Japan had a booming poop economy. In Edo-period cities, “night soil” (human feces) was collected, bought, sold, and hauled to farms as fertilizer. Rights to collect waste from good neighborhoods became valuable. One person’s bathroom emergency was another person’s investment portfolio.

As you learn about the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, and Tokugawa Shogunate, look for the characteristics that enabled them to build and maintain control—and also keep an eye out for their weaknesses. Then compare their strengths and weaknesses to help you build the best empire.

Activity

Empire Building External link

What makes an empire strong? What leads to an empire’s downfall? Analyze the characteristics of different empires as you work to create the best, most successful, and indestructible empire.

Article

The Ottoman Empire External link

One of the largest states in the world in 1750, the Ottoman Empire was a multiethnic and multireligious powerhouse. But the Ottomans also faced the challenge of a changing global economy.

Article

Mughal Empire External link

The Mughal Empire produced much of the world’s long-distance trade goods in 1750, but its rulers faced enormous challenges in keeping together a vast and diverse society.

Article

The Tokugawa Shogunate External link

The Tokugawa shoguns (military rulers) generally ruled over a stable and wealthy Japan by mixing new and old strategies and by carefully managing trade and foreign relations.
STEP 4

Closer: Eurasian Land-Based Empires in 1750

“Great empires are not maintained by timidity.” How well does this quote describe the empires you learned about in this lesson?

Closer

Tacitus and Timidity External link

Tacitus was a historian and politician from the Roman Empire. In this activity, you are tasked with reading one of his most remembered quotes, and evaluating how well it would apply to the empires in this lesson.
Extension Materials
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The Omani Empire provides a great counterpart to the other empires in this lesson. Was it actually an empire?
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A Different-Looking Empire

Teaching Tools

Video critic: After watching the video, ask students to be an editor as an exit ticket: How would you have presented this information differently? What rating would you give this video? Why?

The Omani Empire didn’t look like the large, land-based empires of Asia, but it also didn’t look like the maritime empires of Europe. Was it an empire at all?

The Omani Empire External link

The Omani Empire was a loose web of ports connected through trade relations. Over time, it became a powerful economic, political, and cultural force that reshaped the Indian Ocean region.