Abstract
This essay analyzes the contribution of Andean silver to the mercantile accumulation in the European core countries by tracing the flow of silver from the Andes to Asia. American Silver became the empowering currency that enabled the dynamic West European countries to dominate overseas trade. I argue that the influx of American silver into Europe over a period of three hundred years not only constituted a remarkable source of wealth, but also had systemic effects on the rise of the Western World influencing the global balance of power. I present a schematic model of the mercantile accumulation in the European hegemonic centers that explains how the external stimulus was amplified through positive feedback mechanisms.
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