The Overview Of The Columbian Exchange And Its Effects

The Columbian Exchange was an international exchange that allowed for the spread of people, technology, ideas, and diseases between Europe and Americas. European explorers set out to discover a shorter route from India during the Age of Exploration. Two new continents were discovered and colonized by the European explorers. Trade took place naturally between Europe, Americas, and later became known as the Columbian Exchange. The Columbian Exchange had similar results in Europe and America. This was due to the introductions sugar cane in America and chili peppers in Europe. But, Europe suffered more adverse effects from new diseases.

The Americas were given native European crops like sugar cane and chili peppers. The same was true for Europe, which was given native American crops like squash, beans and potatoes. This transformed the cultures and diets of both continents. Many Irishmen fled their homeland after the Irish Potato Famine, when they couldn’t produce enough potatoes to sustain their diets. American food crops led to an increase in European populations and the enclosure and cultivation of land. Before the Columbian Exchange, common diseases like smallpox and typhoid were only found in the Old World. This was Europe, Asia and Africa. During the Columbian Exchange however, the Columbian Exchange provided a means for diseases to be spread between Europe and Americas by humans, rodents, and mosquitos. Because of their long exposure to the diseases, Europeans became immune to them. But about 100 million Native Americans died as a result of long-term isolation from the Old World. These were the results of an environmental catastrophe that saw around ninety per cent of Native Americans die from European diseases.

The Europeans were desperate to find silver sources to satisfy Chinese demand when China started its policy of accepting only silver as a trade item. The Columbian Exchange saw the discovery of silver in Americas by the Spanish. Spain used forced labor to create the American silver mines and to rule them. The Spanish used a form of Mercantilism to gain the most profit and silver possible. Americas were greatly affected by the destruction of their land, the loss and extreme working conditions. Spain was also able to extract the greatest amount of silver from the Americas.