Characteristics of International Trade In the Mongol Era - Essay Example

Characteristics of International Trade In the Mongol Era Insert Name Course Professor’s Name Institution Date The silk Road trade had four distinct periods whereby the trade was controlled and influenced by dissimilar parties and rulers as well as merchants. The first period lasted 206 -200 B.C.E during which the level of cultural exchange had taken the Silk Roads by storm. In fact, a princess of the Han dynasty was sent to wed the ruler (Shanyu) of a countrified nomadic community which the Chinese regarded as Xiongnu. This nomadic group were in need of trade with the Chinese people and turned out rather antagonistic when disallowed such trade. The ecological imbalance which affected their nomadic pastoralist rendered them inadequate of a handling their survival hence they were extensively prompted to raid the Chinese to obtain goods which they were frantically in need of to sustain their way of life. In essence, the Han dynasty was indisputably regarded as being economically self-sufficient and put appreciable effort to bar other communities to achieve their status quo or acquire economical advantage. Indeed, the Chinese put measure in place to contain the issue. consequently, they put limit to commercial and diplomatic relations against people and communities who they regarded as “barbarians.” Nonetheless, some instances of commercial insufficient amidst Xiongnu posed a significant threat against the Chinese hence they sought to make peace with them. as result, they extended to marital agreements thus the send out of the princess (Susan 1999). The Chinese and the Xiongnu people were the most significant traders along silk roads during this time and it is exceptionally scintillating to perceive their relations. In reality, the Chinese are portrayed as having a negative attitude towards foreigners and other communities in general. It is noteworthy that there were substantial differences between agricultural civilizations and the nomadic pastoral societies. Thus, the differences impacted the Silk Roads trade quite extensively. Whereas the sedentary civilizations mainly had well devised social structures and complex cuisines and luxurious products such as silks and jade; the nomads had an animal centered economy that thrived on mobile lifestyle which was more independent and less luxurious. In general, the nomad pastoral communities had a precarious way of life whose existence was entirely cyclic. Nevertheless, these two civilization co-existed with great tolerance. For instance, the send off of the princess is s a quintessential illustration of this fact. The Princess must have had a distaste for her new tough and rough surroundings and her ultimate accommodation. however, she adjusted to the extent of remarkable appreciation for the tribal society in which she was approved and became a significant member. Sometimes disputes recurred amidst the Chinese and the Xiongnu people despite their marital alliances owing to the Chinese reservation of denying the later commercial involvement that they badly sought. this triggered the Chinese to seek appreciable assistance from Central Asia hence sent Zhang Qian to request assistance to fight off its quarrelsome neighbors. Zhang Qian undertook a great mission that lead him through oases and urban areas which later became part of the great Silk Roads trade owing to his efforts. The mode of transport was mainly use of animals. In fact, he personally described the “blood sweating” stallions that brought a score of silk from Central Asia to the Han dynasty and extensive appreciation of the people who made up the p[population of west of china. The account of Zhang Qian was motivational and enlightened students as well as absorbed a lot of people on the prerequisite of the sophisticated Silk Roads trade that demanded a series of oases to shelter and replenish travelers, strategic guard locations to notify travelers of likely danger, translators, guides and camel spruces, stable governance in mainland Persia and china to keep off bandits, caravan finances and oral route descriptions. The geographical range of the Silk Roads trade was bound to exacerbate greatly towards the East given the prosperity of the economy that was forged by the parthians. this economy was upheld by the Sasssians and was such a powerful factor that spread all over the political boundaries of the time. The economy of the Sassian community near East was propagated solely by natural factors and human activities. It s climate was fundamental since it had a auspicious topography, fertile soils and plentiful water supply. However, the trade was controlled by its rulership to a great extent. Thee Sassian empire trade in an environment that was characterized by particular monopolies and government constrains that entailed customs, taxes and levies. Nevertheless, the greater revenue was in the hands of the noble entrepreneurs. Various social groups provided dissimilar goods such as fruit products from transformed agricultural output that is, oil, flour, dyes and woven bags. Other groups made great contributions by carrying out mining activities to produce, salt, construction stones and bitumen (Rika et al.n.d) Although, economic activities were under peasants, clergy and the noble class the king had a solemn control over the minting industry. The king regulated and directed the minting of coins. During the period of the Sassian prosperity, Sassian coinage thrived to produce a great variety of coinage in three unique forms, silver, bronze, gold, lead and copper. Perhaps the intensive monetary production was experienced during this period in history. Right through the sassian period the economic life was mainly characterized by significant struggle between the political vassal and economic power. the government interest came first, however when peasants and nobles were in conflict, the government withdrew support hence a precarious tae of affairs an consequent weakening of the livelihood of the population. The collapse of various empires involved in the Silk Roads trade began due to such complications more so in the fifteenth century. this was further steered by the remarkable discovery of a sea course from Europe to Asia (Hellen 2004). In fundamental nature, the discovery prompted a terrific decline of Silk Roads trade in main central Asian crossroads. The communities in these regions sank into dire poverty since they were overtaken the grand advanced in technology and war tactics as well as the outgrowing populations in neighboring communities. consequently, the Qing China and superior Tsarist Russia acquire administrative control over collapsed communities at the end of fifteenth-century. The interaction between natural elements and human factors was the main factor that determined economic development. Geographical or natural factors like climate, soil and water availability affected human activities which also influenced economic activities. The geographical factors determined the accessibility and the type of economic activities carried out. For instance; the proper growth of some crops could be determined by the climate and availability of water. The success of some animals could also have been determined by the availability of water and food. During this era, the climate was devoid of global warming and thus harsh climate was rarely experienced. As such, the weather would allow some type of economic activity especially when it came to agriculture. This is one of the reasons why international trade flourished as there was always something to trade. There were also variations in climate which ensured an array of produce from different regions of the country. In places where the climate was not agriculture friendly, there was the building of irrigation schemes and wells which ensured the availability of produce for trading. Furthermore, each member of society had their role to play, and they fulfilled this. Whether one was a peasant, noble man, administrator or priest, their roles were almost fully laid out. This ensured a harmonious productivity and thus availability of products for trading. Trade was majorly the work of private entrepreneurs rather than the government. This meant that trade was not centralized and this in a way played part in the development of trade in the region. The government played a backhand role which also fuelled international trade at the time. This factor influenced trade positively as the government only interfered where it was required. For instance; siphoning off levies and taxes meant more money for the traders and thus the activity attracted many. There was also the effect of international relations which determined the kind of countries that trade could be carried out with. Only countries with good relations were considered in any kind of trading activities. This varied from time to time as countries experienced minute misunderstandings. However, most of these were solved over time and trade could continue as required. Administrative re- organization is another characteristic of international trade during this period. This was achieved later on in time by approximating the economic value f regions of the country. This helped in bringing the whole country under one control and thus easy management. It was easy to know how big or small a region is and how much administrative human power was required. The bigger the city, the more the administrators deployed there to ensure proper running of trading activities. This also led to the development of cities which in a way increased the ease with which traders could acquire a market for their goods (Étienne, 2005). Despite the whole region being a form of a monopoly, there are certain policies which fuelled the growth of international trade. Land was only given to noble men, military men and also people of substance. In these pieces of land, peasants were always present to work on them in order to earn a living. In this way, productivity was ensured. However, this also played a role in impeding the trade by causing clashes between peasants and their masters. Trade was not based on agricultural goods only; mining was another economic activity at this time. Bitumen, salt and rocks were some f the products mined. This ensured that every part f the country had something to trade despite the climate. In this way, trade was enhanced. Reference list Helen Wang, “How much for a camel? A New Understanding of Money on the Silk Road before AD 800”, in S. Whitfield (ed.), The Silk Road. Trade, Travel, War and Faith.Hong Kong: Serindia Publications 2004: 24-33. Pegolotti’s Merchant Handbook, https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/pegol.html. Étienne de la Vaissière,Sogdian Traders.A History. Leiden: Brill 2005, in particular part 4. Rika Gyselen, “Economy in the Sasanian Iran”, Economy of Ancient Iran, http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Law/economy_sasanian.htm Susan Whitfield, Life Along the Silk Road. Berkeley and Los Angeles, University of California Press 1999: 27-54. Read More