Question

“The Portuguese now ruled the Indian Ocean. . . . The consequences reached around the world. Much Italian splendor had been based on the wealth of the East pouring through Venice and Genoa. Now the traffic in Asiatic treasure—spices, drugs, gems, and silks—would no longer come through the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Levant, but on Portuguese ships around the Cape of Good Hope to Atlantic-facing Europe. . . .The Egyptian-Venetian trade was destroyed. The wealth of Asia, the fabled treasures of the Orient, were flowing west. The new Age of the Sea moved . . . commerce . . . from the coasts of a finite body, the closed Mediterranean . . . to the shores of the open Atlantic and the boundless world-reaching Oceans.”

—Daniel Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983



According to Boorstin, why did the Portuguese establish control over trade in the Indian Ocean?

What trading powers lost power and wealth because of the new Portuguese trade routes?

How would future international trade be different because of Western European countries developing new trade routes?

Answer 1

The Portuguese established control over trade in the Indian Ocean to tap into the spice trade and redirect it to Europe. Venice and other Italian states lost power and wealth due to the new Portuguese trade routes. Future international trade would be different as Western European countries developed new sea trade routes, leading to increased trade, exploration, colonization, and the establishment of global trade networks.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Boorstin, the Portuguese established control over trade in the Indian Ocean in order to tap into the lucrative spice trade and divert it to a European sea trade. By establishing control over the trade routes, Portuguese ships were able to bring valuable spices, drugs, gems, and silks directly to Atlantic-facing Europe, bypassing the traditional routes through the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Levant.

The trading powers that lost power and wealth because of the new Portuguese trade routes were Venice and other Italian states that had monopolized trade with the Muslim world through the overland spice trade routes. The flow of Asiatic treasure, which included spices, silks, and other goods, shifted from the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Levant to Portuguese ships traveling around the Cape of Good Hope to Europe.

Future international trade would be different because Western European countries, like Portugal, Spain, and other European powers, developed new sea trade routes to Asia. These new trade routes opened up opportunities for increased trade and contact with Asian cultures, leading to the exploration and colonization of new territories, the spread of European influence, and the establishment of global trade networks.

Answer 2

Answer: 1. nitial success came to the Portuguese because they had been shrewd enough to develop a strategy of divide and conquer.

2. The control of sea trade, the chief source of Portuguese wealth in the East, was assured by the defeat of Muslim naval forces off Diu in 1509. Almeida’s successor, Afonso de Albuquerque, conquered Goa (1510), which he made the seat of Portuguese power, and Malacca (1511); sent two expeditions to the Moluccas (1512 and 1514); and captured Hormuz in the Persian Gulf (1515).

3.Europe’s trade relationships with the developing world are up for review, but policymakers are failing to seize the opportunity. In February 2020, the Cotonou Agreement—an aid, trade, and political partnership between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries—will expire, paving the way for a new regional cooperation model.

Step-by-step explanation: