connerbamfdbq4

Conner Fromknecht DBQ #4 Silver had a global effect on the economies and societies of empires and states. In most places, silver ruined the economies and made the countries desire ever more silver. The Spanish, English, and Chinese societies disliked silver, however England recognized its importance in sustaining their economy. Before continuing, it is imperative to point out that no documents from a lower class citizen are included. This would aid in expressing the views of the poor and silver’s influence upon them. The Spanish highly disliked the use of silver. In Document 2, Tomas de Mercado explains how silver destroyed the economy and made Spain dependent on Asian commodities. The silver made a person want to obtain it, instead of obtaining other goods, which caused inflation. In Document 6, Antonio Vazquez de Espinosa describes the working conditions of the mines. He dislikes the use of silver because it made people perform arduous labor and tasks.  He is probably taking this stand point because he is a priest and he is supposed to be kind and loving. Most of the Chinese society viewed silver as a disadvantage to their economy. Document 1, expresses the greed of the wealthy for silver. This shows how the economy grew to desire silver instead of necessities. In Document 3, the official is explaining how the scarcity of silver coins is leading to low grain production. This requires China to have to import more grain which is bad for the economy. In Document 5, Xu Dunqiu Ming is explain the system for paying for dyed cloth. Because the seller only wants to receive silver in payment, the people would have to get silver from a money lender. When people begin to borrow money, it is bad for the economy because everyone is in debt, which explains the Chinese dislike of silver. The only positive thing about silver for the Chinese was that when they sold their goods in other countries, it was highly valued (Document 7). Other places were paying 100-200% more than the value of the item. England, although it wasn’t silver’s biggest supporter saw that it was necessary to sustaining their economy. Document 4 expresses Ralph Fitch’s amazement at the silver exchange in the East. He noticed that the silver greatly benefitted the user in China when trying to obtain luxury goods. He probably wrote this to encourage the use of silver in England. In Document 8, Charles D’Avenant, and English scholar, shares his ideas about silver. He says that since England has been accustomed to Asian luxuries, it is now addicted and stopping trade with Asia and with silver would cause the economy to plummet. He says this because he doesn’t want to see his country’s economy fail because it would also affect his lavish lifestyle.