ESSAY ONE
Write an essay discussing which of the following factors you believe is
most responsible for explaining expanded contact between and among
different world regions since 1500, with specific attention to the
changing global balance of power: a) political ambition (such as one
state's desire to acquire territory, enhance security, spread a political
ideology, etc), b) economic goals (such as a state, business, or individual
desire to expand commerce and trade, gain revenue, and pursue wealth),
or c) cultural diffusion (the spread of religion, intellectual ideas, popular
culture, etc).
Your essay must discuss six total examples, one from each unit of the
class, and two additional examples of your choice. Be sure to incorporate
geographic breadth by discussing at least three different regions of the
world at some point in your essay.
The use of trade routes, global currencies, and an overall desire to gain revenue have
been the most prominent incentives for regions to exponentially broaden their contact across
the world.
Powerful countries expanded their contact to other regions of the world to gain
revenue from valuable resources. A two-year Portuguese voyage sailed to India to investigate a
route that could potentially link Europeans to East Africa and China. This linkage was made
mainly to transport spices because they were in such high demand (602). A high demand in
spices also meant a large profit margin for those able to obtain large amounts of it, which was
the goal that the Portuguese successfully set out to accomplish. European’s also had political
control in parts of Java and a few of the Spices Islands (610). Political control in these places
allowed countries to gain a better grip on the trading and profits of the resources inside. Once
these trade routes were in place, countries were eager to become wealthy from them. In the
late 1800’s, Britain used opium, a highly addictive drug, to obtain wealth from China. The
opium sold by the British was grown and processed in India (838). China’s addiction to opium
made Britain far wealthier than they had been in the past. Trading and obtaining wealth was so
important during this time that Malay proverbs supported the idea of “teaching daughters how
to calculate and make a profit” (610). With the help of political power and trade routes,
countries strategically obtained contact with other regions and made profit from selling and
trading goods for a large profit.
Write an essay discussing which of the following factors you believe is
most responsible for explaining expanded contact between and among
different world regions since 1500, with specific attention to the
changing global balance of power: a) political ambition (such as one
state's desire to acquire territory, enhance security, spread a political
ideology, etc), b) economic goals (such as a state, business, or individual
desire to expand commerce and trade, gain revenue, and pursue wealth),
or c) cultural diffusion (the spread of religion, intellectual ideas, popular
culture, etc).
Your essay must discuss six total examples, one from each unit of the
class, and two additional examples of your choice. Be sure to incorporate
geographic breadth by discussing at least three different regions of the
world at some point in your essay.
The use of trade routes, global currencies, and an overall desire to gain revenue have
been the most prominent incentives for regions to exponentially broaden their contact across
the world.
Powerful countries expanded their contact to other regions of the world to gain
revenue from valuable resources. A two-year Portuguese voyage sailed to India to investigate a
route that could potentially link Europeans to East Africa and China. This linkage was made
mainly to transport spices because they were in such high demand (602). A high demand in
spices also meant a large profit margin for those able to obtain large amounts of it, which was
the goal that the Portuguese successfully set out to accomplish. European’s also had political
control in parts of Java and a few of the Spices Islands (610). Political control in these places
allowed countries to gain a better grip on the trading and profits of the resources inside. Once
these trade routes were in place, countries were eager to become wealthy from them. In the
late 1800’s, Britain used opium, a highly addictive drug, to obtain wealth from China. The
opium sold by the British was grown and processed in India (838). China’s addiction to opium
made Britain far wealthier than they had been in the past. Trading and obtaining wealth was so
important during this time that Malay proverbs supported the idea of “teaching daughters how
to calculate and make a profit” (610). With the help of political power and trade routes,
countries strategically obtained contact with other regions and made profit from selling and
trading goods for a large profit.
