Chinese & Chinese & European Marriage:European Marriage:

Can matrimony tell us Can matrimony tell us about a society’s power?about a society’s power?

AP World HistoryAP World HistoryRichard SmartRichard Smart

Oakland Mills High SchoolOakland Mills High School

Warm upWarm up

• Describe marriages in the USA today

• What can evidence about marriages today tell us about the success of our society?

Chinese & European Chinese & European MarriageMarriage

Pair up. Read the text.

• One person read about Europe, and the other about China.

• Identify the most important features of Chinese/European marriages.

• What were the essential differences?

• What implications do these have for their society?

Implications:Implications:• While both societies had cottage industries this

did not determine economic development. • The ties of Chinese women to the household,

rather than being free to the market make factories less likely.

• In Europe the free young labor force aided the development of factories (particularly in textiles).

But beware…• China, counter intuitively did not have a greater

birthrate– Infanticide– Longer breastfeeding– Co-residence