Gunpowder is regarded as the first ever physical explosive. An invention of the Chinese, gunpowder existed in the country for many years without having any significant impact. It was until the 13 th century that weaponry traversed and reached Europe thereby developing into a huge trigger for historical change. Despite the European efforts to introduce the gunpowder weaponry across various civilizations, they were met with rejection. Europeans had developed weapons that had more efficiency and required less energy to use. However, civilizations elsewhere such as in Turkey, Japan, and China found difficulties in adopting the new technology and showed a deep level of stubbornness in appreciating the changes that came with innovation. Through the analysis of texts, it becomes increasingly apparent that these civilizations remained largely skeptical of embracing the European model of developing gunpowder weaponry and sailing gunships with maximum efficiency for various reasons.
The Ottoman Empire started as a force in the Mediterranean and the European region. It used gunpowder to a greater extent but was eventually overtaken by Europe, which was more open-minded to change and innovation. The Ottoman Empire faced difficulties in catching up or even adopting the same level of weaponry that the Europeans had developed despite having started dealing with the gunpowder way before the Europeans. The Turkish Janissaries, for instance, showed rigidity in embracing change with regards to their weaponry. 1 First, they maintained a strong taste for their horsemanship and melee even in the wake of cavalry and gun-line, which had become an essential weapon for the European armies. They continued with their stubbornness and unwillingness to change. They preferred larger and heavy artillery even after the French had shown that smaller and mobile artillery came with excellent efficiency. The Janissaries were concerned primarily with the impact that the gunpowder had on their opponents as opposed to the efficiency of use.
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It is important to note the gunpowder weaponry was introduced from Japan as early as the 13 th century. However, the application of the weapons became mostly scarce in some of these civilizations. The 15 th and 16 th century was hallmarked by the spread of these weapons from Europe to other nations, in a much more sophisticated form. The period between 1467 and 1573 was known as the Sengoku and was characterized by war between various feudal states in Japan. 2 The period between 1660 and 1853 was referred to as the Sakoku, and mainly involved the widespread production of arms. However, the usage of the arms suddenly dwindled due to the country’s inclination towards the strict isolationist policy. The Samurai in Japan did not embrace the use of the gunpowder weaponry and firearms fully based on several reasons. First, they believed that true warriors should only devote themselves to the use of the Katana sword. He isolationist policy primarily meant that the Samurai in Japan would strictly stay out of the affairs and practices advocated by other people. It therefore aimed at enriching its culture with the weapons it was used to.
In “1492: The Prequel, by Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times,”the author attempts to assess how China and India, despite their position in the world, were still defeated by on several occasions by Europe. 3 As such, he seems to assess some of the weaknesses that might have impacted China’s ability to wage a war that was as devastating as that of the Europeans. China has for long proved to be a big force in the Asian history. However, as many Western powers showed an inclination towards extending their powers, China was in a mess of its own. One of the reasons to explain the failure of China to wage a significant war against its adversaries was religion. Europeans nations had an easier way of justifying their wars of conquest. They used salvation as one of the ways of conquering nations. 4 However, in China, there was no driving force for wars of conquering because of the predominant Buddhists and Daoists. Furthermore, the Chinese people believed in a philosophy known as the Confucian bureaucracy of China which aimed at building a large peaceful empire. Therefore, the found the use of gunpowder as something not only loud but dirty thus stalling on any potential to engage in any innovation of that sort. More fundamentally, they did not believe in the military value of gunpowder and held a firm belief that it was only useful in creating fireworks.
The reasons given by these three civilizations are largely social and lack enough merit to warrant their objection to innovate and much the military prowess of the European countries. The Turks resented efficiency in the Ottoman Empire while the Japanese were ingrained in an isolationist philosophy that prevented them from copying inventions and innovations from any country. Lastly, the Chinese believed in a culture of peace after years of developing arms and viewed the gunpowder as a way that would only destabilize their status quo. Kristof's essay basically delves into why Europe got the better of China and India despite their position as global leaders even before any European countries emerged. One of the opposing viewpoints that could be given to China's reluctance to marshal up for war by preparing weapons includes their need to assert their dominance in the global stage. As many European countries increased and improved their weaponry, it was only imperative for China to live with the reality and follow suit in a bid to retain their long-held dominance.
Bibliography
Andrade, Tonio. The gunpowder age: China, military innovation, and the rise of the West in world history . Princeton University Press, 2016.
Benesch, Oleg. "Comparing Warrior Traditions: How the Janissaries and Samurai Maintained Their Status and Privileges During Centuries of Peace." Comparative Civilizations Review 55, no. 55 (2006): 6.
Kristof, Nicholas D. "1492: The Prequel." New York Times Magazine 6 (1999).
1 Oleg, Benesch. "Comparing Warrior Traditions: How the Janissaries and Samurai Maintained Their Status and Privileges During Centuries of Peace." Comparative Civilizations Review 55, no. 55 (2006): 6.
2 Oleg, Benesch. "Comparing Warrior Traditions: How the Janissaries and Samurai Maintained Their Status and Privileges During Centuries of Peace." Comparative Civilizations Review 55, no. 55 (2006): 6.
3 Nicholas, Kristof, D. "1492: The Prequel." New York Times Magazine 6 (1999).
4 Tonio, Andrade. The gunpowder age: China, military innovation, and the rise of the West in world history . Princeton University Press, 2016.
