Ch 14 Part 1

Asian conquest was a lot different from how the Americas was founded. Portugal wanted to explore the route to India, but mostly to grow back is population after the Black Death. Muslims also controlled a lot of the goods, and they weren't too fond of each other. Europeans didn't have anything appearing to trade, so it made it hard to compete. They realized there was no one in charge or the sea lanes, so Portuguese saw this as an opportunity to control the commerce. They could not compete with the other traders, so they decided to control the trade paths. They used their naval power to block those who did not pay taxes, but they could not stay in control, so many slipped away from the government and assimilated with the people where they set up their bases.

Colonization started gain popularity with territories that were weak. Spain settled in the Philippines and saw that the people did not have strong military support, so Spain colonized the Philippines. There was no real threat, so many complied. Philippines became a major place for Christianity, but also for Muslims. I never knew Manila was a place where a lot of trade happened, and it was used as a gateway for other countries to trade.

Everyone was looking for a way to become more powerful. I never thought that spices were a big product to trade, but apparently so many different cultures used it. Silver also started to drive global trade. It was highly sought after and used for a lot of trading. Japan also became a big silver trader, which I never knew. Japan used their profits to grow their economy and unify their country. While other nations fell apart, others flourished, which is what we would expect. Not all people benefited from all these trades. Is there ever a time where greed leads to something good?