Post by Souriquois on Nov 27, 2016 13:39:49 GMT -4
We can actually learn a thing about the present from this:
Basically, the churches of the time hoarded all the gold in their monasteries. Because there was no gold going around, it slowed down trade.
The Vikings raided a lot of these monasteries, took the gold, and then used it elsewhere in Europe in trade, hence injecting it back into the economy, which had the effect of increasing trade and revitalizing it.
I say there are parallels to today that we can learn from because since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and resulting loss of consumer confidence, companies and consumers have been sitting on their money, saving it, rather than spending, and governments worldwide (though most notably in Europe) have been doing austerity measures which has significantly slowed down economic recovery, and now it is at a breaking point. Literally trillions of dollars are sitting in savings accounts not being spent.
Am I advocating Viking raids on banks and governments? No, not really, but the money in savings accounts needs to be spent in order to restart economic recovery.
Like I said in another thread, one good thing about Donald Trump is he is big on infrastructure spending, which will improve their infrastructure but will also unlock some of this money. Canada is doing the same. Maybe the infrastructure spending in North America will help in jumpstarting the global economy by getting billions of dollars out of savings accounts, just like the Vikings restarted the European economy (and I wouldn't be surprised if the Middle East of that time got relieved from economic hardship too since trade was so interlinked) by putting gold that was sitting in monasteries back into the economy.
How the Vikings Saved Europe and Got a Terrible Reputation
They say history is written by the victors, but what if the victims are the ones with the pens?
That is the bizarre circumstance surrounding the history of the Vikings, since the centuries-old myth that has come down to us about their brutal savagery originated with their victims—monks and priests—who had the monopoly on writing in that time.
As a result, the image we have today of the marauding Vikings is both wildly off the mark, and ignores the major contributions they made in shaping Europe during the Middle Ages. That demystification and deep dive into the world of one of history’s most iconic people is the subject of a new book, The Age of the Vikingsby Anders Winroth. Not only are the Vikings completely misunderstood, he argues, but they may have saved Europe.
The Vikings weren’t picky about their raiding targets, but the short-term gains in booty and ransom achieved by attacking monasteries resulted in the Vikings being relegated to the “vicious barbarian” category of history. The monks in those monasteries were the only historians around at that time.
“Since [the Vikings] attacked those with a monopoly on writing, it is their deeds … that have gone down in history as infamous, irrational, and bloodthirsty,” writes Winroth.
- See more at: historynewsnetwork.org/article/156974#sthash.0PeVK3d9.dpuf
They say history is written by the victors, but what if the victims are the ones with the pens?
That is the bizarre circumstance surrounding the history of the Vikings, since the centuries-old myth that has come down to us about their brutal savagery originated with their victims—monks and priests—who had the monopoly on writing in that time.
As a result, the image we have today of the marauding Vikings is both wildly off the mark, and ignores the major contributions they made in shaping Europe during the Middle Ages. That demystification and deep dive into the world of one of history’s most iconic people is the subject of a new book, The Age of the Vikingsby Anders Winroth. Not only are the Vikings completely misunderstood, he argues, but they may have saved Europe.
The Vikings weren’t picky about their raiding targets, but the short-term gains in booty and ransom achieved by attacking monasteries resulted in the Vikings being relegated to the “vicious barbarian” category of history. The monks in those monasteries were the only historians around at that time.
“Since [the Vikings] attacked those with a monopoly on writing, it is their deeds … that have gone down in history as infamous, irrational, and bloodthirsty,” writes Winroth.
- See more at: historynewsnetwork.org/article/156974#sthash.0PeVK3d9.dpuf
The Vikings raided a lot of these monasteries, took the gold, and then used it elsewhere in Europe in trade, hence injecting it back into the economy, which had the effect of increasing trade and revitalizing it.
I say there are parallels to today that we can learn from because since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and resulting loss of consumer confidence, companies and consumers have been sitting on their money, saving it, rather than spending, and governments worldwide (though most notably in Europe) have been doing austerity measures which has significantly slowed down economic recovery, and now it is at a breaking point. Literally trillions of dollars are sitting in savings accounts not being spent.
Am I advocating Viking raids on banks and governments? No, not really, but the money in savings accounts needs to be spent in order to restart economic recovery.
Like I said in another thread, one good thing about Donald Trump is he is big on infrastructure spending, which will improve their infrastructure but will also unlock some of this money. Canada is doing the same. Maybe the infrastructure spending in North America will help in jumpstarting the global economy by getting billions of dollars out of savings accounts, just like the Vikings restarted the European economy (and I wouldn't be surprised if the Middle East of that time got relieved from economic hardship too since trade was so interlinked) by putting gold that was sitting in monasteries back into the economy.