The Origins Of The Modern World

The author, Robert B. Marks introduces the book, The Origins of the Modern World by introducing the reader to a global narrative of the origins of the modern world starting from 1400 to the present. The book presents the rise of the west as an issue of globalization of Asia, Africa, and the New World. Throughout the book, we see the connection made by the author between the environmental condition and the present economic status of a particular place. By the end of the book, readers are able to understand and reason out what created and solidified a gap between the east and the west, industrialized and non-industrialized and parts of the world that today are defined as the modern world.

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.

Immediately after the Classical Era of World History, the period that came along was the Postclassical Period. This period, within the year 500 CE and 1450 CE, was built up by “third-wave civilizations”. In other words, it was built up by large empires characterized by constant patterns of change, trade, and considerable changes in technologies. In 1492 CE these civilizations got global, meaning that the interactions among these different societies stopped being regional. Two empires who were very important during the Postclassical Period were the Byzantine Empire and China. Geographically these civilizations were far apart, but as they developed, they became two of the most influential empires of the time. Also, as they developed they

The past centuries saw a clear distinction between the Western civilization and the non-western culture. The western civilization composed of Greece, Romans, Byzantine Empire, and the European while the non-western civilizations included East Asia, Egypt, Persian Empire, Sassanid Empire, African Societies and Kingdoms, Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, and Mongols. For a long period, the western civilizations prevailed around the world. They influenced, lead and controlled others in various sectors such as medicine, clothing, business orientations, religion, and government. In this paper, I will be affirming my conviction that the western civilizations had unique attributes that made them more powerful than the non-western civilizations. I will also show how the western cultures were influenced by the spread of Christianity, and how the western cultures have maintained their great influence and power over the other societies even in the modern era.

In When Asia was the World, Stewart Gordon investigates how trade led to the spread of religion and education/innovation. These factors were critical in Asia’s rise to dominance. Throughout the book, trade is discussed as a medium for culture to travel across large areas of land. It is this movement of new ideas that catalyzed Asia’s growth.

During the the Early Modern era many places expanded. This is similar to the Chinese under the Han and then under the Tang. The empires were expanded and gaining more power through this. Trade and religions were becoming more popular and spreading across the world. Agriculture was key in the economies of countries everywhere. The empires were all similar with expanding and gaining power during this time period.

Documents 4, 5, 8, and 10 all showcase why the change in economy helped the west rise. Document 4 is a graph representing different technological inventions created during the rise of the west. These creations, such as the crossbow, gunpowder, and paper, had positive outcomes. These innovations helped increase the trade throughout Europe as the demand for them drastically increased. This demand in trade from all over the world greatly increased the western economy, empowering the nations in the west. In document 5, the point of view of William McNeill, the author, is that the east ultimately benefited as a direct result of the borrowing from the west. He believes that since the west was so successful and powerful, that the only reason the east caught up with it was because they borrowed from the west. He also believes that borrowing was the only way to come to power and boost the economy. In document 8, there is evidence that the east was once the leaders in dominance and economics, but lost that standing during the rise of the west. But, there is the argument that the rise was not for the west, as it was for the world economy. Document 10 argues that there was an intentional driven European growth, and a similar growth happened in East Asia. Although this growth didn’t happen until the 1800’s, there is still the resemblance between the two. This growth in Europe helped shape its

Around 500 CE, change in Eurasia was spurred by the fall of several influential Classical civilizations. The fall of Rome in the late fifth century left Western Europe without a centralized authority and vulnerable to invasion, while similarly in China, the fall of the Han dynasty in the 3rd century left the region in a period of chaos and unorder. The end of empires such as these set the stage for the emergence of post-Classical civilizations in sixth century Eurasia. Furthermore, the Silk Road, a vast network of trade routes spanning across Europe and Asia, played a key role in the spread of goods and ideas between third-wave civilizations in Eurasia. Due to the Silk Road, civilizations of this millennium were connected through transregional interactions and trade, leading to the dispersal of cultures and ideas beyond their origin. These connections led to spread of Christianity

The years of 1200-1750 were times of massive change in Western Europe and much of the world. However, one of the most important turning points of the time period occurred when advances in seafaring technology led the Americas to be discovered and trans-regional trade to intensify and expand across the globe. This intensification of trade led to the beginnings of the African slave trade and the destruction of the indigenous peoples of South and Central America, which changed the course of history. Despite all of this change, however, trade still remained a profound source of cultural diffusion, and the influence and power of China on world trade and politics did not waver. This essay will be outlining the specific ways in which the world changed and stayed the same during the age of exploration, with

The Great Divergence is term used to portray the gradual shift of dominance that Europe gained by establishing itself as the most powerful world civilization by the 19th century. While a case could be made that the Great Divergence occurred because of the pre-eminence of Europe and Britain, as well as their supposed superiority in invention and innovation above anywhere else in the world, this argument is flawed. A more compelling argument would be to state that it was rather through the geographical advantages that Europe obtained that lead it into eventually becoming the most powerful civilization after 1500 A.D., as this essay will strive to demonstrate.

From the 15th century to the end of the 18th century was a time loosely described as a powerful factor in European culture and the beginning of globalization. Many lands unknown to the Europeans were discovered, although most were already widely inhabited. To other

The trading networks of the 17th and the 18th centuries, probably the reason America is here and why we’re Americans. That is because this trade was a new type of trade, international trade or involving the whole world in one network, mass production, diversity, and mixing of cultures. As a result of such trading networks the western hemisphere was now being populated more heavily and the first colonies where starting to form. Documents 2, and 4 describes how Chinese greed for silver changed a lot of old patterns, documents 3, 1, 5, and 6 discuss how silver affected distribution of money, the economy, and methods of payment, documents 7 and 8 discuss the impact of silver on the world and the controversies it aroused.

Throughout the 1500s Asia was the leading nation as they dominated global trade and the industrialization business placing them on top financially. Beginning in the 1500s the European nation managed to overpower Asia as they began to grow in power. Although Europe suffered from multiple different impacts on their economy their advancement in industrialization strengthened their nation, allowing them to surpass Asia and the rest of the world. In many situations Europe found themselves in competitive conditions against other nations that nearly left them in a financial hole. Which is why their outstanding and superior domination over the world is so questionable. Europe began to excel in the industrial business; Asia’s sea control was extremely

The period 1450s saw an existence of powerful cities such as Asia, Africa, and Americas with established trading networks over land and sea. Societies in Asia and the Middle East were the world leaders in economics; in science and technology; and in shipping, trade, and exploration until about AD 1500 (Goldstone, 2009). Europe emerged from the Middle Ages and entered its Renaissance, well behind many of the advanced civilizations elsewhere in the world and did not catch up with and surpass the leading Asian societies until about AD 1800 (Ibid). This history leads one to enquire what was so special that the West did or have to rise to the current global stature that it has become. Though presumptions have been to point to a unique European defined path to success, these have been cast by a cloud of doubt following Japan’s rise as the second largest economy in the 1980s leaving the questions about the western origins of political and economic ideas and institutions (Rosenthal and Wong, 2010).

By defining economics as the most important aspect of the rise in power of the West, Frank also defined when the importance of global economy came to be. Many historians and economist have stated that the global economic system occurred after the Rise of the West; Frank disagrees. Frank believes that the world economy has been occurring since 1500s in the form of global trading. “A single global world economy with a worldwide division of labor and multilateral trade from 1500 onward” (pg.7). Frank’s notion that economics is the driving force behind the Rise of the West is correct in the fact that economy is a major force behind all innovations and advancements. A country cannot advance if it does not have the money to research and better its technologies, culture, and society. Frank’s notion of a single world economy is also correct in the fact that trading between Asia, Africa, and Europe does define a global economic system. What Frank lacks in his idea of the Rise of the West is his unwillingness to accepting innovative culture as a driving force behind the Rise of the West.