Before European Hegemony Pt. III

In part three, the trade systems in the Indian regions were discussed. It describes how the monsoon patterns and the bodies of water have divided the area into three distinct regions. The Indian Ocean and South China Sea bordered the regions. The western scene was most influenced by the Muslim culture, the center was influenced by Buddhism, and the eastern area was mostly influenced by China, as it was controlled by the Chinese. The trade routes within these regions were traversed by many traders, and took several years to travel among all three regions. India, being in between the Middle East and the South China Sea, was a major hub for trade, however much of India focused on production, allowing for outside merchants to control the trade and commerce. China, at that time, was a superpower of the known world, and as such controlled a vast amount trade and commerce. Chinese goods were prized and coveted throughout the known world and this fact allowed the Chinese to amass such a great level of power. However, after the Bubonic Plague, Chinese power began to slip, and China’s economic issues caused its super-power status to disappear. Finally, thanks to the enslavement of Africa by Europe, the loss of power of the Chinese, as well as advancement in the European areas, European influence spread quickly and “Western” ideas conquered much of the known world.

It’s interesting to analyze the Indian region, as much of the trade route influence can very much be seen today. We see how India itself is so divided and diverse. One could refer to India as a “tossed salad” instead of a “melting pot,” due to the presence of many different cultural influences and backgrounds all intermingled within the same densely populated area. There is still a strong Muslim influence in India along the western region, as well as Buddhist influence throughout the center. The eastern region is the most changed since the time discussed in the book, as it is not so greatly influenced by the Chinese, but involves a great deal of European influence from the nearby Indonesian areas.

It is also of note to notice how a great deal of modern trade comes from Chinese goods and Chinese-owned transportation firms. China controls much of the world through its finances and ownership of debt, and one can see how China is poised to repossess its role as a super-power. Chinese firms produce a great deal of the world’s products, and “knock-offs” are common within the commerce hubs of the area. Many firms sell these imitation products online at low prices, and allow volume to produce higher profits, thus increasing Chinese financial power. In the modern United States, and very much most of the Western World, focus on importing goods and producing services, so the production-focused power of China allows for China to be in a very interesting position in which it can accumulate a vast amount of military and financial power very quickly if it were to call in the debts owed to it from the West.