The Collapse

            After the Industrial Revolution and World War I/ II, came the Great Depression. It represented the fall of Europe’s dominance over the world. Everyone in Europe was producing products in large quantities but could not sell the products in a timely matter. As Europe was crumbling other countries were gaining it’s independence from foreign powers and America started to strive again.

            When looking in detail about WWI and WWII along with the Cold War, it’s depressing that other human beings could be so selfish and cruel. I have been fortunate enough to meet a survivor from the Holocaust and Japanese American interment camps. Hearing they’re stories of survival and learning about it breaks my heart. The same racism and hardships they went through many years ago are starting to take shape today amongst the Muslims and other countries around the world.

Industrial Revolution

            The Industrial revolution played a significant role in mass production of goods and advancements of technology. It started in 1750 and ended around 1924. The revolution itself sparked Europe’s world dominance and forced hard working people out of their own land and took away other counties natural resources for survival for they’re own benefit. Some of the key components of the Revolution were the use of non-renewable energy sources, culture of innovation for the steam engine, movement to cities, political and economic growth, and new classes of people. Some repercussions of the Revolution were reforms for labor unions, legislations, and policies. Unfortunately people resorted to violence as solution. Karl Marx was the sentimental thinker who encouraged people to work as a form of expression. Marx also formulated laws of social development to assist in a functional society. With the Industrial Revolution came Capitalism because us inexpensive labor, new resources, new markets, and investments.

The Mongolians

            For this weeks readings I was fascinated with chapter eleven about the Mongol Moment from 1200 to 1500. We never really hear much about the Mongolians and their roles throughout history. It is finally nice to have an understanding of what they Mongolians contributed to history. The majority of the people I spoke to know them for domination over other cities and countries. The Mongolians are the first successful urban civilization to dominate during their time. They were under leadership of Chinggis Khan who believed in letting women take part in duties and roles men were primarily known for. If it weren’t for the Mongolians, we would not have advanced in medicine, technology, or warfare through the years. The Mongolians were also responsible for contributing to the first maps drawn because they openly shared their travels with others. Although they were a mobile civilization they’re longevity was depended on how well they adapted to change as they conquered other cities and countries.

Islamic World

            The Islamic world from 500 – 1500 AD helped shape peoples religious faith and redeveloped advancements by others to compete with everyone else in the world. Besides keeping up with technology, politics, and urbanization, they made an impact on Jewish and Christian followers with their religious beliefs and practices. The story of Muhammad and his life teachings of the Quran helped shape the Islamic community to play a significant role in history. As a rising civilization the Islamic civilization was known as the every first global civilization.

Trade Routes

            Chapter seven covers in detail the three major trade routes through Eurasia, the Indian Ocean, and Sahara. The first trade route Strayer looked at was the Silk Roads route, which stretched from China to Eurasia. Travelers would transport goods by camel or horse. Products exchanged along this route were silk, gunpowder, spices, metals, nuts, medicine, paper, and metals. Buddhism was a popular topic of religion shared along the trade routes with the various countries. Besides religion and goods, people were exposed to devastating diseases like smallpox and measles. The second trade route was the Sea Route that took place along the outskirts of land near the across the Indian Ocean. Products were transported by ship. This particular route enabled merchants and docking cities to trade in bulk with other ports. Products of trade included silk, tea, textiles, perfumes, glassware, wine, gold, spices, and timber. With travelers trading from port to port, eventually political and Buddhist ideas were shared mainly from India. Lastly there was the Sand Roads, which had two routes through North and Midwest Africa. The primary source for transporting goods was by camels. People traveling along the Sand Roads traded gold, salt, or slaves.