The worldwide financial system underwent a profound transformation within the sixteenth century, largely pushed by the invention and exploitation of silver mines within the Americas. Within the newest episode of “Mankind: The Story of All of Us,” titled “Silver Mines TRANSFORM the International Economic system,” viewers are taken on a historic journey that reveals how the search for silver not solely fueled piracy but additionally laid the muse for contemporary commerce.
The episode begins in 1579, as English pirate Francis Drake units his sights on the Spanish galleon Coca Fuego, laden with 26 tons of silver. With the backing of Queen Elizabeth I, Drake’s profitable ambush not solely enriches England but additionally shifts the stability of energy in world commerce. The silver extracted from the Americas, particularly from the legendary Potosi mine, quickly turns into the spine of a burgeoning world financial system, offering the foreign money vital for commerce and commerce.
The episode highlights Bartolome Medina, an innovator who revolutionized silver extraction strategies, enabling the mining of beforehand inaccessible ores. This breakthrough led to a staggering output of 220 tons of silver yearly, creating the world’s first common foreign money—items of eight—which facilitated commerce throughout continents.
Because the episode progresses, it explores the rise of recent buying and selling facilities like Amsterdam, fueled by the inflow of silver and the following financial growth. Nevertheless, this newfound wealth additionally sparked speculative ventures, such because the notorious tulip mania, revealing the dangers that accompany speedy monetary progress.
The narrative continues to attach these historic occasions to their influence on varied continents, together with the struggles of Queen Nzinga of Ndongo as she fought in opposition to the Portuguese demand for slaves to assist the sugar commerce within the Americas.
Finally, the episode reveals how silver mining not solely catalyzed financial enlargement but additionally intertwined the fates of countries and peoples, setting the stage for globalization as we all know it in the present day. The episode serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of human ambition, commerce, and the pursuit of wealth all through historical past.
