The Expansion of Trade: What impact might increased trade and business have on a society’s world view?

Moving Goods and Resources  Today we have many options for transporting goods. Can you think of ways that we move goods from place to place?  List 5 ways of transport: 1) Shipping 2) Airplanes 3) Digitally, computer, internet 4) Trains 5) Automotive (cars, trucks, trailers)

Moving Goods and Resources Goods were not easily transported hundreds of years ago. It cost a lot of money to transport goods to and from market towns on the coast. They used ox, carts, horses, camels, mules, boats, etc. to move their goods.

Trade was conducted locally – furs, fish, timber, minerals, metals, clothing, wool Trade was conducted across Europe and Asia – Clothing, oil, spices, fabric, etc. Trade routes often developed where there was natural access to easy transport: rivers, lakes, coastlines, etc.  In Canada, Jacques Cartier (1534) used the waterways to develop trade in Canada with the First Nations for furs and meats.  Complete Page 46 in your textbook (including Fast Forward – first two bullets and Over to You 1, 2, and 3a & b). Open your text to page 40 and start to read. We are going to read as a class.

The Italian City States – How did trade lead to the emergence of powerful city-states in Italy? Renaissance Europe did not look the same way that it does today. There were very different borders. Most countries were Kingdoms or Empires. Italy was a group of city-states. A CITY-STATE is a city that is politically independent and includes the rural area around it. The rural area is called the HINTERLAND. Have a look at figure 2-11 on page 47. Read the Journal Entry and answer the three questions about Florence.

Page 47 - Florence distinctive detail Prosperous city Impressive colourful buildings Merchant in journal uses words like: complimentary words such as beautiful, rich and splendid.

How does the Hinterland support life in Florence? Provide food and crops as well as hay for any animals Oil, cheese, wine and bread. Wool for clothing

Why does geography make Florence a suitable site for a city? Flat land, River – accessible transportation Agricultural land around city (farm-land). Mountains provide defense for city Water – fishing and drinking

The Success of the City-States Geography helped to develop and played a key role in the success of the city-states. There were four aspects that lead to the success of each of the Italian City-States: 1)      GEOGRAPHY 2)      CLIMATE 3)      LEADERSHIP 4)      SOCIAL ORGANIZATION   Using pages 48 and 49 summarize the key points for each of the four factors of City-States success.

– 2-3000 workers employed at Sea Port. Competition for Trade City-States wanted to expend their trade and business to become wealthier and more powerful. As a result they competed for control over trade routes (i.e. sea routes).  Venice: –        powerful city state –        easy access to sea –        easily defendable –        thousands of ships travelling through Mediterranean Sea to Atlantic Coast and N. Europe –        2-3000 workers employed at Sea Port.  Complete “Exploring Sources” page 49 in your notes.

Genoa: Another great Italian City-State   Genoa:  Another great Italian City-State Controlled a share of the trade in the Mediterranean Sea Also had Ports in Black Sea Controlled trade in Spain (Barcelona and Valencia) In a battle with Venice in 1380 – lost a lot of ships and power

Commerce in the City-States Merchants – purchased goods in one place and sold at a higher price in another locations Polo Family (e.g. Marco Polo) were Merchants. Merchants sold finished goods as well as raw resources that needed to be manufactured. Assignment: In a small group Read and Answer the questions on page 51. With your group – type up the questions in the report format. Include on the report, a title, all your names, your class letter, and ensure to identify which questions you are answering.

Revolts As the Black Death changed the way economic and social structures operated in the middle ages, guilds began to grow and gain power. Peasants revolted against the nobles demanding fair wages for work done on manors and in the trades. In France the “wool carders” or CIOMPI started a revolt against the government of Florence. They wanted to form their own guild. However, large guilds and the government did not want this to happen. Eventually the Ciompi were defeated.

Making Money with Money Bankers and Merchants brought wealth to the Italian city-states. The “Florin” from Florence, Italy was the powerful currency of the time (much like the US dollar – or Canadian dollar is today). USURY – the practice of charging interest when loaning money played an important part in creating wealth. We see the use of interest today with Credit Cards, Lines of Credit, Student Loans, Mortgages and car loans.

The Church saw Usury as sinful; however, as large amounts of money were needed as loans to finance exploration and trade, the Church changed it’s stance on certain forms of Usury.

  Politics in the Italian City-States were affected by economics. Merchants, shopkeepers, bankers, nobles, etc. all wanted power (money and status). Fighting over trade and business lead to instability and decreased the amount of money one could make. People looked for strong leaders who could promise stability.

Florence competed with other Italian city-states Florence competed with other Italian city-states. Wealthy Europeans visiting Florence were impressed by its beautiful cities and the sophistication of its peoples. As a result, Italian values and ideas spread across Europe.

Economics and Citizenship Economy went into depression after Black Death. Some historians argue that this depression allowed for the growth of culture and art in Italy. People often spent money on art as there were few good businesses around. Wealthy citizens also contributed to the beautification of their cities. People felt a sense of loyalty and pride to their city-states What great pieces of art can you think of from Italy? Can you think of any great works of art today that would be similar to the art from Renaissance Italy?

What impact might increased trade and business have on a society’s worldview? Complete # 1 (the chart only) and 3 from page 57 in your text. Answer # 4 (the three bullets) from page 56 in your notes.

Wealth and Responsibility   Research and choose one of the wealthiest persons in the World. Answer the following questions in your write-up: 1)      Who is your person and where are they from? (Which Country?) 2)      Why are the wealthy? 3)      How did they make their money? (I.e. what form of business are they in? what do they sell or manufacture?) 4)      Do they support any well-known charities or important charitable causes? 5)      How important is giving to charity in your worldview? 6)      Include in your write-up a brief biography (100-150 words) 7)      Include in your write-up a picture of the individual. 8) Include your write-up the website addresses of all the sources that you used.