Key words:
To what extent – to the degree or scale to which something has changed
Change – the act or instance of making or becoming different
What was life like before regarding trade?
Europeans traded with Asians long before the Early Modern World. The Crusades introduced Europeans to many luxury goods from Asia, carried on complex overland routes through the Mongol empire. The trading center of the world was the Mediterranean Sea which was a link between three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. The Black Death and the breakup of the Mongol empire disrupted the trade. By the 1400s, though, Europe’s population was growing, along with the demand for trade …show more content…
goods. To obtain valued spices Europeans powers established routes to the East. Merchants sailed around southern-most Africa and across the Indian Ocean to India, China, and Japan.
Time period – Early Modern Period followed the late Middle Ages. It started around 1450 and lasted till around 1800.
Global interactions at economic, social, political, cultural, and ecological levels – it was an exchange of goods, ideas, religions, populations, food crops, animals, and diseases.
Who was interacting? Europeans, Asians, Africans, Native Americans.
Life BEFORE the Early Modern World
Before the Early Modern period, there were no oranges in Florida, no bananas in Ecuador, no paprika in Hungary, no tomatoes in Italy, no pineapples in Hawaii, no rubber trees in Africa, no cattle in Texas, no burros in Mexico, no chili peppers in Thailand and India, no cigarettes in France and no chocolate in Switzerland. Old World crops such as wheat, barley, rice, and turnips had not traveled west across the Atlantic, and New World crops such as maize, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and manioc had not traveled east to Europe. In the Americas, there were no horses, cattle, sheep, or goats, all animals of Old World origin. Except for the llama, alpaca, dog, a few fowl, and guinea pig, the New World had no equivalents to the domesticated animals associated with the Old World.
How trade change through interactions?
After discovery of America a triangular trade developed in the Atlantic. Europeans traded manufactured goods to Africans for enslaved persons and gold. The enslaved Africans were transported to colonies in the Americas to work on plantations. The sugar, cotton, and tobacco that they produced were shipped to Europe to complete the triangle.
Impact on Early Modern World
The global interactions brought major changes to the people of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Americas.
New Foods and Animals – Europeans brought from America new foods, including tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers, potatoes, and corn that helped feed Europe’s growing population. Europeans also carried a wide variety of plants and animals to the Americas, including wheat, grapes from Europe, bananas and sugar from Africa and Asia. Cattles, pigs, goats, and chicken joined the Native American diet. Horses and donkeys transported people and goods.
The Global Population Explodes – the Columbian Exchange sparked the migration of millions of people. Europeans settled in Americas, as well as on the fringes of Africa and Asia. The Atlantic slave trade forcibly brought millions of Africans to the Americas. Native American population was devastated by the transfer of European diseases, such as smallpox and measles.
Capitalism Emerges – expanded trade, an increased money supply, and the push for overseas empires spurred the growth of European capitalism. As trade increased, entrepreneurs sought to expand into overseas ventures. Entrepreneurs and capitalists helped change local European economies into an international trading
system.
Exploring New Business Methods – early European capitalists discovered new ways to create wealth. They adapted methods of bookkeeping. Banks and joint stock companies increased their importance.
Impact on European Society – merchants who invested in overseas ventures acquired wealth, while nobles, whose wealth was in land, were hurt. The merchants and skilled workers of Europe’s growing cities thrived. Middle-class families enjoyed a comfortable life.
Thesis Statement:
The global interactions through trade during the Early Modern Period of history greatly affected almost every society on earth by transferring animals, plants, culture, human populations, communicable diseases, technology and ideas between Europe, Asia, Africa and America and eventually leading to European domination of the globe.