Wood history or world history?

Plants have been the driver of many revolutions and discoveries in world history. Spices have had a huge impact on trade and on the development of Europe; the United States would probably not exist without tobacco; the French revolution might not have taken place without coffee, and we might still be nomadic tribes if it wasn’t for barley. But the truth is, none of these plants would matter, if there were no wood. Wood is truly the builder of our world, the means to empire building and the one plant that is vital for our survival.

Wood and Fire

http://astovegiveswarmwinter.blog.com/2012/10/17/33/

It all started more than one million years ago, when the Homo Erectus controlled fire for the first time, opening a whole new world of possibilities. Up until the Neolithic revolution, fire and wood were used for their most basic functions such as heat, light and weapons allowing the Homo erectus to evolve into the Homo sapiens. Then everything changed around 8,000 years ago, when humans decided to settle down and switch from nomadic hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers. The Neolithic revolution would have never been possible without wood that allowed the construction of houses, the building of irrigation systems and the creation of the first agricultural tools.

Wood and the Neolithic Revolution

http://aratta.wordpress.com/neolithic-revolution/

 Slowly, our ancestors invented the wooden wheel, and created bridges. Trade rapidly emerged and led to the creation of countries that developed into big empires. The need to expand and colonize the world grew. Ships offered a solution to that desire and led to the age of discovery and colonization. Wood was used in events such as the crusades as well as in everybody’s homes. And most importantly, wood has provided us with an incredible written record of the past ever since the Chinese invented paper in 105 AD. Even today, the role of wood is undeniable. It is our most important source of renewable energy providing 9% of the total primary energy supply and more than two billion people still depend on it for heating and cooking.

One of Christopher Columbus' ships, the Niña

http://www.christopher-columbus.eu/columbus-ships.htm

Trees are vital to our survival. They cover a third of our planet and play a very important role in removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. When forests grow, they act as carbon sinks because carbon dioxide is absorbed partly in the wood. Trees can take in 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. They allow the planet to keep a cooler climate and if all the trees were to disappear, life would probably not be possible anymore. Without wood, we probably would not even have a history.

The global distribution of forests

http://www.globalwood.org/tech/forest.htm

Relevant Sites

http://www.eh-resources.org/wood.html

http://www.fao.org/forestry/energy/en/

http://www.greenfacts.org/en/forests/

The Reign of the British East India Company

In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I chartered the East India Company for trade with Asia. Its original aim was to enter the spice market. Wealthy merchants and aristocrats owned it and the government had only indirect control of it. Over the next few hundred years, the British East India Company (EIC) established a gigantic trade empire based on cotton, tea and opium.

The coat of arms of the EIC

http://bhoffert.faculty.noctrl.edu/HST165/09.Qianlong.html

It all started when the EIC defeated the Portuguese in the Battle of Swally in 1612.This led to the EIC’s gradual hold of India creating new trading ports and obtaining a monopoly of trade. As the EIC acquired more Indian territory, it established cotton factories in the mainland for a cheap price and then imported the products back to England. In 1625, the EIC was importing more than 220,000 pieces of cotton. The Indian cotton and calicoes had immediate success and no competition until the end of the 18^th century, therefore allowing the EIC to make very large profits and grow as a powerful organization.

The EIC in India

http://history.howstuffworks.com/asian-history/east-india-company.htm

The EIC had been very successful with calicoes in Europe and started to build another branch of its trade empire in the 1600s based on tea whose demand was rapidly increasing. It eventually replaced cotton as calicoes trade started to decline during the second half of the 18^th century. In 1644, the EIC was given permission to establish a trading base in Amoy in China. However the Chinese would only trade tea for silver. Finding such big amounts of silver was very difficult for the EIC that consequently decided to indirectly trade opium for silver.

Unloading tea ships in the EIC's docks in London

http://www.maritimeheritage.org/newtale/opium.html

In 1772, Hastings, the first governor general of India, established a monopoly, which gave an exclusive right to the EIC to purchase opium from the Bengal. The EIC would then sell it to private merchants even though the company knew that those merchants would illegally sell the opium to the Chinese. This trade however granted enough money for the EIC to buy silver. It lasted for a few decades until China whose population was getting more and more addicted to opium, got alarmed and started to restrict tea imports. The EIC however wanted to legalize the opium trade. This led to the two opium wars, which eventually allowed the legalization of the opium trade in 1860.

The British destroying the Chinese ships during the first Opium War

http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/opium_wars_01/ow1_essay03.html

During this time, the EIC sent the plant hunter Robert Fortune to China to obtain tea and other plants. In 1851, he successfully brought back tea seeds to India as well as the equipment necessary to manufacture it. As a result, the EIC did not need to rely on China anymore. Soon after however, in 1874, the East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act of 1873 dissolved the company, after a long, unique and prosperous reign.

Relevant sites

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/east_india_01.shtml

http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/opium_wars_01/ow1_essay03.html