Economically, The Events highlighted the widespread effects of the incorporation of the Ottoman Empire into the modern world economic system. Although this incorporation was necessary for the survival of the Ottoman Empire, it placed the Empire in a subordinate position, in which the Ottoman Empire produced raw materials that were processed into finished goods in Europe and then sold back to the Empire at inflated prices. Such economic hardships led to depressions throughout the Empire, including the depression in Aleppo which largely affected the residents of the eastern quarters, for they were primarily engaged in the caravan trade and the grain trade.[24]