Economic History - Assignment Example

1. The main concept that Fernand Braudel describes in relation to economic trends is based on the ideology that there have always been world economies. The main trends of world economies lead to a rise and fall in the supply and demand of products through different networks as well as expected goods that are traded among different cultures. The trends that are in Europe between the years of 1000 – 2000 depict the main ideologies that form the world economy and the trade that is expected to occur in each age. The cycles and changes that characterize each period are the driving force in how the world economies work together to create a different set of development in civilization for the fluctuations of the economy. The main changes that have occurred in the development of world economies have changed with the political rise and fall of power. When the powers change, so do the boundaries that are a part of the economy as well as the parts that are related to the change in the world. The first noted date that was a part of this was in the year 1000, which was based on the Roman power. This power was based on a capitalist structure, which was always known to create the basis of the economy. The trades that occurred moved throughout both sides of Europe as well as into Africa as the central arena. Different places were built specifically for commerce and were matched with the levels of power that were in each nation as well as the expected trades that were associated with this (Braudel, 17, 1982). The main rise and fall in power also led to changes within the world economy. The year 1500 was one of the noted dates, specifically as Venice became the central arena with developments around the Mediterranean because of the rich resources and trading centers in the area. The access to Venice was also easier to reach, making it a conducive area for trade. The area went through both Europe and Africa and reached ports that were from India, which provided more opportunities for trade. By 1775, another change occurred, with the capitalist structure being based in European trade and extending to the English, Dutch, Spanish, Portugese and French. The concept of Western Europe as the main power was combined with the change in powers by the royalty of the time. The demand was to explore and conquer new areas which led to an expansion in the world economy and trade in places such as the Far East and eventually into the Americas. More importantly, this led into the first super cities, which became capitalist structures for trade and which began to redefine the world economies with changes in commerce that pushed forward supply and demand concepts. By the 1900s, this power shifted again, specifically because of the Industrial Revolution. The United States and some areas in Western Europe became the leading capitalist structures based on innovation and information. The global shift changed the center because of innovation, as opposed to location, and led to a stronger change in the concept of world economies (Braudel, 17). 2. The European population model and structure before the demographic transition was based on human population and age as well as lifestyles that were directly affected into the movement of a developing country. The population during this time was the first noted difference. It was found that there was a higher population of individuals, specifically because families would fluctuate with more births and more death in the family. This was furthered with problematic deaths that would lead to high amounts of death that would cause instability in communities. For instance, the Black Plague that was spread throughout Europe caused a large population decrease for several years within many areas of Europe (Livi – Bacci, 317). The population decline rapidly because of the change and led to the age groups not having the same diverse range. After this time period, the fluctuation occurred in an alternate manner, specifically because higher birth rates and death rates fluctuated with larger families in the population and led to changes in the ratio of men and women in each family (Kirk, 361). Another factor that directly influenced the model and structure of the European population was based on concepts of lifestyle that directly affected mortality. Since Europe was considered a developing world, access to resources and other supplements were not as common. Sanitary practices, for instance, were at a lower rate, with most not having direct access to water and sanitary products. This was combined with the inability to have access to other healthy practices both inside and outside of the household. The lack of modern medicine and sanitary practices immediately affected the mortality rates, with the expectation that most wouldn’t live for as many years. Death with youth and children was also frequent among populations because of the lack of development within the country (Galor, Weil, 806). The third stage that was a part of Europe before the transition was urbanization decreases and the desire to have larger families. Most were under new economic pressures because of the developments that were occurring in different areas. This was matched with the need to have larger families to sustain the household, specifically through concepts such as agricultural practices. Since prices and economics began to fluctuate under newer powers, many under the newer structures were forced to migrate to different countries to sustain their families (Dahan, Tsiddon, 29). Societal pressures combined with this to change the dynamics of different countries. The last part to society before the demographic transition was a higher standard of living, higher birth rates and lower death rates and the ability to reach economic and social stability. At this phase, population growth becomes stable and the lifestyle that is a part of each area is considered to increase with resources that are available, specifically through innovations and technology (Cohen, 29). 3. The agricultural systems that are used in different regions of the world are directly reflective of the social and cultural demands of each region. The European civilization uses specific agricultural systems that are specific to the needs of the area. The determining factor of agricultural change has been dependent on the population growth in the area as well as fluctuations because of migration to the United States. Before the 1920s, the agricultural system was based on mixed farming. This included agricultural systems that included planting of crops and use of natural resources. Most trading was done through localities and regions that were located throughout Europe. By the 1920s, the industrial revolution brought in new technologies and the migration to America led to different ideologies of agriculture. This led to a growing demand for meat, milk and fruits and vegetables which could be shipped overseas. The agricultural system that was developed was based on dividing products by quality, such as high end and low end resources. This also changed the system that was used which moved from the process of drilling seeds into mountain sides to growing large crops in flat areas. The ability to grow larger crops then led to the use of ploughs and technical equipment for quantity of products while other farmers use the older methods of drilling for various products (Looomis, Conner, 7). The farming systems that prevailed in other civilizations, such as Asia, the Middle East and Central America, were based on the concept of peasant farming. The larger crops would be planted and taken care of by peasants for more produce that could be given. The peasants were each in charge of a specific amount of land and would work with the planting and harvest of the land. The concept that was used provided the use of more land and provided a communal farming system in which both peasants and farmers could benefit from the production. Those that were not working within the agricultural system would take the extra proceeds and would trade or buy what was left. However, not all the land would be used at one time. After the crops were harvested, the farmers would shift the agriculture to more fertile land. Wet rice cultivation as well as shifting agriculture in other areas became the primary ways of producing agriculture in these regions (Grigg, 3). Each of the systems has several strengths and weaknesses for farming. The mixed farming procedure would allow farmers to use more land while having several crops for sustainability. This would provide more resources from one area of land which could support and maintain the community. However, there were not available quantities of produce that could be supplied, which would often lead to problems. The peasant system, combined with the concept of shifting harvest would work with larger production and would allow farmers to specialize in different types of farming. More importantly, this system allowed for communal sharing of resources through peasant farming and would allow more individuals to have access to the land. Even though this was a part of the system, there were disadvantages with having a diversity of food. There were also disadvantages with shifting the space, specifically because the use of land was sometimes difficult to find and maintain over a period of time, then to shift again. Each type of system can be divided specifically according to the amount of space, quantity produced and sustainability that was a part of the agriculture produced (Conway, 95). Works Cited Braudel, Fernand. Civilization and Capitalism: The Perspective of the World. University of California Press: California, 1992. Braudel, Fernand. On History. University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1982. Cohen, J. How Many People Can the Earth Support? Norton and Company: New York, 1995. Conway, Gordon. “The Properties of Agroecosystems.” Agricultural Systems (24), (2), 1987. Dahan, Momi, Daniel Tsiddon. “Demographic Transition, Income Distribution and Economic Growth.” Journal of Economic Growth (3), (1). Galor, Oded, David Weil. (2000). “Population, Technology, and Growth: From Malthusian Stagnation to the Demographic Transition and Beyond.” The American Economic Review (90), (4). Grigg, David. The Agricultural Systems of the World: an Evolutionary Approach. UK: Cambridge University Press. Kirk, Dudley. “Understanding the Demographic Transition.” Population Studies (50), (3), 1996. Livi – Bacci, Massimo. The Population of Europe. UK: Oxford, 2000. Loomis, RS, DJ Conner. Crop Ecology: Productivity and Management in Agricultural Systems. UK: Cambridge University Press. Read More