AP World History Modern Unit 2

Trade networks expanded significantly between 1200-1450 due to various causes and had wide-ranging effects on economies and cultures.

Improved Commercial Practices: Enhanced trade volume and geographical scope of trade routes.
Technological Innovations:
- Canvarsai: Travel inns supporting merchants.
- New forms of credit and money economy development.
- Increased Production: Artisans and merchants expanded in response to luxury good demand.
- Chinese Manufacturing: Significant growth in iron and steel production.
Geographical Influences:
- Differences between Inner Asia (harsh climate, trading hides and livestock) and Outer Asia (fertile, traded agriculture and manufactured goods) promoted trade.

Growth of Trade Cities:
- Kashgar: Key trading hub at route intersections.
- Samarkand: Cultural exchange center for religions like Christianity, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism.
Economic Shifts:
- Shift from farming to silk manufacturing among some Chinese peasants.
- Increased demand for iron and steel leading to proto-industrialization.
Cultural Spread:
- Mahayana Buddhism spread along the Silk Road, appealing to merchants.

Genghis Khan united tribes, utilizing superior tactics and brutality for expansion.
Empires' expansion promoted trade and communication, enhancing technological and cultural exchanges across regions.
Dynamics of Conquest:
- Conquered areas like Abbasid Caliphate and Russia established trade routes and economic stimulus.

China (Yuan Dynasty): Improved infrastructure and reduced taxes, limited impact as Ming Dynasty sought to erase Yuan influence.
Russia (Golden Horde): Tribute system established. Moscow's rise as a key trade center.
Persia: Destruction during conquest, but later cultural assimilation into Islam.

Pax Mongolica: Period of stability promoting trade between Asia, Middle East, and Europe.
Transfer of technology, notably paper-making and gunpowder, and cultural exchanges stimulated by scholars’ movements.
Spread of Plague: Mongol trade routes facilitated the transmission of the bubonic plague that drastically affected populations.

Technological advancements (astrolabe, compasses, and lateen sails) drove increased trade volume.
Geographical Connections: Trade routes between Africa, Middle East, and Asia fostered interactions and diasporic communities.
Environmental Factors: Understanding monsoon winds critical for trade operations.

Emergence of trading states, like the wealthier Malacca and Swahili City-States trading gold and ivory.
Cultural diffusion with Indianization of Southeast Asia and extensive spread of Islam through Muslim traders.

Geographical and Technological Factors: Linked North and West Africa with Europe and beyond.
Emergence of powerful empires, particularly Mali, which taxed trade routes and established a common currency.
Mansa Musa's Pilgrimage: His extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca showcased Mali's wealth and facilitated trade relationships.

Contrast with the Western Hemisphere's trade networks hindered by geographical limitations and lack of advanced transportation means.

Expansion of literature, arts, and science via increased travel and exchange interactions.
Cross-cultural intermingling — Buddhism and Confucianism adapting to different regions (Zen Buddhism in Japan).
Influences of traders on local cultures, such as Islam's spread in Africa and South Asia, often blending with local traditions.

Notable travelers like Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta documented routes and cultures, fostering greater interest and connection to distant lands.

Diffusion of crops like Champa rice led to increased productivity and population growth.
Introduction of pathogens, notably through trade, caused devastating epidemics, significantly affecting labor availability and economies.

Trade-induced overgrazing and land degradation as demands on agricultural production intensified.