Final answer:
The Mongols heavily relied on trade influenced by their nomadic lifestyle, strategic improvements such as building bridges, creating safe trade routes like the Silk Road, and establishing supportive trade policies, which helped spawn the global trade boom during the Pax Mongolica and beyond.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mongols relied heavily on trade due to various economic and strategic factors. Under Mongol rule, merchants had elevated status and benefited from a network of postal-stations called the örtöö, which facilitated their travels for trade and supply acquisition. These stations also allowed for secure travel without the burden of confiscatory taxation. The immense wealth from the Jin made the Mongols desire more goods, lands, and materials, pushing their expansion westward for trade and raiding.
The Mongols were also renowned for their construction of bridges and prowess in siege technology which indirectly aided commerce by making travel and goods exchange more efficient during the Pax Mongolica. The creation of legal and institutional infrastructures, like the standardization of weights, measures, and currency, further underlined the Mongol commitment to facilitating trade across their vast empire.
The Mongols' disposition as nomads influenced their perspective on trade. They esteemed merchants over farmers and placed high importance on mobility rather than the acquisition of territory. This mindset contributed to their extensive use of the Silk Road for trade, which was maintained securely under the Pax Mongolica, but eventually led Europeans to search for other trade routes post-Mongol rule, notably inspiring the Age of Exploration.