1.2 - history of international trade

Question 1

self-sufficiency

Answer 1

this is what existed before global trade. it is the ability for people to provide all your basic needs for yourself without having to rely on anyone else.

• characteristic of many developing nations

Question 2

what was the silk road?

Answer 2

• the silk road was a trade route that spanned between china and rome, used for about 1500 years between 140 bce and 1450 ce
  
  • made of 2 parts: one connected the eastern medeterranian to central asia and another from central asia to china
• silk wasn’t the only thing traded; different countries traded all sorts of differennt products like spices and oils

Question 3

how did the silk road impact the world?

Answer 3

1. wider economic impact
   the vast amount of silk trade created a whole new job market. as the silk market grew, more people chose to go into silk production
2. trading ideas
   silk road was the primary route for the spread of buddhism. through contacts with other traditions, buddhism went from a dying religion in india to one of the great religions in the world
3. spread of disease
   measles, smallpox, and the plague were all carried by the silk road across the world. the black death, which killed 25% of all europeans, was also caused by the trade route

Question 4

what was the atlantic slave trade?

Answer 4

the atlantic slave trade (15th-19th century) was a trade that forcibly brought more than 10 million africans to the americas.

Question 5

how did the atlantic slave trade impact north america?

Answer 5

• europeans tried enslaving american natives, but they either died of diseases or fought back, so they turned to africa
• slavery replaced other criminal sentences and became a cause of war rather than a product
• slaves were branded, shaved, and put on a ship headed for the americas
  • about 20% of them died due to poor sanitation or being thrown overboard

Question 6

how did the slave trade impact africa?

Answer 6

• because the slave trade contributed to the economies of so many african kingdoms, its outlawing caused many of them to collapse and left them open to colonization
  
  • the european sale of weapons prompted violence and war that rages on to this day
• because most of the slaves taken were men, it crippled population demographics for centuries
• the slave trade also had many social implications
  
  • to promote africans as slaves, europeans claimed them to be biologically inferior and that they were destined for slavery
  • planted the seed for modern racism against africans

Question 7

how were canada and america different in their approaches to trade?

Answer 7

• the american revolution caused america to develop a feeling of patriotism, allowing them to become more and more independent.
• on the other hand, canada instead accepted the british and didn’t fight back. this laid the path for canada’s modern reliance on foreign powers for their trade

Question 8

how did canadian trade begin?

Answer 8

• french and english explorers landed in canada in the 1600s
  
  • they traded with the first nations,
    especially Ojibwa and cree, for food
    and fur, then sent it back to europe
• the hudson’s bay company was the most notable company established as a result of the success of international business

Question 9

canadian trade with USA

Answer 9

• after the usa gained independence, they wanted a way to become less reliant on europe
• the invention of the steam train and cotton gin (helped make clothes)aided the rapid growth of american industry
  • canada supplied america with raw
    materials
  • the usa became canada’s largest
    trading partner and remains so
    until this day

Question 10

canadian trade with europe

Answer 10

• trade grew quickly after permanent settlements were established in canada in the 1700s
• demand for raw materials (beaver pelts, fish, lumber) grew in europe
  
  • basically people realized that canada had a lot of cool stuff and they wanted it
  • manufacturing took place overseas

Question 11

canadian trade with asia

Answer 11

• canada began trading with japan after WW2, when japan became known for high-quality electronics and automobiles
• china is more recent
  • chinese products are well-produced
    and inexpensive, and popular with
    north american stores

Question 12

canadian trade with africa

Answer 12

• canada doesn’t trade very often with africa
  
  • mostly due to their political and
    economic instability
    
    • wars, civil disputes, lack of
      infrastructure all contributes to
      this
  • imported products from africa are
    generally low, aside from oil from
    nigeria, algeria, and angola
• because africa is rich in natural resources, many countries like morocco and south africa are developing and emerging as major trading partners

Question 13

canadian trade with mexico

Answer 13

• prior to nafta, we had very little trade with mexico
  
  • from 1993 to 2015, merchandise trade grew eight-fold
• nafta had arguably the largest impact on canada out of the 3 countries
  
  • canada has gained the most from
    nafta, with a 3.6% growth in gdp, vs.
    the usa with 3.3% and mexico with
    2.7%
  • employment levels have also
    showed gains, with overall
    employment going from 14.9
    million to 18.1 million by 2016
  • canadian manufacturing even held
    steady until china opened its doors
    in 2004
  • agriculture flowing both ways is also
    one of the biggest economic effects
    of nafta

Question 14

what things did canada impose restrictions on prior to nafta?

Answer 14

1. water (necessary for business practices, government didnt want businesses taking it)
2. cultural industries (wanted to maintain some sense of canadiana. ex. if at&t came to canada, bell and rogers would have a very hard time)

• if foreign companies control your media, your viewpoints may be skewed

3. agriculture (government didnt wanna run out of farmland. many farms are subsidized by the government)

Question 15

canadian trade with the middle east

Answer 15

• traditionally, trade with the middle east has been centred around oil, but that is not a sustainable commodity
  
  • canada trades with foreign nations
    rather than using their own oil
    because their pipelines do not
    extend throughout the entire
    country
    
    • we mainly produce oil for the us
  • it is more viable to import than it is
    to transport it by truck or train
    across the country
• unfortunately, the region’s political instability and lack of industrialization has limited trade with canada
  
  • uae, israel, and egypt have
    developed non-oil centric trading
    relationships with canada
• many countries in the middle east have realized that oil is limited and have turned to tourism to boost their economy (ex. dubai)

Question 16

canadian trade with india

Answer 16

• india has many strong qualities that make them suitable for trade:
  
  • population of 1.45 billion with many
    of them speaking english
  • workforce is young and well-
    educated
  • in recent years, it has become a
    major source of outsourcing and
    manufacturing
  • indian companies are aggressively
    expanding into international
    markets
• india has become a very open market recently which has allowed them to become less impoverished
  
  • even with 800 million still
    impoverished, the remaining 645
    million leaves a large market to sell
    to
  • many types of service jobs like call
    centres have gone from canadian
    and american to indian
• however, they also have a significant lack of infrastructure and widespread corruption