The period after early exploration that saw major changes in business practices and increased merchant wealth is called the:

• A. Commercial Revolution
• B. Industrial Revolution
• C. Scientific Revolution
• D. Agricultural Revolution

Answer: (A)

The Commercial Revolution describes the expansion of trade and finance after Europe’s early voyages. As explorers connected continents, merchants built vast networks that increased wealth and spurred major changes in business: joint-stock companies let investors pool capital, banks and credit systems facilitated long-distance trade, insurance protected shipments, and bookkeeping methods improved to handle increasingly complex transactions. These shifts helped empower a rising merchant class, fostered urban growth, and set the stage for modern capitalism on a global scale. The other options refer to different shifts: the Industrial Revolution centers on mechanized production; the Scientific Revolution changes in how people understand the natural world; the Agricultural Revolution focuses on farming improvements. So the period after exploration marked by new business practices and rising merchant wealth is the Commercial Revolution.