前现代世界

前现代时期从 15 世纪持续到 18 世纪。在那个时代，许多中央集权政府都在举行，各个独立国家作为民族国家的开端也是如此，等等。

Globalization is a 50-year-old economic system but the making of the global world has a long history of trade, migration, of people of work , the movement of capital  and many more. To understand the phases through which this world where we live has emerged.

前现代世界

纵观历史，人类社区越来越相互交织。自古以来，旅行者、商人、牧师和朝圣者为了各种目的长途跋涉，比如——

• 为了获得知识
• 寻找更多机会
• 为了宗教和精神上的满足
• 为了逃避虐待

这些人随身携带产品、金钱价值、人才、想法、创新，甚至感染和疾病。公元前 3000 年初，繁华的海上贸易将印度河流域文明与现代西亚联系起来。几千年来，从马尔代夫到中国和东非，贝壳（印地语人群或贝壳）一直被用作货币形式。携带疾病的细菌的长期传播可以追溯到七世纪。

In the pre-Modern era there are three things that will help us to understand the making of a global world is:

1. Silk Route
2. Food Travels
3. Diseases and Trade

丝绸之路连接世界

Silk route is defined as the route taken by traders to carry silk cargoes from china to the west. The Silk Routes are an excellent illustration of pre-modern trade across different areas of the world. The name silk road also refers to the prominence of westbound Chinese silk shipments over this route.

丝绸之路的重要特点是，

• 历史学家在陆地和海上发现了更多的丝绸之路，将亚洲的广大地区编织在一起，将亚洲与欧洲和北非连接起来，已知它们在基督教时代之前就已经存在，并且几乎一直繁荣到公元十五世纪。
• 甚至佛教传教士、基督教传教士、穆斯林传教士也沿着这些路线旅行。这些路线被证明是世界遥远地区之间贸易和文化联系的重要来源。
• 这条路线将亚洲与地中海连接起来，途经中国、印度、波斯、阿拉伯、希腊和意大利。由于丝绸贸易量大，从公元前2世纪到公元14世纪被称为丝绸之路。这条丝绸之路不仅为货物的进出口提供了纽带，而且还成为各国之间艺术、文学和哲学输出的重要途径。
• 通过这些路线，他们交易来自印度和东南部的纺织品和香料，以换取从欧洲流向亚洲的贵金属黄金和白银。

美食游记

• 食物提供了许多长途文化交流的例子，许多贸易商和旅行者向他们旅行的市场介绍新作物。在世界遥远的地方，即使是现成的食品也可能有共同的起源
  • 例如，意大利面和面条。面条从中国向西传播成为意大利面，或者阿拉伯商人在五世纪将意大利面带到意大利的西西里岛。
• 一些贸易食品，如土豆、大豆、花生、玉米、西红柿、红薯等，五个世纪前我们在印度的祖先并不知道这些食品。在克里斯托弗·哥伦布发现后来成为美洲的广阔地区之后，这些美食被带到了欧洲和亚洲。
• 在欧洲引进土豆后，穷人开始吃得更好，寿命更长。即使是爱尔兰最贫穷的农民也依赖土豆。在 1840 年代中期，爱尔兰饥荒袭来，许多爱尔兰人因寻找工作而迁移，大约有 100 万人被饿死。这也清楚地表明，新作物的引入可以导致死亡和生命之间的差异。

征服、疾病和贸易

• 16世纪，在欧洲水手找到通往亚洲的海路并成功越过西洋到达美洲之后，前现代世界大大缩小。几个世纪以来，印度洋一直是中心贸易点，但在欧洲人进入后帮助将这种贸易扩大到欧洲。
• 在这一发现之后，美国广阔的土地和丰富的农作物和矿产开始改变世界各地的贸易和生活。
• 白银是在秘鲁和墨西哥发现的贵金属，它增加了欧洲的财富并为其与亚洲的贸易提供了资金。许多探险队已经开始寻找南美洲传说中的黄金城市 EL DORADO。
• 十六世纪中叶，西班牙人和葡萄牙人是第一批征服美洲的欧洲人。欧洲的征服不是因为他们的枪支力量。事实上，他们的超级大国或超级武器根本不是常规的军事武器。由于美洲原住民的免疫力低下，这种征服是通过他们身上携带的致命疾病天花来实现的。它已经消灭了整个社区，甚至在到达欧洲军队之前就被证明是致命的杀手。
• 直到 19 世纪，欧洲还有食物和饥饿现象普遍，致命的疾病蔓延到整个城市，因此欧洲人逃到了美洲，在非洲被俘虏的奴隶正在为欧洲市场种植棉花和糖。
• 直到 18 世纪，印度和中国一直是最富有的国家和世界贸易的主要中心，但印度的殖民统治和中国因此限制了海外联系。

因此，欧洲已成为世界贸易的中心。

示例问题

问题 1：描述丝绸之路在前现代贸易、文化互动和宗教交流中的重要性。

回答：

The significance of silk routes is as follows:

1. The silk routes are excellent instances of pre-modern commerce and cultural linkages across distant sections of the world, connecting Asia with Europe and North Africa.
2. Silk shipments from China, Indian spices and textiles, and gold and silver from Europe were transported to various regions of the world through the silk routes.
3. These paths were used by Buddhist preachers, Christian missionaries, and, subsequently, Muslim preachers.
4. These routes proved to be an excellent source of commercial and cultural connections across remote areas of the world.

问题 2：给出欧洲人对非洲感兴趣的两个原因。

回答：

The following are two reasons for attraction:

• Africa had a lot of territory and a lot of mineral resources. It had a small population.
• The Europeans hoped to construct plantations and mines in Africa to produce crops and minerals for export to Europe.

问题3：英国废除谷物法的后果是什么？

回答：

• Following the repeal of the grain restrictions, food could be imported into Britain at a lower cost than it could be produced in the country.
• British agriculture was insufficiently steady to compete with imports. Vast swaths of land were suddenly left uncultivated, and thousands of men and women were out of employment. They moved to cities or other nations in quest of job.
• As food costs declined, so did consumption in the United Kingdom. Faster industrial expansion in Britain began in the mid-nineteenth century, which resulted in better earnings and, as a result, more food imports.

问题四：谁是契约劳工？

回答：

Indentured labourers were bound labourers who were under contract to work for an employer for a set period of time in order to pay for their journey to a new nation or home. They were recruited by employers’ agents, who were compensated with a little commission.

问题 5：促使印度人和中国人在种植园和矿山担任契约佣工的三个因素是什么？

Answer: 

The following factors pushed them to serve as indentured servants:

1. The decline of the cottage industry.
2. A rise in land rentals.
3. Unemployment, poverty, and debts are all factors to consider.
4. Because of these factors, the poor were driven to move in quest of job. Prospective migrants were enticed by the recruiters’ false promises and became indentured labourers.