Precious metals have fascinated people since ancient times. Gold and silver have always been one of the symbols of human wealth. In a world where silver coins are moving, how does American silver fluctuate around the world?
The Spaniards discovered precious metals in the Americas during the Age of Discovery. There is the world's largest silver mine, the Potosí Silver Mine, in the Andes Mountains. This silver mine contains 50% silver, which is equivalent to dozens of times that of ordinary silver mines. It only needs Silver can be extracted at low temperatures, using the same method invented in China, using mercury to purify silver.
And God was willing, another mercury mine was discovered in Huancavelica, which is now Peru.
As a result, the silver production capacity of the Americas grew rapidly. Because it required a lot of labor, a large number of Indians were enslaved to work. Because of the difficult conditions and high mortality rate, the number of workers continued to decrease, and finally they had to find ways to immigrate to supplement them.
From the 15th to the 16th century, the annual output of the Potosi silver mines can be counted. From 1581 to 1600, the annual silver output of only one place reached 254 tons of silver, during which there were millions of kilograms of silver. Silver flowed from America to Spain.
By the time it developed into the seventeenth century, America had already attracted people from many countries in the world to go there because of its silver industry. Of course, a large number of people were slaves who were escorted there. But there are also immigrants from other countries and people working in other industries. As the amount of silver surged, the resulting chaos also increased. Many countries began to get involved in the business of smuggling silver.
These include Spain, France, etc. The United Kingdom also began to participate in the fight against silver smuggling, often attacking Spanish ships. At that time, the hostility between Spain and Britain surged, and even an Anglo-Spanish naval war broke out. The final result of the tragic war was that Spain was defeated miserably, and a large amount of silver poured into Britain from Spain. The Netherlands also took advantage of the situation and intercepted ships carrying silver coins.
The chaotic situation improved in the eighteenth century. Both Britain and Spain established new systems and implemented new governance methods for the country. At this time, silver had entered the European region in large quantities, which to a large extent promoted the development of the currency.
Moreover, while American silver influenced Western Europe, it also had an impact on the Eastern world at that time. Another silver power at that time was the Ming Dynasty. This dynasty introduced high-yield crops from the Americas, such as corn, potatoes, peanuts, etc., from Spain. After entering China, it played an important role in the growth of the population in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Western countries also purchased my country's silk, tea, porcelain and other trades very frequently, and business exchanges at that time were also very prosperous.
These transactions all used silver as the settlement medium, and a large amount of silver was in circulation. In the 16th century, most of the silver produced by the Spanish colonies entered China. The silver at that time could reach 2,000 tons. By the 17th century , up to 10,000 tons of global silver have been imported into China, accounting for a quarter of the world's total.
As our neighbor, Japan, discovered considerable silver deposits in the 16th century, and mined and refined silver. Because the price in the Ming Dynasty was higher than that in Europe and other regions, Japan’s silver production was about 180,000 per year. Kilograms poured into China. Many people in Europe also go to China to do silver business through ports, purchasing relatively low-priced silver from other parts of Europe, such as Japan, and then transporting it to China to sell, or exchange it for other valuable commodities or Metal, very profitable.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty government also required the people to pay silver as taxes. Silver reached its peak import period in the early Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.From then on until the decades-long economic crisis that occurred in the 17th century and the decline of the Ming Dynasty, silver production was also reduced and these major background factors led to a decline in silver mining in the Americas and a severe reduction in trade in various industries around the world. As a result, the global silver liquidity has also declined, and the silver flowing into China has been much less. With the current turmoil and trade crisis, as well as artificial restrictions and blockades of trade barriers, capitalism has led to an increase in bankrupt companies.
Due to the economic downturn and population decline, China also experienced serious inflation at that time. After the silver circulation dropped sharply, the Ming Dynasty's finances were affected. As the Ming Dynasty's army was the best equipped in the world at that time, the court was unable to support it. , coupled with years of natural disasters and agricultural waste, the people were in dire straits, which eventually led to the disintegration of the Ming Dynasty.
At this time, Japan was closed to the outside world and only retained trade with the Netherlands. At the same time, it also vigorously developed the porcelain firing technology. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Japanese porcelain opened up the European market, and Japan began to have more exchanges with Europe. There are more works of art in circulation.
The processing of silver has also witnessed the progress of human civilization. As some netizens believe, China created the era of exchanging ceramics for silver, and Americans invented the use of paper money to replace precious metals. Silver began to fluctuate around the world from the Americas, promoting the global Silver has played an indispensable role in accelerating the globalization process of mankind in the world. As an opportunity and medium, silver seems to be interrupted on the surface, but in fact, the connection between mankind is endless.
