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Assess the contribution of globalisation to cultural diffusion
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Cultural diffusion is the spread of both cultural beliefs and social activities from one group of people to another. Throughout history, many different examples of cultural diffusion can be found. From the Bantu migrations to the Christian Crusades, humans have been interacting with each other and spreading their ideas for centuries. Two important examples of cultural diffusion are the Renaissance and the Spread of Islam. Both of these events had a huge impact on, not only culture, but how human beings see the world today.
One of the many things the spread of Islam affected was the economic growth of the Muslim empires. An important contributing factor to the economic growth of the Muslim empires was the extensive system of trade networks stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. This was important because trade, along with a money economy, led to the pioneering of new businesses. With new businesses, came new business ideas such as early forms of partnerships, bills, credits, loans, and savings accounts. The Muslim Empires also used traders and explorers to improve knowledge and information. They
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revolutionized industry and technology with hydropower, dams, and philosophy. They used agriculture to boost their economy, adapting techniques, producing cash crops, and using crop rotation methods to make farming easier. However, one of the most well remembered things the Muslim traders did, was bring the Indian number system to the western world. Economy had a large impact on the growth of the Muslim empires, but it also had a ginormous impact on the time period commonly known as the Renaissance.
Modern banking was first used during the Renaissance, these banks provided interest for the first time. Along with the start of modern banking, extensive trade supported the economy of Europe during the Renaissance. One of the trade routes used, was the Silk Road, an important trade route connecting China with the Mediterranean. Joint stock companies, an international banking system, a systematized foreign exchange market, insurance, and government debt developed during the Renaissance. The merchant class developed during this period, as well as the middle class. Many of the advances made during the Renaissance were possible because of wealthy patrons and their support of both art and
discovery. Many new technologies were invented during the Renaissance. Many of these advancements were in the art or science fields because during this time period the way people saw the world changed and the affects could be seen through art or the new discoveries uncovered during the Renaissance. Of all the important devices invented during the Renaissance, the printing press is one of the most important ones. It allowed ideas and opinions to spread faster than ever before and assisted in educating most of the middle class. Other inventions created during the Renaissance was the telescope, glasses, compass, microscope and the submarine. Art had an enormous impact on the Renaissance. Religious ideas, anatomy, humanism, and realism were new ideas that influenced renaissance art. Many medical breakthroughs occurred during this time period. Ointments that prevented infection and new surgery techniques were first used during the Renaissance. One of the most important revelations in the field of science, was the discovery of the planets and stars. Overall, Cultural diffusion had a major impact on the spread of Islam, the Renaissance, and the Muslim Empires. The spread of Islam and the Renaissance were just two examples of cultural diffusion in history, but they are both very important examples. They were both major events in history that have left a long legacy. They were also two important examples of how cultural diffusion can affect history. In both of these time periods, trade played a large part in their success. Part of why trade is as important as it is, is because it encourages culture to spread and helps ideas travel from one place to another. In other words, trade is important because it assists an important part of human growth and enrichment, cultural diffusion.
In 610 CE, Muhammad, a merchant trader from Mecca (Mecca is also a site of a yearly pilgrimage where Muslims come to perform a rituals at the sacred Ka’ba a.k.a. the holy shrine of Mecca), made one of his frequent visits to a cave by Mount Hira. On his way to the cave, he decided to pray because of all the different causes that made him feel like he was losing his way. During this visit to Mount Hira, the Archangel Gabriel squeezed Muhammad hard forcing the words “Allah is one God” continuously coming out of his mouth. After having these words come out of his mouth for about two years, Muhammad decided that it was the time to encourage others to quote
Islam is a very large and influential religion, it all originated from one man named Muhammad spreading his beliefs to the people of Mecca, and now it has become the second largest religion in the world. How did this come to be? How did a religion that started with one man spread so quickly? methods , purposeful or not, were used. There are a few methods that appeared to be most effective, and those methods can be classified under two categories. Islam expanded from forceful ways such as government laws and military conquest, and from peaceful ways like the religion being a reasonable jump for other religions and Islam being an easily acceptable religion.
The Muslim Empire began to expand vastly under the Umayyads, with the empire becoming so large many people were converting to Islam religion. The Umayyads were the second of the four major caliphates after the death of Muhammad. The Empire used many different ways to spread the Islamic civilization consisting of war, classes, and appeal. The Islamic civilization spread so strongly because of the way it allured the common man.
Why and how did Islam spread so quickly? I will give three reasons to answer this question. One answer is because of the large trading happening, two is that muslims are protected by Islam, three is because of the religion Muhammad created was attractive to people.
For example, the spread of Islam to the Byzantines and the Persians. The other caliphs (Umar, Uthman and Ali) expanded the Islamic empire rapidly and grew faster than any other religion. The Muslims conquered a massive amount of land from the Indus River, across North Africa and into Spain. There were many factors that helped Islam succeed; for example, people would rather fight for God and their salvation instead of fighting for a king, the use of military force by the Muslims and how easy it was to convert to Islam.
As empires progressed in the ancient world, trade became necessary for expansion to continue. Towns and villages developed along the trade routes and became wealthy and powerful. Two specific routes, the Silk Road and the Indian Ocean trade network, were able to spread different aspects of culture, such as religion, but they both differed in the transfer of these ideas.
... had control various territories. Many merchants learned the Islamic language and became custom to their traditions. This allowed for its culture to spread and Islam had received converts. The trading industry has a major effect on the economy and allows the spread of one’s culture.
We see in the mid-7th century the Muslim Invasions conquering Cathage, Alexandria, and Spain. By the Muslims increasing their empire, this led to a spread not only people, but also Islam. The Sunnah encourages Muslims to trade and make money to support themselves, such
Cultural diffusion is the method in which a characteristic or idea spreads from place to place. With diffusion there is always a place of origin, referred to as a hearth or node. Hearths appear when people are willing to try something new and have the necessary resources to do so. There are two types of diffusion: relocation and expansion. Relocation diffusion refers to the spread from one place to another through physical movement such as immigration. Expansion diffusion is the spread from one place to another in an additive process. There are three different categories of expansion diffusion: hierarchical, contagious, and stimulus. Hierarchical diffusion pertains to the spread of ideas through people of power to other people or place. Contagious diffusion is a fast spread from one place to another in a way that the flu is spread, from person to person. Lastly, stimulus diffusion is the spread of a certain concept but not the actual characteristic itself. Hierarchical diffusion is still among the most popular form of diffusion but is slowly being taken
This is because the Mongols brought the countries together. In addition, Knowledge and wisdom began to spread from Asia to Europe leading to new methods of mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. New banking methods and protection policies, coming from Eurasia, spread into Europe and help establish financing. Essentially, this connected with trade in the Silk Road and Eurasia.
The town of Mecca was the birthplace of Islam, at first the leaders of the city refused the changing of this new religion and forced Muhammad to leave. Muhammad returned and preached to the people about what he had heard, that there is only one god. Islam spread quickly for two main reasons they are the message and military conquest.
Islam is a major world religion. Its origin can be traced back to 610 CE in Arabia. The basis of this religion is the revelations to the prophet Mohammad. Dissatisfied with his life, he traveled to deserts, hills, and the wilderness surrounding Mecca, where he lived, to meditate and reflect. He became a new man through his revelations, which many of his followers believe Allah transmitted to him through his angel Gabriel. Islam was originally an Arab religion, but many different beliefs and practices were added to it, making it extremely popular and aiding in its rapid spread. This new religion spread to many different areas surrounding Arabia, both under Mohammad and after his death. The Muslim Empire grew to encompass Spain and the Eastern Roman Empire as well Persia and Africa. Many different practices and methods were used to spread Islam. The religion itself was appealing to, in addition to the inhabitants of Arabia, other people in the surrounding areas because of its distinct religious beliefs and practices, such as the five pillars, as well as the humility and prayerfulness of the Islamic people. They fought cruel, vicious wars with their enemies. Many different things motivated the warriors to expand, but above all, the riches they would gain from the people of the Fertile Crescent encouraged them to expand.
Along with Muhammad’s influence on Islam, trade routes also provided a significant impact on the spread of Islam. The most important and remembered trade routes were the Silk Roads and the Indian Ocean trade route. In these trade routes, along w...
There exists a time when major civilizations were once divided in nature and were unaware of each other’s existence. The major civilizations developed at an independent rate, and most of the technologies and ideas were innovated without the influence of other civilizations. The Chinese were famed for their production of silk, a valuable textile coveted for its splendid texture and color. The Roman Empire was known for its wealth and domesticated animals. India was famous for its spices [1]. However, this situation then took a drastic change when the Silk Road was established by the Han Dynasty. The main purpose of this establishment was to maintain political contact with the kingdoms located in Central Asia. This route soon evolved into a trade route that connected China, Central Asia and Constantinople [2]. Sometime between 206 B.C and 220 A.D, Silk Road was known to be the main trade route that linked the west and the east [2]. The Silk Road then became one of the most iconic symbols of trade in the world, as it became the first trade route of its kind that managed to connect the west with the east. Although the Silk Road disappeared after 220 A.D due to the fall of Constantinople, it remained to be one of the most important human systems in history. This is because it gave rise to globalization, expedited the development of great civilizations and inspired the rise of maritime exploration.
After the fall of the west part of the Roman Empire at about 500 A.D., and before the Renaissance, in the 14th Century, was a time period called the Middle Ages. This time period was important, because many describe it as the foundation of the Renaissance. During this time period, the Crusades, military campaigns supported by the papacy occurred. The Crusades united many people under the Church and, acting under the orders of the Pope advanced to Jerusalem to take back the “Holy Land” There were many crusades each had its own varying degree of success, and they usually impacted the area around it. The Crusades, the Holy Wars of the Middle Ages, had an important effect on the time period, one reason being that it unified most of western Europe