The Asian And African Trade Systems - 1565 Words

In early history, cultures outside of Europe were seen as simple and primitive. The powerful Europeans were lucky to find new worlds, bring their cultures and values to the Natives who needed them for their own salvation. Africa was a poverty stricken backwards world that never accomplished anything significant. Native Americans were easily conquerable and primitive. These oversimplified and false statements hide the flourishing cultures in the Pacific s, Africa and Americas that existed before the Europeans started their conquests driven by the lust for power, resources, allies and wealth. The Asian and African trade systems were vital components for the European economy to thrive. The Pacific regions, African regions and Americas were†¦show more content†¦Tools and agriculture supported their growing societies, especially in areas where groups were recovering from the bubonic plague, which killed over 1/3 of Europe s population in the late 1300’s. With limited lan d and an ever growing population, Europeans began looking for new space and trade to bring wealth to their spiraling economy. Decades later, the Christian Europeans became engaged in the Crusades, a war based on faith and greed, with the Southwest Asian muslims. Although the Crusades were ultimately lost by the Europeans, they benefitted from them in the long run. Through the â€Å"discovery† of new lands, Europeans were encouraged to trade and as Europeans and Asians developed trade relationships, the Europeans grew increasingly dependent on the resources that the Asians were able to provide to the Europeans in wake of their own depleted resources. In 1453, the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople, which was a popular route to European trader and a hotspot for Merchants who were eager to trade. The Turks, who gained control of the silk road routes shortly after the taking of Constantinople, heavily taxed the trade routes thus diminishing European trade in the area and to A sia. Wanting to avoid the high taxes imposed by the Ottoman Turks, the christian Europeans began searching for alternate routes to the pacific regions. The Portuguese, Aragon and Castile, irritated by their recent loss against the Muslim moors during the reconquista,