While the basic purpose of the Silk Road remained mostly the same, its’ goods and destinations went through many changes. The road started as a small transport route for Eurasian merchants, but later turned into an important economical and cultural necessity. Once Asian products, like spices and fabrics, were used by Europeans, they became dependent on them. This also occurred in Asia, and it began to shape both cultures. Also, due to the large amount of political changes that occurred during this expanse of time, the Silk Road also traveled through the new countries that began when the Roman Empire collapsed.
This increase in power made many countries and governments hungry for more power and would do anything to find it. The only thing that stood between Europe and the East were the Muslims. Europeans had been searching for a cheaper and easier route to the East for quite some time but when Marco Polo came back from his almost twenty year journey to China, their desire to find this new route became even more intense. Marco Polo brought back with him tales of luxurious items like rose-tinted pearls and golden pagodas. they realized more than ever that they needed to find this new route to the East.
Indian ocean trade For the better part of the seven hundred years these merchant ships were to free to sail to any sea šwithout the need for pretection from the navy. Many more people participated in the indian ocean trade than the silk road mainly even though Europeans didn’t enter the trading in the Indian ocean. People would act as middle men where they would buy stuff to sell it more than they bought it for and even buy new items to sell later. Another factor about why the continuities of the trade lasted is that with seaborne trade you can bring large cargo of goods such as cotton cloths or timbers that you normaly cant strap on a camel or any other domestic animals at that time. Not just products made their way across the eastern hemisphere but also ideas and new technology thanks to the indian ocean trade.
CCOT: Interactions On the Silk Road Between 200 BCE and 1450 CE, interactions on the Silk Road changed the amount of trade and altered the Silk Road, but what remained the same was the spread of ideas and inventions, religions, and disease along the Silk Road. In the span 200 BCE to 1450 CE, the interactions on the Silk Road change the amount of trade and the usage of the trade route. Around 200 BCE, the Silk Road was created for trading between Rome and China. As time progressed it began to branch out to include other countries. Near the end of this period it was expanded to include Europe.
Although the making of new transportation was dangerous and killed many workers, the ways the developments in transportation brought economic and social changes in the United States in the period 1820 to 1860 was because of the new railroads, the new types of transportation, and the way it helped make more income. The first reason why the developments in transportation brought social changes was because of the railroads. With new railroads people were now able to move all around the United States. Now that people were settling in new places it allowed the growth of cities. With all these growing cites, it really changed the way people lived.
By the time European nobility had begun to look upon such imports as Oriental rugs and perfumes as essentials, the growing middle class of merchants and craftsmen was demanding the new foodstuffs, such as cane sugar, rice, garlic, and lemons, and textiles, such as muslin, silk, and satin, from the East, which naturally became less expensive as the shipments increased in size. Natural, too was the growth of towns and cities in this period. Goods brought into Europe had to be distributed, and as trade increased, so did the towns and cities along the inland trade routes. The larger galleys and sailing vessels built to carry Crusaders were also used to bring luxuries of the Orient to the courts of England and Scandinavia. The Crusades affected finance and business practice in Europe.
During the years between 650 an 1750 AD, the Indian Ocean saw changes and continuities in commerce through new methods of transportation, new commodities, and new European involvement. Innovation in transportation, new and unexpected commodities, and the Europeans spurned change in commerce in the Indian Ocean region from 650 to 1750 AD. Change in commerce in the Indian Ocean began with the invention of the Dhow. An Arab invention, Dhows are ships whose sails can maximize monsoon winds that are often found in the Indian Ocean. This enabled trade that region to occur faster than ever before.
The luxury market offered a broader variety of destinations and lasted longer than mass market cruises. It offered one crewmember per 2 guests. Luxury cruises encouraged guest to request anything they wanted and were smaller, but with higher quality therefore higher price. The Mass market these were less expensive cruises, with limited itineraries, shorter sails, and could accommodate more guests than luxury markets. Margins were higher.
This opened up trade routes between Asia and Europe with most of the goods originating or passing through Southeast Asia. Along with the exchange routes came more people and ideas into Southeast Asia and ultimately increased the cultural and economical development. (Upshur, 2002) The second contributing factor was the trade policy of Southern Sung China. The Chinese government needed revenue to support their efforts to please the northern invaders. For this reason the Chinese government encouraged exporting of porcelain and other goods to Southeast Asia.
Early in the nineteenth century, the British had gained great influence and rule over China, for it was more modernized and developed, and consequently had more power. Not only that, but they started selling opium in China to balance their purchases of tea for export. (“Opium Wars” 35986). This resulted into an addiction to opium, a detrimental effect on the Chinese citizens caused by the Europeans. China’s response to this was to implement their prohibition against import of this drug by destroying a lot of opium on the ships arriving at the Port of Canton.