Trade and Exchange as External Stimuli to Changes in England - Report Example

Sprankle, 2] [your teacher’s of the I. Introduction Philip Curtin once said that trade and exchange represent "the most important external stimuli to change." Trade and exchange played a key role in enforcing changes into the arts, sciences, and culture of a given society. This paper aims to assess the statement by giving evidences that prove its claim. As cultural exchange through trade had permitted technological transfers, various changes in the societies of Western nations had been the result of some of these trades. By focusing on a Western nation—England before the 18th century, the influence of trade as stimuli to changes within a society is assessed. II. Body A. Trade and exchange as external stimuli to changes in England Being one of the dominant players in the international affairs during the medieval ages, England as a Western nation demonstrated major impacts of trade in the subsequent of the development of its society and economy. As a country that was active in international trade, the benefits of cultural exchange were apparent in the changes that had taken place in both the society and the economy which brought it to where it was today. Some of these changes include the emergence of the English textile industry after trade brought the horizontal loom to Europe, and enabled the country to manufacture its wool into cloths; the medieval wheelbarrow from China which contributed to the efficiency in building construction, mining and agriculture in England; and the arrival of tea which had redefined the British national identity by incorporating the drink in its culture. B. Trade brought horizontal loom: emergence of the English textile industry The English textile industry had been one of the changes that were prompted by the transfer of technologies during the medieval ages. This emergence of an industry from the manufacture of its raw material, coupled with advancement in technology brought into England was one of the major contributors to the subsequent changes in the country’s society and economy. During the Dark Ages, England with its vast herds of sheep had been able to produce quality wool that it could trade to other countries. The wool industry had been a lucrative industry during that time, as the demand for wool was driven by its significance to the European textile industry, as well as the advantages that it offered in contrast to other raw materials used for textile. Until 1250, England had been producing wool and shipped to cities of Flanders where the manufacture of the cloth was made. England made its wool and then exported it as the people during those times did not have the technological capacity to produce textile products. The weaving and the textile industry back then were produced by vertical looms which was difficult to use. The arrival of the horizontal loom in 1250 had made the weaving of cloth from wool easier (Gies & Gies 1995, p.19). This idea of horizontal loom was brought by the Chinese through trade, and adapted by the Europeans in the 12th century. With the arrival of the horizontal loom, England had developed its textile industry. According to Cantor in his book “In the Wake of the Plague,” during the time when Black Death attacked Europe, the English textile industry had evolved in such that it was estimated to comprise 10% of the English wool production (2001, p.64). This emergence of a textile industry from the transfer of technology had played a huge role later on in the development of the English economy. This was one of the changes that trade and cultural exchange had brought to the English society during the medieval ages. C. The medieval wheelbarrow The subsequent development in mining, agriculture and other manufacturing productions owe its current state to one of the inventions in medieval technology: the wheelbarrow. With the invention of wheelbarrow, tasks that required manual labor such as transporting, carrying and lifting heavy materials were made much easier, thus more efficient. Although the existence of wheelbarrow was traced back to the times of ancient Greece, wheelbarrow did not exist in England, according to art historian Andrea Matthies until 1222, when an archival reference “specified the purchase of several wheelbarrows for the English king’s works at Dover (Matthies 1994, p.357). Clearly, trade had played a major part in bringing a new technology that would serve for the development of the English economy. According to Lewis in Technology and Culture, the wheelbarrow was much used in agriculture, mining and building construction and had been of great help to the workers (1994, p.456). By minimizing the tasks that required manual efforts, the wheelbarrow as brought by trade was a significant contribution to the development of England’s economy. Once again, trade and cultural exchange had brought new technology that triggered subsequent changes within England’s society and economy. D. Tea as England’s national drink Tea had always been associated with the British people. However, tea did not originate in Britain. In fact, according to some accounts, the English people did not know tea until the late 16th century (Heiss & Heiss 2007, p.24). The marriage of King Charles II to Catherine of Braganza had prompted the popularization of the tea in the English aristocratic court in the 17th century. The popularization of tea among the aristocratic court had been an opportunity for the tea traders during that time. In the 18th century, the British East India Company was faced with a dilemma as regards its operations from the East Indies. During the 18th century, fabrics were shipped to the East Indies and China; however, as regards the return cargo from the East Indies to Britain the ships that sailed back were almost empty (Heiss & Heiss 2007, p. 26). This was addressed by shipping tea back to Britain. As the Company traded with the Chinese Hongs (trading companies), the Company learned of tea, which was grown and processed in some Chinese provinces. The popularization of the tea among the British aristocracy eventually brought the company to promote the tea to the common people, which eventually lead to its being the preferred drink of the country. Due to this huge demand, the tea had been an important element in the development of the British economy in the 18th century and later. And with the British people exporting tea to other nations, it contributed to their national identity as perceived by the other nations who associate the product with them. Tea, since then had long been part of the British tradition—part of the country’s culture. Tea had been associated with the British national identity, although the drink did not originate from the UK. This societal change which became imprinted in the British culture for such a long time was prompted by trade. The major change in the British society and economy brought by a single product such as tea which had not originated in its lands proved that trade was a major stimulus to change. III. Conclusion England was one of Europe’s open economies and active traders during the medieval ages and the Renaissance. Its active participation with trade had enabled it to acquire many technologies from other countries, which it later used to developing its society and economy. The technological transfer that was brought by trade proved to have a significant role in the development of the country during those times. What Philip Curtin once said, that trade and exchange were the most important stimuli to change proved to be true. The major factor that triggered change when trade happened was the transfer of technology to another society, which proved to be useful to the lives of its people. As technological transfer was only permitted when different cultures trade with each other, the trading countries experienced change that would not have occurred if new concepts and ideas had not arrived in its land through trade. Works Cited Cantor, Norman. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made. New York: Harper Perennial, 2001. Gans, Paul J. “The Medieval Technology Pages: The Horizontal Loom.” NYU.edu. 18 February 2009. Gies, F., & Gies, J. Cathedral, forge, and waterwheel. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. Heiss, Lou & Rober J. Heiss, The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide, pp. 23-29. California: Ten Speed Press, 2007. Lewis, M. J. T., "The Origins of the Wheelbarrow," Technology and Culture, Vol. 35, No. 3., pp. 453-475. July 1994. Matthies, Andrea L., "The Medieval Wheelbarrow," Technology and Culture, Vol. 32, No. 2, Part 1., pp. 356-364. April 1991. San Jose State University. “Technology in the Middle Ages.” SJSU.edu. 2009. 18 February 2009. < http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/pabacker/history/middle.htm> Read More