Study Well

As the world became more connected in the 17th century, intrepid traders set aside their overland caravans and took to the seas in search of new goods and trading partners. In this episode, we’ll look at how trade relationships started by the Silk Road went global as merchants established new trade routes across oceans, and how those new global connections fueled economic growth ... and the slave trade.

The dawn of international trade didn’t just start the transport of goods and people between continents. It also brought on significant unintended consequences, both positive and negative. In this episode Study Hall World History, we track the effects of disease and the arrival of different animals and plants through the Columbian Exchange.

Why did Europe, the Middle East and Asia transition away from medieval political structures like feudalism and Nomadic Empires and towards more centralized governments with powerful monarchs and loyal bureaucracies? The answer has more to do with guns and money than you would think.

Empires come and go, but people are always looking for a deal. Even as the Mongols disappeared into history, the trade networks that they helped develop continued to grow and evolve. Welcome to the global bazaar.