Byus
Honors 10 Period 4
24 November 2015
Eastern and Western Europe During the Middle Ages Although Europe has been recognized as a dominant and powerful force throughout history, there were distinct parts of the country that struggled to maintain stable ground. Eastern Europe, specifically the Byzantine Empire, was able to devise methods that upheld their economic structure, while Western Europe was unable to recover and advance from its internal issues. The ability to maintain a stable economy that revived trade through the use of an organizational economic system containing regulatory government officials, as well as the establishment of guilds conveys the Byzantine Empire’s success during the Middle Ages, while Western Europe …show more content…
It set quotas for goods to be brought into its cities and towns, decided prices for products, and instructed the manufacturers on what they could produce and in what quantities. The government required agents to assist in regulating the economy in order to secure its progress, “by keeping records of all they observed, government agents helped maintain a stable economy, one with enough of everything needed for life and without too much of anything, which would cause inflation” (Crabtree 327). Prefects, or city officials, also kept track of all of the marketing decisions within their towns, and often monitored prices (Crabtree 327). Not to mention, the empire contained towns that possessed trade goods from all around the world. Neighboring countries, such as Italy, influenced the empire’s commerce, “The flood of Italian merchants traveling east greatly assisted a revival in trade that produced economic benefit to the empire” (Crabtree 327). The empire was able to expand and create a diverse economy that was successful and efficient. The utilization of the government administrators allowed the empire to manage an organized and orderly economic structure that would flourish. The Byzantine government was also involved in guiding guilds, by rigidly overseeing and controlling their organization and conduct of activities. Constantinople had established roughly twenty three guilds by the …show more content…
The Byzantine government strictly managed its economic structure by establishing a network of agents and prefects to monitor all financial and marketing activities, which brought order to its empire. The Byzantine Empire managed to remain a firm economic powerhouse, while Western Europe focused all of its time and energy into defending its land from Germanic tribes. They were viewed as weak victims, since the area was experiencing internal issues such as famine and over taxation. Clearly, Europe was a country that possessed contrasting empires who utilized different approaches to situations, which ultimately led to their success or