Compare And Contrast Silver And Spices

Between the mid-sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century, silver production or the increased flow of silver had an effect in the society and economy(both good and bad) throughout the world. While the Spanish colonial America and Tokugawa Japan were leading the world in silver production, the government of Ming China were making all domestic taxes and trade fees be paid in silver.

Europe seemed to remain the most neutral in this desperate silver trade, choosing to remain only involved enough to observe. British merchants were not entirely reliant on trade to or from the Asian worlds so merely recorded how China received “nothing but silver” (Doc. 4) and the Portuguese use this to “their good advantage in China”. However, England could not remain completely unaffected as scholars such as Charles D’Avenant observed. Luxury goods especially spices and silks have become prominent in European culture. While Europe draws from Asia “nothing on solid use” it has “tasted of this luxury” (Doc. 8) and it is not advisable for England to pull out of this silver trade. England could afford to remain more objective, but it could not pull out entirely. It had roots planted early on, and it would cause severe social disturbance to tear them up.

In today’s society the majority of the crimes are still being committed by people who have possessed a firearm that has been obtained illegally or without proper permits. That being said there has been a strong push for gun control because of the rise of shootings involving a large group of people such as the Columbine massacre, Virginia Tech shooting and latest Aurora movie theater shooting involving people who have purchased firearms legally. Gun control laws in the United States have been established for many years but to maintain a civilized society with limited crime stronger control laws need to be enforced in which will help reduce crime in our country. Establishing stronger gun control laws will educate

Silver production in the mid-sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century increased substantially due to Spaniards gaining control of Potosí. This led to them creating mines in the area, which was rich in silver. By doing this, they substantially increased the silver in the hands of the Spaniards, which they mainly used to pay for luxury goods and products from Asia. The silver trade had long reaching effects on the social and economic state of empires and countries worldwide from the time period of the mid-sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century. Socially, the silver trade affected the Chinese social mindset and structure and caused them to change. Economically, the silver trade negatively affected the economy of Europe overall.

The Hansa and the Swahili have many similarities in their trading, but it can also be argued that they had multiple differences, that eventually led to their being definitive differences on how trading affected each culture, affected their economies, and affected the political paths each civilization took.

What many people only know about Christopher Columbus’s expedition is that he found the Americas. While this is true, he did find a completely new frontier that was unknown to the Old World, his findings re-shaped global consumption patterns from the seventeenth century. He found a New World filled with resources that the old world hasn’t seen before. When he found the new world he brought with him European plants and animal species that were foreign to the citizens of the New World. The Columbian Exchange introduced many foods that are still essential to consumption in today’s world along with the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. The potato is a prime example of how the Columbian Exchange changed global consumption patterns because it was nutritious and had an abundant amount of calories in it and caused a mass population increase in areas where the potato was available. The use of slaves also increased exponentially when sugar cane was introduced. This was a very cheap, productive way to produce a large amount of sugar and it was used by many Old World countries. The findings of these new world products created a rise in global consumption and production because products were introduced to the both the New World and the Old World and there instantly became a large spike in the availability of products. Along with this, the old world decided to go out and get themselves involved in the New World because they saw an opportunity

The global flow of silver managed to redefine the social structure in many societies, as well as dramatically altered the basis of the economy in many European and Asian countries. Despite the economic change that came from the mass production of silver and its use as a standard currency, the growth of the silver industry brought as much change socially and culturally as it brought economic transformation. Many people viewed the conversion to silver being the standardized currency as a huge hindrance to their daily lives, but the silver industry brought wealth to many societies and became a necessity in trade. On one side of things, the flow of silver throughout the world brought a wave of economic change, as mentioned in documents 3,5,6,

Saffron proved to be an equally important trade because of the high value that was placed on it. Not only did it add intense and wonderful flavor to food, but during a time where there were no refrigerators, saffron helped preserve food. Slaves, another major source of trade, had the strongest influence since they were the most valuable “goods” and they were the most traded/bought goods. Slavery not only played a key factor then, but would do so in centuries to follow as well.

During the mid-seventeenth century and early eighteenth century, many events occurred along with the global flow of silver bullion. In the early 1600’s, the Dutch East India Company was founded and this contributed to the Dutch Golden Age of trade, science, military and art. Also in the early 1600’s, Tokugawa Ieyasu seized Japan and made the Tokugawa Shogunate military government that was headed by the shoguns. In the mid 1600’s the Taj Mahal was being built in Agra, India by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. In the late 1600’s, John Locke was starting to publish his first work and he was starting to influence Voltaire and Rousseau. With these influential time periods came the global flow

Trade helped diffused literary, artistic, and cultural practices. Languages like Swahili formed in Africa. Islamic leverage in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa changed the views and traditions that took place. Religious beliefs of Buddhism and Hinduism also impacted Southeast Asia, while Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism brought changes in East Asia. Mesoamerican and Andean American formed ideas that were based around Incan and Toltecan traditions.

The Portuguese had used silver from Japan to "bring from China gold, perfume, silk and other luxury goods." (Doc. 4) As a result, The Portuguese used the Japanese silver to their advantage. Since Japan only used silver and China used actual trading goods, the Portuguese bought goods from the Chinese, furthering the flow of silver into China. This meant only luxury goods were coming out of China, not

3. How might trade have affected the culture of people living in the areas shown along the trade routes?

Iron came from the Ganges valley near Bengal, copper came from the Deccan plateau, Salt came from coastal regions and pepper came from southern india

The Chinese evaporated and sometimes mined salt so they could salt fish. During this time, the Chinese invented or are believed to have invented gunpowder and the pickling process. They also invented a condiment called jiangyou, or as we call it in the west, soy sauce. In 252 B.C, the governor Li Bing (today the province of Sichuan), ordered the drilling of the world’s first brine wells. Brine is water that is strongly saturated with salt, and it could be used to produce salt during the process of solar-evaporation. Afterwards, the Chinese made extreme advances in drill technology that the West wouldn’t discover until the early 20th century.

Coriander was cultivated in the mainstream in Greece and Rome from at least the 2nd millennium BC. It was used in Greece and Rome as a spice and as a herb. From there, it