Blog # 5 - A Culture of Drugs

After reading pages 71 - 80 in The World that Trade Created, answer the following questions

1) Explain why the author refers to chocolate as a drug. Do you agree with the author's opinion about chocolate and other commodities being a drug? Why or why not?

2) Using examples from at least two societies, explain how "drugs" helped the economy and culture of various empires and civilizations around the world.

3) How important are these drugs in our modern world and economy? Respond to at least one other person's answer.

Blog #4 - Shaping the World Economy with Free Labor

After reading "The Economics of Violence", answer the following questions:

1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?

2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion

3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.