Tutor profile: Chad G.

What were the most effective methods of transportation of goods, culture, and religion in Europe and Asia in the centuries prior to the Enlightenment Era?

There are two key drivers of the movement of both goods and culture, they were trade and conquest. The most famous of the ancient trade routes was the Silk Road. It was a route that ran from China and India in Asia, through the Slavic lands of Eastern Europe, Persia, and even made it to North Africa. The trade route moved technology from China and the Arab world into Europe. It also spread religions such as Islam and Christianity along the route. Conquest was the other driver of migration of people, culture, and goods across Europe and Asia. The most prominent example being the conquest of the Mongols. The Mongol Empire that began under Ghengis Khan once included all of China, Mongolia, Perisa and stretched into the steppes of Russia, into northern India, and pushed against Eastern Europe. The Mongols were a nomadic culture that facilitated the movement of culture, religion, goods, and people as the Mongol forces moved throughout the empire.

World War I was called the "War to End All Wars", yet World War II erupted less than three decades later. Why was World War I ineffective in preventing future wars?

There are two reasons why World War I led to the events that caused World War II. The Treaty of Versailles was the agreement that was signed by Germany to end World War I. The treaty was economically punitive to the Weimar Republic and it caused depression of the German economy. The economic state led to the creation of the Nazi party by Adolph Hitler who was looking for a culprit to blame for the economic state of Germany at the time The Weimar Republic was the easy scapegoat and it led to the rise of the Nazi party to leadership in Germany. Another cause of World War II was hyper-nationalism within the nations that were involved, particularly the Axis powers. Germany was focused on strengthening its state as was the Empire of Japan who was looking to expand its influence into the rest of Asia. The hyper-nationalism paired with the need to expand territory and influence made the war inevitable.

What are the four main financial statements that are used by corporations and that are shared with investors and what is the purpose of each of these statements?

The four financial statements that firms publish include the balance sheet, the income statement, the statement of cash flows, and the statement of shareholders' equity. The balance sheet details all of the assets and liabilities of a firm at a given point in time as it is a snapshot. The income statement is a report that captures the capital that a company has earned as well as spent over a given period of time which is normally in a quarter or year. The statement of cash flows reports the amount of money that has been exchanged with a firm and other companies over a period of time, also normally reported quarterly or annually. The statement of shareholders' equity gives a look at the changes in the shares held by investors over a period of time.