Chapter 14 (first half)

The first half of Chapter 14 digs into early acting countries in modern commerce and overall the making of the world economy during the early modern era. the slave trade was described by strayer as one of the only components of international networks of exchange that shaped human interactions during the centuries between 140 and 1750.  beyond then, it goes into the different voyages made by European countries to reach rich networks of commerce. the first voyage was made by Portuguese mariner Vasca da Gama where they went to Asia to explore a sea route to the East, but their most immediate motivation for the voyage was tropical spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and pepper which were widely used. The big problem for Europeans was paying for Eastern goods because they did not have products that were attractive in East Markets. This problem for the Europeans contributed heavily to the desire for the precious metals and goldfields in Africa. While the spice trade of Eurasia was booming, the silver trade really gave birth to a global network of exchange. The trade of silver from the Pacific and he Philippines was the first direct and sustained link between the Americas and Asia, which initiated a web of Pacific commerce that grew steadily over the centuries. What really made the demand of silver global was China's authorities creating a variety of tax levies into a single tax, which its huge population was now required to pay in silver. The new demand caused the value of the metal to skyrockets, meaning that foreigners with silver could now purchase far more of China's silks and porcelains than before.

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