Silver Trade Dbq Essay

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The global flow of silver from the mid-sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century impacted the societies that partook in it by European societies wasting their wealth on unnecessary Asian commodities, negatively affecting the lower classes socially and economically by increasing prices and harsh work and treatment, and greatly benefiting the merchants by gaining tons of wealth from the silver trade. One of the similarities in this collection of eight documents based around the global silver trade is that the lower classes of all societies participating in this trade are being impacted negatively, both directly and indirectly. In the first document, Ye Chunji, county of the Ming dynasty, ordered that the people should limit how much…show more content…
Tomás de Mercado writes about how silver was leaving their country faster than how much they’re gaining due to them wasting silver on Asian commodities. His motives for him writing this is due to the fact that this is his own country and he is concerned for it and its wellbeing. This document describes the effects of the overuse of silver on unneeded Asian goods on the European countries. It describes it by saying that the high prices ruined Spain and that the silver is flowing out to pay for Asian commodities. In the last document, document eight, Charles D’ Avenant, an English scholar, writes about how due to getting all the necessities from other countries, Europe draws only unneeded goods and luxury from Asia and how they overuse their gold and silver for it. He does not however recommend that they abolish trade with Asia and let other people take it over. The reason he wrote this is because he cares about the wealth of his nation and for the well being of himself. This document shows that the European countries are wasting gold and silver on Asian luxury, but also explains that it is a necessity to keep trade with
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