Second Age of Nations
1. International trade means other people and resources can be conquered for profit
2. Trade provides motivation to produce and hoard more than any nation could use
3. Trade empires obliterate at great speed all societies not primarily built on trade
4. Fighting since the third millennium B.C (Last 5,000 years) has been for dominance over trade routes
5. Trade economy means knowledge specialization of complex societies becomes knowledge ownership. Guilds, traditions and laws set up to protect that ownership. Protecting assets which can bring trade advantage, such as a volcano for obsidian or access to trade partners.
6. Global trade economy results in increased trade secrets
7. As trade expanded, so did idea of ownership of resources, of knowledge, of rights to trading partners. Militarized borders created to protect those rights, block competition and increase profits to merchants.
8. Empires claim trade routes and protect economic markets.
9. Trade treaties create trade cartels, access to capital restricted by strata.
10. Control of trade routes enough for wealth
11. Europe’s Dark Ages caused by knowledge of trade, collaboration, stratification, guilds and literacy being locked into only a small part of society due to trade economy. When Roman Empire collapsed, poof!
12. Knowledge and plunder from sacking of Constantinople during fourth crusade kick started European renaissance. Europe claims they sacked the city because of schism between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, with no explanation of what plunder of gold and silk has to do with theological differences.
13. After Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire, European resistance to control of their trade framed as Muslim vs Christian. Ottoman’s had independent systems of law for each of major religions under their control, so the argument is bull. Also, Roman and Greek Empires were mostly polytheist.
14. Use of religion still effective propaganda today for wars to protect trade for elite. Same propaganda used today over the exact same trade routes, by states and neo-caphilates (ISIS/Boko Haram) who promise the second age of the caphilate to control trade once again.
adamkendall2 