This is a choice essay. For this essay you will be allowed to choose from one of four essays. You will also get to choose the two people who will read and comment on your essay. ( If you would rather I will choose for you. ). There is a catch however. You are not allowed to choose the same essay as either of your partners.

Follow this link to the Essay #3 Choices page. Once you and your group members select your essay and the examples that you will be writing about post that information in the chart below. Then write your essay below the chart.

Name	Essay Topic	Examples	Question Color
Carlo	Movement of People and Goods	-British East India Company -Silk Road	Blue
Jackie	Individuals	Lenin and Gutenberg	red
lexi	conflict	tianamen square the holocaust	green

Post your essay here:


Throughout global history, trade routes and trade organizations have been established in order for the movement of people and goods. Trading systems have left both positive and negative effects but have certainly left strong and lasting impacts on the societies they affected. Two examples of these trading organizations from past history were the British East India Company and the Silk Road.

The British East India Company was one trade organization that controlled India and its economic affairs. After winning trading rights in India in the early 1600s, the business managed almost 60% of the Indian nation and also employed Indian soldiers, or sepoys, which were needed for military service in the India and even overseas in order for support in Allied military affairs including in countries such as Portugal. Along with their control, the British introduced western ideas and influences such as Christianity, new farming methods, & medical advancements and also worked to preserve peace as well as improve means of transportation. Created in the early 1800’s, the British East India Company was established in order to fulfill the needs of the industrious British Empire. Britain followed the economic theory of mercantilism, which meant that colonies exist for the benefit of the mother country. In order to benefit the “mother country,” being England, the Indians needed to provide resources including spices, a major raw material, as well as cotton & silk and also purchase goods from the “mother country.” Since Britain needed raw materials and markets in order to run their colony, they colonized India and established the British East India Company. Even though the company brought much wealth to the British Empire, it also left some negative impacts on the people of India. Some of the negative impacts included mass deforestation, or the cutting of trees, which drastically changed the natural, India environment, but one of the major negative effects was the exploitation of the sepoys. The British were ignorant towards the needs and beliefs of the sepoys. For example, certain Hindus were forced to travel overseas even though they considered it to be a crime against their religion. Also, the British ordered the sepoys to use weapons that required them to bite off the tips of cartridges that were covered in animal fat. Even though the Hindus considered these animals as sacred, the British without any sensitivity, still forced the sepoys to follow their commands. The sepoys were treated unfairly and were exploited by the British East India Company, which left a negative effect on the Indian society.

The Silk Road was another major trade system from past history. Developed by the Chinese Han Dynasty in 220 B.C., the Silk Road was a chief trade route that spanned for over 4,000 miles which linked China to the Fertile Crescent, located in the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. Really, the Silk Road connected the Eastern and Western Hemispheres of the world allowing vast amounts of cultural diffusion, or the spread of ideas and products between different European and Asian societies. The reason for the establishment of this trade way was because of the Han Emperor Wudi. Emperor Wudi wanted to expand his empire by following the policy of expansionism, which was the idea to increase the amount of land the Chinese ruled over. Also, Emperor Wudi wanted to discover new ideas and goods that would potentially benefit his empire. He did this by building the Silk Road. (I already mentioned what was the Silk Road and what in connected.) The establishment of the Silk Road brought a lot of positive effects to the Chinese society. One of those effects was allowing the Han to experience a golden age, which was a time of peace, wealth, and cultural diffusion in a certain area. New foods including grapes and walnuts were imported from Western Asia, into China and Buddhism from India also spread through the Silk Road into China. With new ideas coming in, the Chinese also exported their “high-in-demand” products including silk and porcelain which brought huge amounts of wealth to the Han. The Silk Road certainly affected the Chinese in a positive way.

Throughout histroy, trade routes and organizations have left both positive and negative effects on the societies they affected. In India, the sepoys were exploited and their own beliefs were ignored by the British East India Company. With the Silk Road, plenty of ideas and goods were exchanged between China and the rest of the world, thus affecting them in a positive way. Leaving positive or negative impacts, trade systems had a huge influence on the societies they were established in.