Question

Which of the following best explains the effects of Mongol trade policies?

Mongols controlled overland trade, leading Europeans to search for alternate trade routes.
Mongols avoided contact with most major religious groups in Asia to prevent assimilation.
O Mongols successfully spread their culture and religious beliefs along overland trade routes.
O Mongols heavily taxed seafaring traders, thus encouraging overland trade to flourish.

Answer 1

Mongol control of overland trade incentivized Europeans to find new trade routes, culminating in maritime exploration and the discovery of the New World. As Mongol influence declined and tariffs by new powers rose, overland trade grew less favorable, leading to the Age of Discovery.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best explanation for the effects of Mongol trade policies is that the Mongols controlled overland trade, which led Europeans to search for alternate trade routes. During the Pax Mongolica, the Mongols fostered a period of relative peace that allowed for safe and lucrative trade along the Silk Road. However, as Mongol power waned and the Pax Mongolica ended, overland trade became riskier and more expensive due to the emergence of new powers like the Ottomans and Mamluks, who imposed heavy tariffs on goods passing through their territories.

The difficulties associated with overland trade prompted European explorers to seek alternative maritime routes to Asia. This search eventually led to the Age of Discovery, where figures such as Christopher Columbus set out across the Atlantic, leading to the discovery of the New World, and where countries like Portugal found a sea route around Africa to India, bypassing the heavy taxation of overland routes.