Cultural CONSEQUENCES of Trade 1200-1450 [AP World History Review] Unit 2 Topic 5

Cultural CONSEQUENCES of Trade 1200-1450 [AP World History Review] Unit 2 Topic 5

Cultural CONSEQUENCES of Trade 1200-1450 [AP World History Review] Unit 2 Topic 5

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In this video Heimler talks about the cultural consequences of trade in 1200-1450. Goods for sale was arguably the least important thing that merchants carried from place to place. They also carried with them cultural and technological goods as well, and it was these offerings that had a disproportionate impact on the cultures into which the merchants came.

We’ll talk about syncretism in religion. As Buddhism spread into different cultures, it changed. As merchants introduced Islam into East Africa, it not only changed the religion of the Bantu, but created an entirely new language: Swahili.

And merchants carried technological advancements with them as well. Chief among them was the lateen sail, the sternpost rudder, the magnetic compass, and the astrolabe.

Not to mention, the relative safety of the Afro-Eurasian trade routes provided the occasion for travelers to see the world and report back, not least of whom was Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta.

This video corresponds to Unit 2 Topic 5 in the AP World History: Modern curriculum.


Content

0.089 -> Hi and welcome back to Heimler’s History.
1.34 -> Now in the last video we talked extensively about trade routes and their importance throughout
5.24 -> Afro-Eurasia.
6.24 -> But as I mentioned briefly in that video, there is more carried along trade routes than
9.87 -> just goods and services.
10.87 -> And in this video we’re going to look closely at the cultural consequences of the growing
14.72 -> interconnectedness of the world from 1200-1450.
17.03 -> Let’s get to it.
18.19 -> First, let’s talk about the cultural exchanges that occurred along these trade routes.
23.23 -> First let’s talk religion.
24.47 -> As merchants carried their various religions along these routes and introduced them to
28.359 -> diverse areas one of two things happened.
30.869 -> Either the new religion served to unify the people and provide a justification for the
36.44 -> leadership.
37.44 -> Or the religions syncretized with others.
38.95 -> And that word just means the religions mixed together and produced something new.
43.95 -> For example, as Buddhism spread into China, it met with Daoist beliefs about the way of
47.91 -> nature and produced a new baby religion: Zen Buddhism (aka Chan Buddhism).
53.18 -> Some of the Confucian scholar gentry in the Song Dynasty opposed such religious baby-making
57.329 -> (that’s not the best way to put that) but nevertheless, Zen Buddhism became popular
62.219 -> among the common folk.
63.59 -> Another example of religious syncretism is the advent of Neo Confucianism.
66.88 -> This was basically a fusion of rational thought with Doaist beliefs and Buddhist beliefs that
71.81 -> originated in China but soon spread to Korea and Japan.
74.799 -> And if we’re talking about trade and religion, we gots to talk about Muslim merchants.
79.759 -> They showed up in droves on the shores of East Africa out of the Indian Ocean trade
83.439 -> routes, and when they did, they couldn’t help but share about Allah and his prophet,
87.719 -> Mohammed.
88.719 -> A major cultural consequence of that sharing was the birth of the Swahili language.
92.38 -> When the Muslims encountered the Bantu-speaking Africans, they gladly became believers in
97.319 -> Islam.
98.319 -> And because many of the merchants spoke Arabic, the Bantu language and the Arabic language
101.719 -> had a baby language called Swahili.
103.56 -> Alright, I gotta come up with a new metaphor—this is getting uncomfortable.
106.06 -> But not only were there religious and linguistic consequences of trade, there were also scientific
110.429 -> and technological consequences.
111.789 -> For example, if we check in with the folks in Cairo, Egypt, we can see medical advances
116.679 -> which led to improved care in hospitals.
118.319 -> Also Physicians and pharmacists began to standardize their profession by studying for medical examinations
123.779 -> and licensing.
124.779 -> Which is great, because I hate to think of what medical practices were like before standardization.
129.209 -> Hey doc, I’m feeling like I might die from this infection.
133.069 -> Here, my cow just gave birth—I want you to eat the placenta and you’ll be fine.
137.37 -> Do you even have a medical license?
139.67 -> What’s a medical license….
143.54 -> This guy.
144.54 -> Some of the most significant technological consequences of trade had to do with ships.
148.18 -> It was during this time that the lateen sail was invented.
151.459 -> This was a large triangular sail that allowed sailors to tack into the wind and therefore
155.79 -> they had much more flexibility to travel.
158.189 -> Also during this time the stern post rudder was invented which gave a ship much more precision
162.77 -> in turning.
163.77 -> And in other videos I’ve mentioned the advent of the magnetic compass and the astrolabe
166.959 -> which essentially gave sailors the ability to navigate without relying on stars and other
171.62 -> visual aids.
172.62 -> Yet another cultural consequence of merchant activity was the growth of cities.
176.1 -> Let’s go visit our friends in Hangzhou, China for a good example.
179.569 -> IN Hangzhou the increase in trade led to increasing urbanization.
183.069 -> During this period it became one of the largest and most metropolitan cities in China boasting
187.019 -> a population over over a million people.
189.37 -> And as is always the case, when a place becomes prosperous, and people don’t have to think
193.06 -> about food and shelter, great art rises to the surface.
195.93 -> In Hangzhou poetry and literature flourished, some of the most significant literary work
200.209 -> came from the poets Lu Yu and Xin Qiji.
203.34 -> And finally, Hangzhou was a diverse city as we can see, for example, with its thriving
207.579 -> Arab minority.
208.579 -> Now the last thing I’ll say about cultural consequences of trade has to do with travellers,
212.37 -> and we’ll focus on two: Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta.
215.42 -> Now these folks weren’t really merchants, but because of the security of long distance
219.53 -> trade routes, thanks to the rule of the Mongols, they were able to travel far and wide.
223.12 -> So in the late 13th century Marco Polo left his home in Venice and travelled for many
231.569 -> years among the Chinese.
233.269 -> He arrived in the court of Kublai Khan (who was Ghengis Khan’s grandson) and the Khan
237.51 -> was very interested to hear this traveller’s stories.
240.2 -> In fact, so taken was Kublai Khan with Marco Polo’s stories, that he convinced Polo to
244.78 -> stay and become his ambassador to various parts of China.
248.31 -> And Polo served in this capacity for seventeen years.
251.2 -> After that, Marco Polo travelled home and was captured by the enemies of the Venetians.
256.259 -> As he sat in prison, he entertained his fellow prisoners with stories of his travels to China.
260.22 -> Eventually these stories were written down and published and they became very popular
262.949 -> with European audiences.
265.56 -> They were astonished that such places could exist and Polo’s stories awakened their
268.71 -> desires to visit such places, or at least find ways to purchase goods from those places.
275.66 -> Ibn Batutta was a Muslim traveller who made it his ambition to travel all throughout Dar
281.56 -> al-Islam (which is to say, everywhere Islam is).
284.43 -> Ibn Batutta made his pilgrimage to Mecca and eventually travelled throughout Persia, the
288.91 -> East African coast, India, Mali, Spain, and elsewhere.
292.819 -> He kept a detailed journal and made much commentary on the people whose lands he visited.
297.639 -> And the subsequent publication of those journals had a similar effect on the Muslim population
301.87 -> as the writings of Marco Polo had on the Europeans.
304.419 -> Alright, that’s what you need to know about the cultural consequences of trade in 1200-1450.
309.069 -> If you’re in to this kind of thing, then subscribe and I’ll help you get an A in
311.819 -> your class and a 5 on your exam.
313.71 -> If you like hearing about linguistic coupling and the baby-languages they make, then hit
317.94 -> the like button and let me know.
319.53 -> Okay, Heimler out.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNRYTCdHKxU