Commerce in Asia

Europe wanted in on the trade route because of the products it has to offer.  The spices like sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon are the ideal products Europe wanted.  Though, Europe had to find an alternate trade route because the direct route was run by the Muslims.  And during this time the Christians and Muslims were on getting along well with each other.  On the trade routes Portugal used military strength to get what they wanted.  Portugal established the "Trading Post Empire" which regulated the ports.  The merchants were charged 6-10% fees for protection along the routes.  Pirates proposed a threat to merchants as they traveled so Portugal uses this to their advantage to make money.  Once Spain took over the Philippines the area changed.  They use to all be made up of small individual islands but Spain turned the islands into one area.  The islands were easy to take over because none of them possessed an military.  So Spain established political control over the place and ended up forcing Christianity among the people.  Soon the ethnicity changed as well as the role of women.  When the Dutch went forth to take over control of Indonesia and Japan, they used private companies to perpetrate the land.  The government gave indirect order for the companies to go there and take over.  It was a way for them to rationalize the events they were doing.  The Dutch were first interested in the products the lands had to offer.  Relating to more modern day times, if America were to do this they would go about it the same way the Dutch did.  The government would send companies into other countries so that they could infiltrate it without doing it forcefully.  Interestingly enough, America has done this already to pretty much the entire globe already.  American businesses have taken over a significant amount of land over in the me rural countries like South America and parts of Asia.