1.4

• Colombian exchange


  The transfer of food, animals, minerals, people and diseases between Africa, Europe and the Americas
• The Colombian exchange fundamentally transformed the societies, economies and environments of Africa, Europe and the Americas
• Transfer of disease in the Colombian exchange

  1. Spanish conquistadors brought deadly diseases like smallpox

  2. Native populations had no immunity

  3. Resulted in massive population declines
• Foods transferred in the Colombian exchange

  • Maize
  • Tomatoes
  • Potatoes
  • Cacao
  • Tobacco
  • Rice
  • Wheat
  • Soybeans
  • Rye
  • Oats
  • Lemons
  • Oranges
• Animals transferred in the Colombian exchange

  • Horses
  • Pigs
  • Cattle
  • Chickens
• Horses and cattle transformed the diet and farming/warfare of native Americans
• Spanish plundered gold and silver from the Incan and Aztec empires, making Spain wealthy beyond belief
• The influx of wealth from the Americas hastened the end of feudalism and the rise of capitalism in Europe
• Enslaved Africans were captured and transported to the Americas in large numbers, enduring the brutal Middle Passage
• Spanish colonization was driven by mercantilist economic policies, while later colonizers used joint-stock companies to fund exploration