A History Of The World In 6 Glasses Analysis

In society there are many different types of power. Socially someone could be more influential than another person, physically someone could have the ability to lift more weight than another, politically some people’s beliefs and ideas are taken more seriously than others. Humans crave to possess some sort of power over something or someone. In the book A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, he shows that the sources of power throughout history can be explained by whoever controlled the influx of certain drinks. The Arabs originally controlled the source of coffee and as the demand grew the pressure to keep the plant to themselves became more imperative. Rum, which is made from leftover molasses, was more easily obtained. The

power to control who was able to produce rum and who was not lead to many actions being taken. Tea was the greatest source of revenue for an empire that expound over a vast majority of the world’s surface. Without being able to dominate the tea trade the jurisdiction of the British empire would not have been so profound as it was. Though these beverages played only part of a role for these different people rise to power they were critical for success of these empires and to the advancement of the world as a whole.
Coffee is known as the Great Soberer. It had the ability to alter one’s state of mind, but in a different way than alcohol. Being that coffee possesses caffeine, it is able to sharpen the mind and help people stay more alert. Without coffee crucial scientific advancements would not have happen at such a speed that they did. Coffee would bring people of interest together, no matter what the interest may be. As different groups of people formed the government of which these people fell under jurisdiction began to question the well being of these gatherings. People would assemble in coffeehouses and depending on where in the world you were would discuss different topics. In Britain the coffeehouse were less government controlled. Coffeehouses became a place for people to meet and freely discuss their ideas with one another. In France however, the coffeehouse atmosphere was completely different. Women were allowed in French coffeehouse which was something that was not allowed in the English society. The government in France did not endorse the idea of so many people assembling and discussing whatever could be of interest. They feared that this could result in people banning together and rebelling against the French government, so in order to prevent a rebellion from happening, French spies were often present in the coffeehouses. If they were to hear anything unfavorable about the government they could quite possibly arrest that person. The struggle to control how coffee brought people together was one that was very pertinent at this time. Coffee gathered people which was something that government did not want. Ideas now were being spread and people started to become more enlightened of the world around them.
Rum was unlike coffee and tea in who controlled it.

Rum was more easily obtained and could be made by the common person. Rum is made from molasses and as a result of who was able to control the molasses the more power that empire had. Rum was especially popular in the thirteen colonies amongst other places. Britain wanted to have a source of revenue from the colonies, so they tried to prohibit them from buying molasses from other sources, like France. Britain was not able to keep up with the supply and demand of rum, so as a result smuggling became socially acceptable. Britain imposed the Molasses Act on the colonies, which was supposed to make it so more sugar from the British Islands was being bought over the French. Though the Molasses Act was not effective the concept of being able to control how rum was traded was valued highly. The British tried to show the amount of authority they had over the colonists with imposing many different tariffs on them. People did not fight over who was able to control the intact of rum and the cultural effects of it, but the production. Colonist were beginning to realize that the people who they fell under jurisdiction were not best for the rise country. Without rum having enraged the americans the start of the revolutionary war would have happened at a later

time.
The East India Tea Company was a corporation that held more power than most do now. Being that Britain was so large at this time, the East India Tea Company was able to reach many different places and many different people. They had grown so large that they were able to pass laws in parliament in their favor. The company, as they grew, began to realize how much power they had. The began to not only control the tea distribution, but became involved with the opium trade. They were able to develop a very elaborate scheme that allowed them to be involved with the trade but under the radar. They did this all to have more control over the tea. If Britain had not been the main distributer of tea the power of the empire would not have been as immense. Tea started only as a drink for the royal but by the end of the eighteenth century every person was drinking it, from the poorest to the wealthiest. The reason that the british were able to profit so much from it was due to the vast amount of people who demanded it in their day to day lives. Tea created an empire so great that the world has not seen anything like it since.
The struggle to obtain power in any way necessary is one that humans having been dealing with since the beginning of time. Through these three beverages different sources of authority tried to intervene and figure out a way where they were able to be the only one producing it. People were beginning to come together and be more aware of the world around them. Production of these drinks helped the world make new advancements that were pivotal to the time. An ideal system of government was also created in people’s minds. They were fighting with the idea of too much authority and too little authority. The amount of power set back then set the standards for society now. The concept of solely controlling a certain product and then profiting greatly from it began common. In today’s world this idea still exists though is not as prominent as it used to be, it is human nature to find a source of power in everything.