Comments by "" (@craigkdillon) on "Extra History"
channel.
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Similarly, I have talked to "Muslims" recently. After declaring themselves Muslim, I then ask them about their beliefs. What I found was astounding. Many used "Muslim" as an ethnic identification, not a religious one. Kind of like how many "Jews" are Atheists, Agnostics, or even Buddhist. Quite a few did not believe in Allah/God. Many did not believe the Quran to taken literally, or even was the word of God. Most did not accept the Islamic position on interest and loans. Most did not follow its teachings on liquor consumption. In fact, most "Muslims" were not Muslim in the theocratic or doctrinal sense.
In Muslim countries, Islam uses coercion and capital punishment to enforce its dominance. Without the ability to coerce and punish, Islam will decline among adherents in western countries. In fact, there are huge numbers converting to Christianity. I suspect even larger numbers just stop practicing, just as many "Christians" don't practice their faiths.
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I agree with you. Battles and great men are important, yet, in the long run, social, technological, and philosophical forces are more important. BTW, I think the term "economic" is too narrow, and even misleading. For instance, the US Republic expanded rights to more groups, while the Roman Republic devolved towards Empire. Why?? I believe it has to do with the high level of literacy and communication that comes from the printing press. Literacy is not the issue, I think. I suspect most citizens of Rome could read. I think the printing press is the key differentiator between "modern" and "ancient" societies and peoples. I believe that without it, the modern nation-state would not have developed.
The printing press in Europe started a whole number of trends - The Age of Discovery, The Reformation, The Enlightenment, and The Nation-State. I don't fully understand how, but it seems that the printing press may have also been key to the rise of Nationalism, which really became powerful in the 1800's.
BTW.. "Nationalism" is a complex, interesting, and hugely important force. I think a series addressing it would be great. However, it might be beyond the capabilities of your format. Also, it is a murky, hard to define, hard to understand topic.
So, maybe your team is not up to it. (subtle challenge here).
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Aren't most wars "Resource Wars"???
Rome conquered Iberia for Silver, Britain for Tin, Gaul for slaves.
There were wars over the sugar colonies of the Caribbean, spice islands of the East Indies, Asian trade routes, colonization conquests, 100 Years War, Mongol conquests, Spanish American War, Viking conquests, raids of the Sea Peoples ~1200 BC. etc etc. There are some wars over succession, or just as an expression of ruler's testosterone levels, I guess. But, it seems to me the almost all can be traced down to wanting or protecting a resource.
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Good info, but you left out a lot.... a whole lot...
1. Paper "money" is NOT money === It is currency. Money is broader, and includes deposits, IOU's, etc.
2. Modern currencies are NOT backed by bullion of any kind. So, what backs them??? YOU did NOT answer that question.
3. You needed to go further into FRACTIONAL LENDING, for that is both how money is CREATED and BACKED. The dollar is backed by ALL the outstanding loans denominated in dollars.
This is how it goes......
Say a bank has $100,000 in its vaults, and it must keep 10% reserve, so it could lend out $1,000,000
You are buying a house, for $250,000 with $50,000, and you need to borrow $200,000.
The bank lends you $200,000, AND puts the house on its books as the mortgagor.
Its assets are now $100,000 + one house valued at $250,000, while mortgagee has $200,000 -- new money that did NOT exist before the purchase and loan.
It could do this four more times, and create total of $1,000,000.
Its books would read $100,000 + 5 homes valued at $1,250,000 total, with outstanding loans of $1,000,000 to be collected. Meanwhile, 5 people would have $1,000,000 of spendable cash that did not exist before they bought and mortgaged the homes.
Now, all lending has the same affect, even unsecured loans. Although, since the only value in the transaction is the loan itself, these loans have much higher interest rates.
That is how money is both CREATED and BACKED in the US.
This is also why we can NEVER go back to bullion backed currency. If we did, money supply would crash, companies would fold, and people thrown out of work, and the government have no money to help people. Our whole economic system would stop. Millions would die.
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Love it.
I suggest one on PRINTING. Printing is underestimated in its impact.
For instance, the Basque knew about the New World, and went there every year for cod fish for about 500 years before Columbus arrived. (See the book, "Cod", good read). HOWEVER, no one else learned about it because captains and merchants would never give away trade secrets. SO, any discoveries were kept hidden.
Then comes printing, now one could become rich writing and publishing. Take Amerigo Vespucci. He never traveled anywhere He published maps. And so, our continents are named after a couch potato, not an intrepid explorer like Columbus. Columbus's discoveries would have been kept secret if not for publishing.
Also, look at how Martin Luther caught fire (figuratively). That was also due to printing. The Renaissance and The Enlightenment could not have happened without printing and publishing.
I think this deserves a whole series.
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