The Destructive Impact Of The Bubonic Plague

The Silk Road, while commonly known as an extensive network of trade routes connecting Asia to the Mediterranean Sea, became a source of both cultural exchange and significant conflict throughout ancient times. Although the Silk Road helped make trade connections possible, it ultimately led to more conflict through the destructive spread of disease, harsh religious controversy, and the allowance of oppressive powers like the Mongol Empire. Within all these empires merchants passing through the Silk Road led to the spread of disease. A common disease that was spread by merchants on the Silk Road was the Bubonic Plague. The Bubonic Plague devastated European populations, with death rates reaching between 40-70 percent of those infected (WH: 2.07),
Therefore, if the silk road had never existed, then disease wouldn't have spread so easily throughout Europe. Many Europeans suffered and an extensive amount died from the Bubonic Plague, which could’ve been prevented if proper measures were taken. The destructive impact of the Bubonic Plague clearly demonstrates how the Silk Road’s connections led to widespread conflict and death. This pattern of destructive consequences continued in other aspects of this large trade network’s influence. During ancient periods, religious disagreements occurred frequently and the Silk Road made this into a bigger conflict than it already was. For example, mobs of Crusaders, a religious military group “slaughtered entire communities of Jews” (WH: 2.06). This persecution of Jewish communities responsible for the Crusaders illustrates how the Silk Road’s religious exchanges often resulted in religious injustice, forcing those who practice a religion other than Christianity to choose between their faith and their lives. The Jews could not do anything about this either because they were outnumbered by the Crusaders and were already at the risk of being killed and could not