Rediscovering the Spirit of the Silk Road: From Marco Polo to Trump
Master Class
The Silk Road is the name given to the vast communication network that connects Europe with China and the Far East. It is the oldest and most emblematic international trade road in the world, dating back to at least two thousand years ago.
The Silk Road has played a key role in the History of the world, from an economic, militar and political viewpoint. The Road was so important to link the East and the West, that the interruption of the communications between China and Europe triggered the Age of Discoveries, leading to the discovery of America.
In this lecture we will explore the origins and historic evolution of the Silk Road, mentioning the most relevant landmarks that have contributed to shape the History of Europe and America. We will also study Marco Polo, perhaps the person most identified with the Silk Road.
The lecture will be also an excuse to explain the geographic coverage of the modern Silk Road, and to present the current “world economic order”, describing the major players in the global arena, discussing the emergence of China, and its influence not only on Asia and Europe, but also in the Pacific Rim, with clear significant consequences for Latin America.
Putting the focus on geographical and historical aspects, from the perspective of a young 17-year old Marco Polo, this lecture is ideal to cover subjects in the fields of geography and global History since the Middle Ages to the XXI century.
Our speakers
Professor at IE Business School
Professor at IE University since 1992, Fernando Cortiñas, a polyglot (speaking Spanish, English, German, Portuguese and Italian) has an MBA from Harvard Business School, serves as a visiting professor at over 5 universities and has courses with more than 30,000 students on Coursera. Fernando has over 35 years’ international work experience in leading multinationals, and as a professor in leading academic institutions in Europe and America.
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