Question

What can potosi tell us about the consequences of global trade in the early modern period?

Answer 1

Correct answer is:

1. Colonial forces seized thousands of men to operate under cruel circumstances in order to acquire wealth.
2. Environment experienced as the role a consequence of highly exhaustive mining.

Step-by-step explanation:

Potosi is a city located in modern-day Bolivia that rose to fame in the mid-1500 because of the discovery of large reserves of Silver in its mountain ranges. Potosi soon grew into one of the wealthiest cities of the time as it produced nearly 60% of all silver produced worldwide. This wealth soon attracted many European nations that took an interest in Potosi and established camps and mines to extract the silver from these mountains. They would hire labor that would operate on low costs and treated them with utmost cruelty.

The silver mined from Potosi was traded to the great empires of China and Spain, which explains their dominance in that period. This directly led to the realization that foreign wealthier countries could make establishments in other countries and use their resources and manpower to acquire cheap labor and reduce costs significantly and sell them at a premium. This practice then became so popular that globalization has become almost a standard industry practice among the big firms of the world nowadays. And so, one could argue, Potosi was the birthplace of globalization that has grown so much in this day and age.

Answer 2

Potosi will likely tell us about the consequences of global trade in the early modern period by saying the following;

- The result of deforestation, poisoning and erosion was because of the techniques used in intensive mining

- There are bad conditions in regards of forced intensive labor

It is because throughout the history, a lot of changes were made and started to develop in which had cause great effects to humans and its environment in a way that it does not only cause good but also harm.