Silver production was referred to as the start of the Commercial Revolution. Like sugar, it was produced in the New World but also in Japan. In the New World, the Spanish used Native Americans to work in the mines and sugarcane plantations. Once they killed all of them off, they started to import slaves from Africa. They shipped out silver to Asia both from the Atlantic through …show more content…
Both, indirectly killed most of the Native Americans and millions of Africans through slave labor. When the Spanish came to the New World, they forced the natives to work hard and long hours. After they killed most of them, they imported many Africans. But in a positive way, it boosted many economies. The Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese were just some of many who profited from these industries. Many cities along key trade routes also flourished. Because of this wealth, many empires rose and also had the military power to expand. The Spanish and Japanese gained power and authority. Silver and sugar also were in very high demand, which caused the value to drop, which led to inflation. Also, the merchant class rose and gained more power. These two business excelled with the merchants behind the wheel. They bought low, and sold high making an easy profit. Lastly, silver and sugar led to exploration for new land where these products might be. Silver mainly helped Spain and Japan. With China’s high demand, Spain and Japan continuously sold to them gaining wealth by the second. China, by buying Japan’s silver, gave them competition in the Western Asian economy. Also, it actually led to both the rise and decline of the Spanish empire. With supply and demand decreasing the value of silver, it eventually decreased to its production cost which means no profit. Sugar on