Deck 3: The Paradoxes of Early Modern Empire: 1501-1661

Question 1

Which of the following was not a Eurasian land empire of the early modern era (16^th & early 17^th Centuries)?

A) Mongol
B) Safavid
C) Ottoman
D) Russian

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The most common means by which early modern empires expanded was through the use of:

A) diplomacy.
B) commercial treaties.
C) firearms and soldiers.
D) popular elections.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following most accurately represents the political philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli?

A) following religious doctrines believed by the people are the best way to safeguard the state.
B) democracy is essential for the longevity of a Prince's rule.
C) no universal set of ethical rules can guide or constrain political leaders.
D) political stability depends upon the Prince accepting that his legitimacy comes from God.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

One of the paradoxes of creating and ruling an early modern empire was that:

A) rulers had to convert to the faith of a majority of their subjects.
B) emperors could only enrich themselves through conquest rather than taxation.
C) empires were more often won through economic action rather than military action.
D) the concentration of power in a central authority often triggered challenges to a ruler's legitimacy.

Question 5

The consolidation of stronger central states in this era led to:

A) a struggle between the Ottoman and Spanish Empires for control of the Atlantic slave trade
B) conflicts over the relationship between monarchs and local power holders
C) democratization of local political institutions like town councils
D) expansion of the Peruvian mining industry with Dutch investment.

Question 6

The Sunni Muslim ruler Akbar established the:

A) Safavid Empire
B) Manchu Empire
C) Ottoman Empire
D) Mughal Empire

Question 7

____________________ called for reforms in the Catholic Church that sparked the Protestant Reformation.

A) Niccolò Machiavelli
B) Martin Luther
C) Frederick III of Saxony
D) Charles V of Spain

Question 8

The use of _________________ helped spread ideas about Protestantism.

A) Jesuit missionaries
B) the printing press
C) double-hulled warships
D) Machiavelli's precepts

Question 9

Ivan IV, the Grand Prince of Moscow, did all of the following except:

A) arm the Russian military with rifles.
B) commission the building of cathedrals.
C) join forces with German rulers to protect Martin Luther.
D) distribute trading privileges in exchange for payments to the government.

Question 10

The rebels in the German Peasants' War:

A) rose against the teaching of Martin Luther.
B) objected to the way the Bible had been translated into German.
C) toppled the Holy Roman Empire.
D) demanded the right to hunt and gather wood in the areas around their villages.

Question 11

Which of the following broke away from the Spanish Empire in the late sixteenth century?

A) Ireland
B) Mexico
C) Italy
D) Netherlands

Question 12

One of the provisions in the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia stated that:

A) all religions would be tolerated in all European states.
B) all Christian religions must be tolerated in all European states.
C) religious differences alone could not justify war among Christian rulers.
D) no ruler could tax his people unless they were represented in government.

Question 13

John Locke:

A) supported the divine right theory of political legitimacy.
B) asserted that the form of government was irrelevant to economic organization
C) argued that absolute monarchy was incompatible with a just political system
D) disputed Isaac Newton's assertions about mechanics

Question 14

The chaos and destruction wrought by the English Civil War contributed to future English leaders' acceptance of:

A) limits on the power of the monarchs.
B) absolute power for military leaders in times of war.
C) the independence of Scotland.
D) the hereditary claims of the ruling Stuart dynasty.

Question 15

In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes supported the idea that government derives from:

A) the will of God.
B) the consent of the governed.
C) fundamental human docility.
D) replacing the social contract with the political treatise.

Question 16

Which of the following are true of the challenges facing the Ming Dynasty in the seventeenth century?
I) Manchu armies were marching on Beijing.
II) A peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng was under way.
III) Key infrastructure was in disrepair.

A) Both I and II only
B) Both I and III only
C) Both II and III only
D) I, II, and III

Question 17

Which of the following is most accurate regarding the way historians think about the Qing dynasty?

A) The Qing Dynasty was more like the Mongol Empire than the Ming Dynasty.
B) Historians agree that Manchu language primary sources offer little useful information about Qing rule.
C) Viewpoints on Qing rule have changed as scholars accessed more sources in more languages.
D) The transition from Ming to Qing rule had no effect on China.

Question 18

Gu Yanwu argued that:

A) Chinese rulers should move beyond an obsession with Confucian models.
B) Qing rulers should restore lost reverence for traditional beliefs.
C) inductive reasoning would destroy imperial rule.
D) adherence to traditional beliefs was superior to adoption of "foreign," scientific reasoning.

Question 19

By the end of the seventeenth century, it appeared that:

A) global institutions for conflict management would soon be established.
B) most of Afro-Eurasia's hereditary empires were stronger than they were at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
C) the European empires except for England were all on the verge of collapse.
D) empire building had moved beyond the constraints of the biological old regime.

Question 20

Which of the following events occurred first?

A) The German Peasants' War began.
B) Martin Luther posted The 95 Theses.
C) The English Civil War ended.
D) The Ming Dynasty fell.

Question 21

Compare and contrast the experiences of two different challenges to rulership during this era. What issues ignited conflict and unified combatants? What were the consequences of the outcomes of these conflicts toward the arc of world history during the seventeenth century?

Question 22

Compare and contrast the political theories of Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Locke.

Question 23

What are the main ways that monarchs attempted to control their empires during this era? Provide examples of some of the unintended consequences that emerged from the use of these tactics.