In this book, William J. Bernstein truly displays the struggles in trade that got the human race to the point it is at today, something that can easily be taken for granted in modern times. Throughout this book, the author makes the case that trade is a human instinct just as our need for food and shelter, as well as the fact that trade has overall strengthened our global prosperity (Bernstein, 18). Mr. Bernstein accomplishes his goal by getting these points across therefore effectively chronicling the evolution of trade and how it affected the human race. However, the author can at times drag on, in turn making the book a bit dull.
1. Long-distance commerce acted as a motor of change in pre-modern world history by altering consumption and daily life. Essential food and useful tools such as salt were traded from the Sahara desert all the way to West Africa and salt was used as a food preserver. Some incenses essential to religious ceremonies were traded across the world because there was a huge demand for them. Trade diminished economic self-sufficiency by creating a reliance on traded goods and encouraged people to specialize and trade a particular skill. Trade motivated the creation of a state due to the wealth accumulated from controlling and taxing trade. Trade posed the problem of if the government or private
One of the most prominent effects of the cross cultural interaction was the Afro Eurasian Trade Network which helped increase revenue. The trade routes that were part of this network were the Mediterranean Sea Maritime Trade Route, Indian Ocean Maritime Trade Route, Eurasian Silk Road and the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes. The increase in trade resulted in the emergence of major cities such as Timbuktu, Jenne, Mogadishu, Mombasa and other Swahili city states. Another reason for the flourish of trade was the invention of new technologies such as caravans for traveling and the trading of luxury goods such as silk, cotton and porcelain. The dawn of new kingdoms such as Mali, Songhay and Sudan contributed to this effect as well. The spread of Islam resulted in
Throughout time every society has had to address enduring themes with different results. One of these enduring themes is cultural diffusion and trade. This is particularly apparent during the 1500s When Europeans arrived in the new world. It is also apparent when slaves were brought to the New World during the Atlantic Slave Trade. Although cultural diffusion was negative in that it caused the death of many Native Americans overall cultural diffusion was positive in that it increased communication between the New World and the Old World and it brought new crops and raw materials to the Old World.
Even though these aspects describe the ways that change occurred with trade between Afro-Eurasia, one important part did stay the same. North Africa was consistent and always a key part of trade between the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia. In 300, North Africa was the only area that traded with the Mediterranean. In the time of the gold-salt trade, European venders and Islamic merchants arrived in North Africa. North African merchants still traded even when Europeans started to shift the balance of trade to the Americas starting from the mid-1400s. This is how trade systems between Africa and Europe stayed the same between the years 300-1450.
“No nation was ever ruined by trade.” This quote was said by Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700s. These words are so simple, and it seems like anyone could have said them. However, this quote has a bigger meaning in that throughout world history, trade has been so important to so many countries and it has led to many empires successes. It has occurred for a very long time, and it has progressed dramatically. Trade has changed a lot, but some parts of trade stayed the same over a long periods of time. In the era between 300 CE and 1450 CE, trade between Eurasia and Africa changed because the empires and kingdoms in power were replaced and their control over trade differed;
The effects of the trade networks was able to let people know that there's more to the world than what they can see, hear, and learn from. There was cultural diffusion like Islam starting from East Africa spreading towards the Middle East and India. However, this was all caused by the need of having resources and raw goods like gold and salt as well as the development of
They had trade route practically everywhere places like Russia, The Middle East, Northern India, China. The result of having such luxurious and flowing and well developed trade routes were that very expensive income came in. that kept Viking controlled places going and flowing. Without the use of trade the Vikings and their territory would have or could have stumbled and then crumbled and just fell apart. They developed market towns that needed people to work in them. So, jobs came into play along with the concept of currency. With invasions and war in or near the towns; the language was affected like the American language
The Olmec traded with people who lived hundred of miles away from them. They traded celts,masks,figurines, and small statues. As a result of their trading the Olmec Culture spread through much of Africa. That is what they mainly were known for their trading.
One such global effector was the discovery of the Americas. Along with the discovery of the Americas, and increased demand for African slaves occurred due to the high price of indentured servants and the elimination of indigenous peoples. This increased demand meant an influx of foreign goods that came into the continent from other countries as payment for the slaves. This meant that other culture began to influence Africa and their desire for certain goods like guns. Another global event that helped to shape African trade was the fall of the Mongol Empire. This affected trade because now the land routes were no longer safe because the Mongols were no longer there to protect them. Vendors began to have more maritime trade due to the safer travels and that fact that it was easier to transfer large amounts of goods over longer distances. This meant an increase in profitability along the Swahili Coast of Africa now that trade was more heavily sea based. The Swahili Coast traded with many foreign entities and also within the continent for goods such as gold from Great Zimbabwe, which improved overall
Interregional trade in Africa between 600 BCE and 1200 CE caused the fall of some civilizations and the diffusion of cultural aspects, such as language and religion, throughout the continent. Trading resulted in a high demand for limited resources, which led to the downfall of some societies in Africa and more interaction between different people, which allowed for the diffusion of language and religion.
Trade was an integral part of survival and income during the common era. Between 600 C.E. and 1450 C.E, the Indian Ocean trade network and the Trans-Saharan trade network had Arab traders travel and change the way sea trade developed and became extraordinarily successful. Trade created communication and familiarity between people of different background and where they reside from. Communication of people lead to diversification of culture, creating unions of people starting enormous perceptions of culture. The Trans-Saharan trade and the Indian Ocean trade were very similar yet very different. Items that were exchanged through trading were a bit different and the culture was more diverse throughout the Indian Ocean trade than the Trans-Saharan
If there was ever an important period historians, and people could put a finger on, this would be it. This is the important period where the world’s countries, kingdoms, and dynasties established trade routes. This is the period where countries were made and countries were destroyed because of the importance of trade and the importance of building a fundamental, religious, and economical way of life. This paper will discuss the goals and functions of trades, and traders, and a historical analysis of world trade. This paper will also get into world trade patterns, of The Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, The Indian Ocean, The Silk routes, China and The South China Sea, Europe and The Mediterranean, and The Atlantic Exploration.
Today’s world is shrinking. Not literally of course, but the advances in technology make it easy to span thousands of miles of land and sea, so people can immediately communicate with each other. The internet has connected the world instantly, and planes make traveling from one side of the world to the other a piece of cake compared to the long, dangerous sea voyages of the past. People move and migrate constantly, all the while exchanging ideas and goods. Trade has always played an important role in human history. Whether the swapping of an apple for an orange, or $12 million dollars for a new dam, the fluid movement of goods and services from one to another is how humans have been able to receive things they might not have had
The new trade theory began to emerge in the 1970s when a number of economists pointed out that the ability of firms to attain economies of scale might have important implications for international trade (Wickramasekera, Cronk & Hill 2013). This theory is based on two major concepts that are economies of scale and first-mover advantage. To elaborate: