Throughout global history people have moved from place
to place, traded goods and services, and as a result,
traded ideas. This movement of people and goods
can be traced back to prehistoric
cultures and still occurs today.
There are four areas to consider when studying this
People have been on the move since their beginnings.
voluntarily, as in searching for food, or
Neolithic people were
nomads, constantly on the move in search
of food. Sometimes a group of people is forced to
move involuntarily. Both Jews and Africans
faced a forced movement of their populations called a
Diaspora. The Jews were forced out of
Palestine by the
Romans almost 2,000 years ago, and
millions of Africans were taken from Africa
slave trade of the
Age of Exploration..
Trade is the movement of goods between
areas. It occurs because different
people have access to different resources. Trade
import, which is bringing goods into a
export, which is sending goods to another
Cultural diffusion is the exchange of ideas
between different cultural groups. This is accomplished
through the movement of people and goods. An example of cultural
diffusion is the spread of
Buddhism from India along trade routes in
Interdependence is the dependence of people on
and knowledge from other parts of the world.
Interdependence continues to grow today due to rapid
exchange of ideas, goods, and services through advanced
communications. An example of interdependence is
Great Britain importing American autos,
Indian tea, and oil from the Middle East.
This site is designed to aid students in reviewing
the movement of people and goods throughout global
history. This site should be used in preparation
for the New York State Regents Exam in Global History
and Geography. In addition, students may test their
knowledge of the material presented here by accessing
multiple-choice questions from past Regents Exams.