资源描述：
《artVIChapter新编》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在行业资料-天天文库。
1、ThediscoveryofAmerica...certainlymadeamostessential[change].ByopeninganewandinexhaustiblemarkettoallthecommoditiesofEurope,itgaveoccasiontonewdivisionsoflabourandimprovementsofart,whichinthenarrowsphereofancientcommerce,couldneverhavetakenplace....Thesilverof
2、thenewcontinentseemsinthismannertobeoneoftheprincipalcommoditiesbywhichthecommercebetweenthetwoextremitiesoftheoldoneiscarriedon,anditisbymeansofit,ingreatmeasure,thatthosedistantpartsoftheworldareconnectedwithoneanother.AdamSmith.Theearlymodernperiodfrom1500
3、to1763wasoneofthemorecriticalperiodsinhumanhistory.ItwasatthistimethatEuropeanexplorersmadethegreatdiscoveriesthatdisclosednewcontinentsandtherebyheraldedtheglobalphaseofworldhistory.DuringthisperiodalsotheEuropeansbegantheirrisetoworldprimacybecauseoftheirle
4、adershipinoverseasactivities.Certainglobalinterrelationshipsthatdevelopedduringthesecenturiesnaturallybecamestrongerwiththepassageoftime.Hencetheyearsfrom1500to1763aretheperiodwhenglobalunitygotunderway—theperiodoftransitionfromtheregionalisolationismofthepre
5、-1500eratotheEuropeanglobalhegemonyofthenineteenthcentury.Thepurposeofthischapteristoanalyzetheprecisenatureandextentoftheglobaltiesthatdevelopedinvariousfields(seemapofWorldoftheEmergingWest,1763,p.382).I.NEWGLOBALHORIZONSThefirstandmostobviousresultofEurope
6、'sexpansionoverseasandoverlandwasanunprecedentedwideningofhorizons.Nolongerwasgeographicknowledgelimitedtooneregionorcontinentorhemisphere.Forthefirsttime,theshapeoftheglobeasawholewasknownandcharted(seemapofWesternKnowledgeoftheGlobe,1to1800C.E.,p.350).Thisw
7、aslargelytheworkofthewesternEuropeans,whohadtakentheleadintransoceanicexploration.BeforethePortuguesebeganfeelingtheirwaydownthecoastofAfricaintheearlyfifteenthcentury,EuropeanshadaccurateinformationonlyofNorthAfricaandtheMiddleEast.TheirknowledgeconcerningIn
8、diawasvague.ItwasstillvaguerregardingcentralAsia,eastAsia,andsub-SaharanAfrica.TheveryexistenceoftheAmericasandofAustralia—letaloneAntarctica—was,ofcourse,unsuspected.By1763thepicturewasa
