In this article of hegemony, Abu-Lughad discussed Europe and how in pre-industrial periods was not a major power that it is today. She then gets into how new technology and the mass amounts of trade had an extremely huge impact on Europe's growth. These new types of technology led to new innovations and expanded trade nation wide which eventually led trade global and Europe was then put on the map. Abu-Lughad focused on how she explained "non-profit" trading. Many goods were traded not for profit, but to support the growing population. Another aspect to look at were the champagnes, which were places where merchants/traders came to gather from all over the world in order to sell goods and trade. it was there version of what we today would call a super market. With all the different goods and exchange soon after the making of currency was put into the trade market.
I found this article very interesting and I learned alot of early trading and civilization. It is very interesting to see what today's markets are like and compare them to the markets back then. To people back in that time period trading and goods were a sense of living and necessity while today our markets are more for sheer pleasure and wants rather then needs.
Through reading thsi article and understanding the power parts of the world back then, I often wonder how some cities and coutnries that used to be so enriched and succesful could fall and today be so poor and collasped. What key disasters or causes led to the demise of what were once poerful, flurishing cities.
The transformation of success to failure is one that needs to be examined. I watched this documentary on how countries that were looking to gain independence from Britain looked to America for help, but we did not help them. This was interesting to me, because had we not fought and won, where we would be would be completely different.
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