Publisher Description

This is a fascinating and lively account of the birth of globalisation in the sixteenth century. We often think of the past two centuries as the age of globalization. In fact, the genesis of globalization took place some 500 years ago with the pursuit of gold, silver, and copper in the 16th century, when empires were created and destroyed on their talent for finding, exploiting, and controlling huge volumes of mineral wealth. "Conquest, Tribute, and Trade" traces the roots of globalization through the story of how the closely related states of Portugal, Spain, and later the Dutch Republic were able to check the powerful Ottoman Empire, supersede the great Italian city-states, and overturn centuries of Muslim commercial domination in Africa and Asia. In the process they created the first multinational corporations, launched scores of boomtowns, squandered huge amounts of capital, discovered new worlds, and invented new technologies.

Author Biography

Howard J. Erlichman is a successful economic consultant and amateur historian.

Review

""Erlichman has written a quite fascinating popular history of the role played by the overseas expansion of the Iberian nations in the sixteenth century. Conquest, Tribute, and Trade is a well-researched and well-told saga of international rivalries between the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Ottoman empires, the international search for minerals, and the sometimes unexpected similarities between then and now."--Stanley Engerman, John H. Munro Professor of Economics and professor of history, University of Rochester"A fascinating account of the attempts of Portugal and Spain to find a new route to the spice markets of the Indies after Muslims had taken control of the overland avenues through the eastern Mediterranean; the inadvertent discovery of gold and silver in the Americas; the consequences of massive inflows of wealth on nascent European politics; and the ultimate emergence of a new world economy centered in Amsterdam.... All in all, informative, full of new insights, and an enjoyable read."--Brian J. L. Berry, Lloyd Viel Berkner Regental Professor and dean of the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas

Long Description

This is a fascinating and lively account of the birth of globalisation in the sixteenth century. We often think of the past two centuries as the age of globalization. In fact, the genesis of globalization took place some 500 years ago with the pursuit of gold, silver, and copper in the 16th century, when empires were created and destroyed on their talent for finding, exploiting, and controlling huge volumes of mineral wealth. "Conquest, Tribute, and Trade" traces the roots of globalization through the story of how the closely related states of Portugal, Spain, and later the Dutch Republic were able to check the powerful Ottoman Empire, supersede the great Italian city-states, and overturn centuries of Muslim commercial domination in Africa and Asia. In the process they created the first multinational corporations, launched scores of boomtowns, squandered huge amounts of capital, discovered new worlds, and invented new technologies.

Review Text

""Erlichman has written a quite fascinating popular history of the role played by the overseas expansion of the Iberian nations in the sixteenth century. Conquest, Tribute, and Trade is a well-researched and well-told saga of international rivalries between the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Ottoman empires, the international search for minerals, and the sometimes unexpected similarities between then and now."--Stanley Engerman, John H. Munro Professor of Economics and professor of history, University of Rochester"A fascinating account of the attempts of Portugal and Spain to find a new route to the spice markets of the Indies after Muslims had taken control of the overland avenues through the eastern Mediterranean; the inadvertent discovery of gold and silver in the Americas; the consequences of massive inflows of wealth on nascent European politics; and the ultimate emergence of a new world economy centered in Amsterdam.... All in all, informative, full of new insights, and an enjoyable read."--Brian J. L. Berry, Lloyd Viel Berkner Regental Professor and dean of the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas

Review Quote

"Erlichman has written a quite fascinating popular history of the role played by the overseas expansion of the Iberian nations in the sixteenth century. Conquest, Tribute, and Trade is a well-researched and well-told saga of international rivalries between the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Ottoman empires, the international search for minerals, and the sometimes unexpected similarities between then and now." --Stanley Engerman, John H. Munro Professor of Economics and professor of history, University of Rochester "A fascinating account of the attempts of Portugal and Spain to find a new route to the spice markets of the Indies after Muslims had taken control of the overland avenues through the eastern Mediterranean; the inadvertent discovery of gold and silver in the Americas; the consequences of massive inflows of wealth on nascent European politics; and the ultimate emergence of a new world economy centered in Amsterdam…. All in all, informative, full of new insights, and an enjoyable read." --Brian J. L. Berry, Lloyd Viel Berkner Regental Professor and dean of the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas

Details