Unit 2: How Trade and Travel Changed the World

Lesson A: Costs and Benefits of Trade

Review and Assessment

Review

During the 14^th century, the world had yet to enter the "modern" era. While populations still relied on farming, the 14^th century brought in a new era of global connectedness that had both costs and benefits. Trade created contact between the people of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Goods such as gold, silk and tea were transferred along trade routes such as the Silk Road and the Trans-Saharan network. Political ideas were exchanged along these routes and leaders used the benefits of interregional trade to control empires. The costs of trade included protecting growing trade routes and networks, and the spread of diseases, such as the bubonic plague, along these routes. This pre-modern interaction set the stage for early modern events such as global exploration and trade.

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Assessment

The spread of interregional trade benefited many areas of the world by increasing the exchange of goods. Trade connected land-based empires throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, and enabled the rise and growth of empires. The benefits of trade included increasing access to needed goods such as food and tools. The costs of trade included protecting growing trade routes and networks, and the spread of diseases — such as the bubonic plague — along these routes. Think about these examples as you complete the BCR.