Trade is defined as the transfer or shift of ownership of goods and services in exchange of something ranked same in value. Trade since time immemorial has offered mankind a significant platform to engage, the market. The original form of trade was known as barter which entailed exchanging gods and services directly. Trade has been primal aspect of mankind having being linked to the prehistoric time when man first learnt to communicate. Trade has had an immense impact to the development of humanity. Trade has been such a pivotal concept for social scientists and anthropologist attempting to comprehend the history of contemporary civilizations of the world. It has been dubbed as the success defining many civilizations.
The trade history before 1750 indicates that a lot of positive effects happened in past civilizations. Trade was the greatest source of integration of communities. It was during this time early complex societies emerged as large groups of people began grouping in cities and townships. Through trade the communities were able to live in mutual acceptance due to the interdependence that came with trade. The civilizations engaged in cultural exchange which was fostered by trade. Cultural exchange was necessary to the survival of communities as they learnt skills and commerce that ensured they had possibilities of how to fully meet their needs. The cultural exchange brought forth spread of religion in some communities with people having an opportunity to understand spirituality and the world around them. Religions such as Islam and Christianity were spread through trade voyages in global seas to continents such as Africa. Vasco Da Gama, a Portuguese trader and voyager, was linked to the spread of Christianity in the African continent. The cultural exchange through trade had many positive implications on the ancient societies. Writing was adopted by many cultures from Sumerians through the trade avenue.
Trade provided the introduction of new commodities into the different markets. This meant that individuals had a chance of sampling different goods and not limited to their locally available goods and services. The exchange of goods translated to specialization which leads to communities exploiting their potential commerce. The specialization process fostered increased production. For example, a country that had a good conducive environment for producing cotton, could direct its synergy in growing cotton. The specialization also opened up doors to innovations that ensured industries grew and hence general improvement of products over the civilizations.
The trade history also led to the development of kingdoms, townships and generally commercial cities like Venice. As traders interacted, they had vantage engagement points or locations that they exchanged goods services. These locations soon evolved into trade centers that had the different necessary facilities such as banks, ship docks et Cetera that propagated commerce. The conquest of Palestine by traders, for example, led to the creation of harbors and towns that were later on developed further by Western Traders. The growth and the emergence of states in Eastern Europe of Venice, Genioa, Pisa and Amalfi, were also linked to maritime trade as rich depots. Many kingdoms were defined by their commercial activities and revenues that they generated from these activities. Kingdoms also fostered diplomacy over the civilizations through signing commercial pacts that foresaw the exchange of goods in bulk. This was accentuated through caravans or even shipments of goods in bulk. This trade brought about alliances between kingdoms and nations that at times translated to military and other social cases. International trade was conducted mostly between the West and East, between Christians and Muslim countries via spice roads to the Far East and Sea routes. This trade developed to political nobility that defined the premises that many kingdoms were crafted on such as strategic control of resources.
The negative implications of trade were also felt in many world and civilizations. In Africa slave trade brought about untold suffering to families and societal set-ups. Humanity as a whole suffered from the brutality that was subjected to Africans that led to deaths and forced immigrations into foreign lands. The trade also was linked to degradation of local cultures in some areas as the people engaged with traders from distant lands. The civilizations created a platform for selfish kingdoms to exploit and tap the primitiveness of some masses for their own selfish ends. Many areas such as Africa and Australia had traders who tapped the human and natural resources uncontrolled due to the naivety of the local residents.
The World trade before 1750 also led to massacres as kingdoms fought for control of strategic trade locations. These wars were crafted on the basis of dominance and the desire to have the rights to exploit resources. The wars were rampant and led to collapse of empires, massive losses by traders and imbalance of trade in war-affected regions. The wars also metarmophed into colonialization of rich areas powers such as many European countries that dominated Africa, Australia and Asia. Colonialization denied the affected inhabitants their sovereignty and normal social set-up. Trade also brought the spread of diseases. Many traders traversing different tropics encountered infections that they transmitted through their various destinations.
In recap, trade before 1750 had both positive and negative implications on civilizations. It is worth noting that despite all these effects that trade has been one of the defining activities of humanity. Civilization was accelerated in many corners of the world by trade through exchange of ideas, cultures and innovations. Trade has brought forth avenues that have led to the much recent globalization and integration that has led to an interdependent world that is more anchored on peaceful coexistence to the benefit of all world citizenry.
Trade Is Both A Conduit And Justification For The Dissemination, Circulation, And Essay
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