The more that a country had, the more powerful it became. this is the basis of mercantilsm

The answer is precious metals.

Mercantilism was an economic system dominant in modernized nations throughout the Renaissance period. It stressed that the wealth and economic power of a nation-state were based on the possession of large amounts of gold and silver. Therefore, many European powers of that time took an imperialist expansion policy in order to search for these metals and also maintained economic policies towards monopoly and protectionism to keep the control on the resources and avoiding them from fleeing to other markets.

explanation:

omgggggg i go to k12 too : d

president carter called the victims of kidnapping "victims of terrorism and anarchy" and added that the united states was not going to give in to blackmail. in the united states, they see hostage-taking as an outrage on the part of the islamist movement that violated the principle of international law on the immunity and inviolability of diplomats and their embassies.

carter refused to yield to the demands, khomeini used the situation to consolidate his power and nullify the challenges of the moderate wing of his government, headed by its president. the euphoria over the humiliation of the most powerful nation distracted the iranian people from the economic difficulties of their country. carter, in april 1980, broke diplomatic relations with iran and imposed a trade embargo, except medicine and food. iranian funds in the us they were frozen and accounted for to compensate the hostages when they were released and to pay the demands of us companies against iran.