Essay about ‘Studying History: Trade and Religion’

Trade is what led to the Modern World to inter mingle with each other. When the world started to get to connect with each other it was with the help of the Mongols they helped and perfected new connecting trade routes all throughout Eurasia. Along with this through trade cultures gained knowledge and was introduced to exotic items one could not get in their local cultures. The powers Ottoman Empire and their soldiers called Janissaries held land and controlled trading routse from China to Europe “The city-state of Venice, which traded throughout the Mediterranean basin, was especially important as a port of entry for Chinese goods into the European trade. The Ottomans effectively throttled that flow of goods, blocking the Venetians out of Ottoman-controlled ports and the vital sea lanes of the Eastern Mediterranean”.  This blockage is what set up Europeans to try to find routes to travel past the Ottoman controlled land and find routes to China. Which would lead to Spain to traveling to Africa, India and west across the Alantic and the start of a new conquest for Eurpeans to find more resources. In the Ameicas with two declining powers declining powers the Aztec in Mexico and Incan which held its control over what is now Peru, Bolivia, and Chile and new desisease it was easy for the Eurpeans to take control over the mass amounts of silver.  Silver by itself and in the hands of Spain changed the culture of the Americas and Africa majorly. This lead to the stealing of African and trading humans for guns when the Natives started to die of though war and diseases.

So along with trade Religion was used in a way to take control of ones land with out them knowing. Religion also played a large factor in the interactions which many where just a cover up and a way of claiming and taken over another territory. The major two at that time that was gaining influcne was Christanty and Islam. Christanty when brought to a new land tried to cover up its true intention and adopted the peoples of the land cutoms in order to convert the people. Example of this is in China the a Jusuit by the name of Ricci’s words: “In order that the appearance of a new religion might not arouse suspicion among the Chinese people, the Fathers did not speak openly about religious matters when they began to appear in public. What time was left to them, after paying their respects and civil compliments and courteously receiving their visitors, was spent in studying the language of the country, the methods of writing and the customs of the people. They did, however, endeavor to teach this pagan people in a more direct way, namely, by virtue of their example and by the sanctity of their lives.” Which is why Japan who slowed down forigien trade which was an order giving in 1635 by Toyotome Hideyoshi and Tokugawa (The Edicts of the Tokugawa Shogunate: Excerpts from the Edict of 1635 Ordering the Closing of Japan: Addressed to the Joint Bugyo of Nagasaki) stopped the outside to forigneers when it was time to protect their on assests and ways of life. Japan only allowed the Chinese and Dutch at that time to trade with them and under strict guidance. For Chistianty in Africa was easy to convert to Christianity since since Africans held a religious system that already had the same format which allowed for the indudious relgions to blend.

So with the control of trade and the help of religion helped shaped the Modern World. Thoughout history it has shown the people that can control the most valuable resources control how the world operates. When you add relgion in to the mix it gives a nation more power since they gave the new follower the knowledge which in return will make the new followers dependent on you to teach them.   

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