Quote:
Originally Posted by Itse
One of the most interesting speculations here is of course that one of the presumed main reasons why the Chinese banned seavoyages was that the central power was worried about the growing power of merchants. If you take a look at the history of Europe, the nobility was of course right to be worried.
Even if we assume the Chinese never really developed a taste for colonization, just not going to the extreme of literally banning seavoyages would likely have lead to a completely different Chinese history, one with a rising powerful merchant class driving innovation and demanding reformations, much the same way they did in Europe.
|
I'm with FireGilbert on this one. The rulers of rich, centralized states have a powerful incentive to maintain the status quo. From the standpoint of a Chinese ruler of that era, any dramatic change in the economic or social structure can only be bad news - a threat to the regime that relies on the existing systems for all of its power. So innovation and change is suppressed as a defence mechanism.
Same thing happened with the Ottoman Empire. In 1550 it was more technologically advanced, military powerful, and rich than any country in Europe. By 1800 it was a feeble backwater. Because once the Ottoman Empire was past its first flush of expansion, the rulers locked down trade, science, etc. so no reconfiguration of power could challenge the regime.
The European experience was different. As FireGilbert says, Europe was coherent enough to share technological and economic innovations, but fragmented enough that it was impossible for a single power to control it for long. So when social changes happened locally, like the ability of a merchant class to shake off the yoke of the central monarchy in England, it was hard to stamp out. And the countries that took advantage of that innovation out-competed their rivals and spurred more innovation.
Very specific and peculiar conditions led to the remarkable expansion of European powers and ideas. I don't think the choices of any given Chinese emperor could have changed that.