The world began having remarkable economic developments and revolutions after 1400, with trade being the critical economic practice. Even though trade between Asia, Africa, and Europe had been going on for generations, Europeans had played a minor role before 1500. For example, rich people in China coveted East African ivory and Indian exotica and enslaved Black people and South American peacocks (McKay, 2011). The Africans longed for Indian fabrics and Maldivian cowrie shells. The Europeans had little to trade for spices and silks but plenty of things they wanted. Competition among Arab, Turkish, Persian, Indian, Chinese, African, and European traders and adventurers was stoked by the Indian Ocean as the site of their wants and trade. They fought one another for control of the lucrative commerce. Moreover, they fought for the hearts and minds of the people of Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and the Philippines against Buddhist teachers, Muslim scholars, and Christian missionaries (McKay, 2011). The period from 1400-1800 was marked by significant global economic evolution following the different economic practices conducted in various nations globally.
As Europeans cruised the waters in search of a shorter path to Asia, they stumbled across the Western Hemisphere. As a result of this discovery, both North and South America were rapidly integrated into a global network of trade hubs and political empires dominated by Europe. At the start of the globalization era, new coping and adapting tactics for the onslaught of cultural dissemination, assimilation, conversion, and resistance emerged. While Europeans struggled to comprehend the people and cultures they encountered, they also attempted to force their beliefs upon them. These interactions, which occurred throughout what is now known as the Age of Discovery (1450–1655), are the foundations of the contemporary world as we know it today.
The pursuit of Europe to gain global preeminence was motivated by various factors. By the middle of the fifteenth Century, Europe’s population and economy had recovered from the devastating consequences of the Black Death. In reaction to this increase, people began seeking unusual goods from the Far East, particularly spices (McKay, 2011). Due to the Ottomans’ conquest of Antinoble, the Muslim empire now controlled all eastern trade routes, making it challenging to satisfy European demands. Either the Europeans would have to find alternate trade routes around the Ottoman Empire, or they would have to find new sources of precious metals to trade with them.
Additionally, religious fervor was a crucial growth factor (McKay, 2011). After the initial reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish and the Portuguese were encouraged to continue the Christian crusade. Before Spain conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, Granada was the last sovereign Muslim state on the peninsula. Because the last Muslim powers, such as the Ottoman Empire, were too formidable to subdue, the Iberians switched their attention away from Islam. Columbus made sail across the Atlantic only seven months after the conquest of Granada by the Spanish.
Desires to gain wealth, promote Christianity, and explore new countries were accompanied by a hunger for fame and a desire to discover uncharted regions. Additionally, religious fervor was a crucial growth factor. After the initial reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish and the Portuguese were encouraged to continue the Christian crusade. Before Spain conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, Granada was the last sovereign Muslim state on the peninsula. Because the last Muslim powers, such as the Ottoman Empire, were too formidable to subdue, the Iberians switched their attention away from Islam. Columbus made sail across the Atlantic only seven months after the conquest of Granada by the Spanish. Desires to gain wealth, promote Christianity, and explore new countries were accompanied by a hunger for fame and a desire to discover uncharted regions.
The early giants of the world economy lost all their significance after the European activities in the 16th Century. As a result of European activities, early economic giants like Asia and Africa lost their economic might and resources to the Europeans. The Europeans took over their lands and resources and forced them to offer labor through slavery. For example, in the 15th Century, the Roman Catholic Church gave Portugal a monopoly on trade with West Africa. It permitted Spain to conquer the New World in search of territory and riches. Both of these events took place simultaneously. Besides, those who participated in the slave trade, such as the European states, church, New World colonies, and individuals, reaped political, social, and economic benefits. The slave trade severely impacted the early economic giants (Diamond, 1999). A 1662 law in Virginia stipulated that that of his or her mother would establish a child’s legal standing. This meant that enslaved women would produce generations of African descendants who would be considered property. The lives of the enslaved people were also put at risk, mainly while working in the sugarcane plantations. Before cotton became the foundation of American agriculture, the sugar trade in the Spanish and Caribbean Americas was the dominant economic driver. Six days a week of labor were required to harvest sugar cane, during which workers frequently suffered severe injuries and even perished. Enslaved people on sugar plantations often lived for no more than seven years (Elliott & Hughes, 2019). The plantation owners were unconcerned about the high “turnover” rate of their slaves since they often brought in newly enslaved people to replace those who had perished from overwork.
References
Week 12: McKay, John P. 2011. A History of World Societies. 9th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 459-487 https://icproxy.khas.edu.tr/login?url=https://form.khas.edu.tr/auth/get.php?f=KHAS103/WeekIWeiserHankstheAccelerationofGlobalContact2011.pdf
Week 6: Diamond, J. 1999. To Farm or Not To Farm: Causes of the Spread of Food Production, in Guns, Germs and Steel, W. W. Norton & Company, 104-113.
Available in KHAS Information Center printed course reserve collection https://katalog.khas.edu.tr/yordam/?p=1&q=9780393317558&alan=tum_txt&demirbas=0031178
Week 14: Elliott, M, and Hughes, J. 2019. A Brief History of Slavery That You Did not Learn in School, The New York Times
https://icproxy.khas.edu.tr/login?url=https://form.khas.edu.tr/auth/get.php?f=KHAS103/ABriefHistoryofSlaveryThatYouDidntLearninSchoolNYTimes.pdf
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