May 17th - Before European Hegemony (p. 3 – 184)

1. Summary:

The beginning chapters of the text Before European Hegemony discussed in great depth how Europe became the dominant influence in world trade. She started by stating how many people over look that world trade existed well before the European countries became involved in it. She also stated a good point that she will explain in the parts that we have to read for Wednesday that one of the main things that caused Europe to take over the world trade market was the East and Middle East regions fall apart.

She started by discussing the trade fairs that first involved European countries in the Champagne Fairs. Market days or periods were established in specific, strategically chosen cities (mainly in France) where different merchants would travel to along with customers. These merchants would set up their location for a single or a few days and then would move to the next location. Cloth, spices, pottery, and other items became very popular at these markets or fairs. The Italians played a hugely important role in these fairs. They would bring a variety of spices and silk, both which were extremely popular. The Italians also brought banking and business practices. These fairs eventually stopped for a few different reasons ranging from political interference with the paths of merchants to the increase in technology and navigation knowledge of the Italians to the Black Death to the Italians beginning use of “factors” replacing their need for travel.

Next the author went on to discuss the commercial and industrial side of the Flander’s cities, Bruges and Ghent. These two cities became very popular locations for the receiving of raw wool from England, the weaving of the wool into fine cloth, and the distribution of this cloth. The Italians also set up many “factors” (or sellers/distributors) for their products to keep them from having to traveling. The combination with the Black Death and the decrease of the available high quality wool from England caused these cities to suffer later on. The Black Death greatly and negatively affected the Italian population and since the Italians played such a crucial connector between the already established eastern and southern world trade system with the rest of Europe, this significantly affected the European ability to trade with the Mediterranean and Eastern merchants. There were two Italian cities, Venice and Genoa, in particular that greatly increased the Euro-world trades. However, the Black Death wiped out a significant amount of populations causing the market to shrink. This caused the two cities to become much more competitive which eventually ended with Venice establishing a virtual monopoly over trade routes in the Mediterranean.

The sections of the assigned reading discussed the three routes from Europe to the East and the Mongols’ control over the Northern route. The three routes available for trade purposes from Europe to the East were: the Northern route, Constantinople across land to Central Asia, the central route, Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean via Baghdad and the Persian Gulf, and the southern route, Egypt and the Red Sea connected to the Indian Ocean via the Arabian Sea. The “Mongols and the Northeast Passage” section explained an important lesson that the ability to control trade over a great distance is unstable due to changes in political and human populations. The land trade routes did offer protection from human predators that caused many problems on the sea, but greatly relied on the need for long-distance trade. Since the Black Death claimed so many lives causing the market to shrink, the need for long-distance trade also shrank significantly.

2. What was interesting/what did you learn:

The things I found the most interesting in reading these sections were the demographic effects on the whole trading system. I think it makes sense but it is definitely something that seems hard to predict or deal with. I think this was so surprising to me because a plague as powerful and detrimental to the human race has never taken place in my lifetime. I remember reading that it claimed over 25 million out of the existing 80 million Italian lives – which is just astonishing! It does make sense though that if so many people suddenly died, it would cause the demand to greatly suffer, which would definitely affect the world and local markets.

3. Discussion Point:

Since I found the effects of the Black Death plague to be the most interesting, my question would deal with a similar situation now. Let’s say a plague or some sort of mass destruction happened that claimed an entire country or monumental amount of lives, what would the effects be today that we would exist? Would a similar situation happen to the events experienced by European, Central and Eastern Asian trade market, or is this not possible? Why or why not? Or, what would happen if an entire country decided to cease foreign trading (due to a political decision or mass destruction) and how would this affect the world markets today? Which countries or populations would have the great impact?