2015 KBS Special Project [Empire of the Sea] 4-part series ◼︎ 01:56 Empire of the Sea Part 1. Sea of ​​Desire - 2015.01.29 The Age of Exploration, which is considered to have opened the modern history of mankind, began not as a result of the advanced civilization and pioneering spirit of the West, but rather due to a shortage of pepper (spice) and religious reasons. Contrary to what we think, the West before the modern era was a civilization that was backward compared to the East. In the early 18th century, China and India accounted for more than 70% of the world economy. Europe was not an influential power in most of the Eurasian continent, including the Mughals, Safavids, and Mings. However, Europe was able to participate in the global economic network led by Arabs and Asians by developing a strategy of utilizing sea power and the sea that was ahead of the East. The difference in Eastern and Western perspectives on the sea later provided an opportunity to change the course of history. ◼︎ 54:24 Empire of the Sea Part 2. Big Bang of Wealth - 2015.01.30 Britain, which viewed the sea as a network rather than a simple road and gained wealth through triangular trade! Britain's sugar plantations became the signal flare for a new mode of production called 'capitalism'. Let's take a look at how discoveries through great voyages reorganized the world economy. Columbus's ship set out on its second voyage across the Atlantic. The purpose of the voyage was sugarcane, the raw material for sugar. It is no exaggeration to say that sugar connected the world into a single network and even changed the distribution of humanity on Earth. ◼︎ 1:43:58 Empire of the Sea Part 3. Changed Destiny - 2015.02.05 In the early 17th century, the British East India Company, which lost in the 'spice' competition with the Netherlands, imported 'calico', a cotton fabric from India. Cotton fabric was welcomed in every country in the world to the point that it was used as currency, and it was a global product like today's cars and iPhones. When cheap, high-quality cotton fabrics were imported, British woolen cloth merchants protested, and even the Calico (cotton fabric import) ban was enacted, but the cotton fabric craze in Europe did not stop. Efforts to produce cotton fabrics domestically led to factory production efforts such as spinning machines and spinning loom, which provided important opportunities for the early Industrial Revolution. At the same time, with abundant coal reserves and the development of steam engines, Britain finally surpassed India to become the world's largest cotton fabric exporter. After the Battle of Plassey, India, which became a British colony, went from being the origin of cotton fabrics to an importing country. ◼︎ 2:36:40 Empire of the Sea Part 4. A Great Reversal - 2015.02.06 As exchanges between Europe and China began in earnest due to the discovery of 'silver' in the Americas, a 'Chinoiserie' Chinese craze began to blow in Europe. In the early 18th century, as European 'tea' consumption rapidly increased, Europe's trade deficit with China reached a serious level. The only thing China received from Europe was 'silver'. The British East India Company, suffering from a shortage of 'silver' to buy Chinese tea, chose 'opium'. Britain resolved its trade imbalance with China by starting the opium trade, but faced with strong sanctions from the Qing government, the so-called 'Opium Wars' broke out. The Opium Wars ended with a victory for Britain, which had condensed the achievements of the Industrial Revolution and the advantages of its colony, India. The cultural exchange between the East and the West, which had begun since the Age of Exploration, reached a new turning point with the Opium Wars. With the West's victory in the Opium Wars, the international order was reorganized into a Europe-centered system that put maritime power first. The basic framework of the world order that was completed on the seas of the modern era is still valid in the 21st century. #EmpireoftheSea #HistoryofCivilization #Sea ✔KBS Documentary KBS Official YouTube Channel [KBS Documentary] 🔔Subscribe👍Like➡️ / @kbsdocumentary 📝Contact: [email protected] Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI training) are prohibited. ∙Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI training) are prohibited. ∙The current situation and content may differ slightly depending on the time of broadcast. ∙Defamatory and malicious comments may be deleted by the operator to protect the performer.