Reflection on Ch. 14

The history of European trade with the rest of the world is very violent. It is shocking to think that the Portuguese, having nothing to offer Asian buyers, choice to use their superior military technology and forced trade with Asian markets. Had the Europeans never discovered the sea routes to Asia I wonder how different history would have unfolded. China had long been politically unified, and had they chose to expand upon their naval efforts in the Indian Ocean they could have dominated the Asian spice trade. Had India been free of colonial rule its history would have also unfolded quiet differently. Perhaps several new Indian states would have emerged from the subcontinent. It is sad that the historic interaction between the cultures and people of the world with the West has been filled with violence and conflict. Had these different cultures worked in unison, sharing their technology and knowledge the sum of human suffering could have been drastically reduced. However, the quest for Empire and the search for new markets led to incredible competition between the European powers and in turn great conflict. The other part of chapter 14 that stuck out to me was the enormous impact humanity had on the environment. From killing off animal populations to clear cutting forests, it is amazing that the Earth is still capable of supporting life despite humanities abuse of the environment.