Worlds Together, Worlds Apart

The first eight chapters of the text book, Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, goes into detail on how several global processes touched peoples in all parts of the world and influenced the development of their societies from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Through the readings there are questions that have come up and answers that have been found. There are, however, more in depth questions that require greater research in the textbook to find the answers to them. Some of these questions that were given to help guide were: what were the crucial issues that shaped the global connections and disconnections; why and how did trade expand and wealth increase in certain parts of the world; who are the significant individuals in the age of discovery and why; did mercantilism, capitalism, and nationalism influence the development of the European nations; what were the motives of imperialism (economic or political motives and or cultural justifications); which European countries come to dominate the world and why; did religion, technology, science, or political ideologies play any part in the process of empire building; what kind of challenges they encountered and why; what were the legacies.

As societies began to emerge and develop in the 14th through the 18th centuries, civilization grew very independent in values and political ideals. Trade, geographic location, natural resources, and religious/ethnic barriers were some of the main factors in building political societies in the 14th through the 18th centuries. In each of these populating cultures, great diversity and local orientations prevailed. The trade between regions, however, united separate peoples and imposed friendly relationships.

Trade was not only a means of survival but a main cause of the uprising of power in certain empires and dynasties. Trade was also perhaps the key component in building political societies. The natural resources around a particular area would dictate what could and could not be...