From 650 C.E. to 1750 C.E., the Indian Ocean was central to trade between major civilizations. Political power shifted from local states to European colonists, but was always centered on control over the port cities. Generally, the same goods were exported and imported throughout the period. Increased interactions led to the spread and grow of new religions, like Islam. Commerce in the Indian Ocean both changed and stayed the same politically, economically, and culturally as new influences and global powers affected the trade patterns. During the 7th century, trade was flourishing across the Indian Ocean with powerful port cities dominating the trade. The Swahili city-states on the East African coast gained political power by taxing trade at ports, mainly exporting gold and other products from the interior of Africa. These African kingdoms were the center of civilization in …show more content…
The Portuguese first led European colonization in Africa in the early 15th century. They established colonies along the Indian Ocean, taking control over the powerful port cities. The European traders and merchants became more and more involved in Indian Ocean trade. Political power shifted from native Africans to the European colonists. The continuity of goods traded, like precious metal, spices, and textiles, provided stability for the market during the power shift. Sikhism was founded in the 15th century in India, stressing the importance of doing good actions. The new religion was able to quickly grow in popularity due to the extensive connections across the Indian Ocean. Even with this new belief system, Islam continued to grow in popularity, and was dominant in Africa and parts of India. China shut itself off from the western world, beginning an isolationist policy. This was to avoid foreigners from changing China. The new policy hurt trade on the India Ocean, since a major market was