UNIT 15: Early Global Commodities

What is globalization and when did it begin? Before the sixteenth century, the world's four main monetary substances were silver, gold, copper, and shells. But it was China's demand for silver and Spain's newly discovered mines in the Americas that finally created an all-encompassing network of global trade.

Candice Goucher talks about the reasons behind the continued use of regional currencies such as shells and beads even after the global spread of metals.
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