Describe the Columbian Exchange, global trade, and mercantilism.
The Columbia Exchange, also sometimes called the Great Exchange, was one of the most immensive global trade which involved both the West and the East in the exchange goods with each other. The Columbian Exchange is also known as "one of the most significant events concerning ecology, agriculture, and culture in all of human history". This event was sparked by the voyages made by Christopher Columbus, that allowed for contact between the New World and the Old, which set in motion the process of colonization, as well as establishing greater communication over the world. With the colonization of the Americas and the settlement of Europeans in the New World, movement of people such as immigration was greatly increased. With more people establishing in the Americas, more powerful and developed societies were being created on it, which brought wealth to the colonies and Europe. With the newfound settlements in America bringing wealth, trade between many distant places was stimulated, which led to the Columbian Exchange. During the Columbian exhange, a large amount of goods were being traded between the nations, which includes crops and foods such as maize, potatoes, and tomatoes, which were important in Eurasia, and many more that were new to Europe. Along with food and crops, many domesticated animals such as horses, donkeys, and camels were being traded too, including slaves. Basically, almost everything available at that time were being traded overseas.
The exchange of so many varieties in crops and livestock improved the diet of many people around the world, especially in Asia, which in turn supported population growth. However, diseases that were previoulsy unknown in the Americas were introduced by the Europeans, which devastated the population of Native Americans as they had no previous immunity against the new diseases. The newly introduced animals and plants brought by the trade also helped in creating a larger diversity in the ecosystem of the Americas. Mercantilism, which is an economic policy that involves in the increase of wealth of individual nations as it mentions that a nation's power is dependent on its wealth, was adopted by the Europeans. With it, they brought economic changes to Europe's society, such as improving the growth of cities and creating a more pwerful and wealthier class of merchants. Still, much of Europe's population lived in rural areas.
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(Above) By: Liango Liu
the global transfer of goods, animals, diseases, and plants between the America, Europe, Africa, and Asia was called the Columbian Exchange. the items from america that were brought to Europe have never been seen by them and vice versa. the americas had things such as, corn, tomatoes, potato, beans, tobacco, cacao beans, etc. the eurpeans brought pigs, cows, horses, banana, sugar cane, grapes, olive, coffee bean, and DISEASES. the main diseases that led to the death of millions of Native Amercians were measles and smallpox. other diseases were influenza, typhus, malaria, and diphtheria. one thing that i have noticed of this transference of goods was that what they transfered made a significant change in each countries wealth and survival. for example, the potatoes that were from America played a vital role in Ireland, sweet potato in China, and cacao bean in Belgium and Switzerlnd. the bananas, grapes, and sugar cane from Europe play a vital role in America.
during this time, the nations of Europe decided to adopt a new econimic policy called mercantilism. this economic policy was based on a theory that the more gold and silver you have the more wealthy you are, to put it in lighter terms. the power of a country depended only on its wealth. wealth was important to them because it was what paid off the strong navies and buy vital goods. According to the theory of mecantilsm, one could achieve great wealth in two ways, by aquiring as much gold and silver as possible or by establishing a favorable balance of trade, in which a country sold more goods than it bought. the main goal under the mercantilism was to be self-sufficient, to have everything it needs from there own country without having to buy it from other countries.
By: Michelle Pelletier
The columbian exchange transported many goods, animals, slaves, plants, diseases,and ideas all the way to Eastern and Western world, in other words the columbian exchange(Europeans) brought ideas from Asia and from other parts of the world; diseases were spread to people that weren't immune to them. This contact with two different world part, brought a new increased of crops and livestock that increased the population. Explorers went back to Europe with maize, potatoes and tomatoes. This global trade of crops changed the way of life of Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. One of the first European exports was the horse, then tomato sauce became an Italian trademark, while coffee from Africa and sugar cane from Asia became the main crops of Latin American plantations.
The mercantilism was adapted by Europe, during the time of the Columbian exchange. This policy sate that the country's power was based of its wealth. Because of this policy, the wealth of many countries were depending on buying goods. All the achievements of the nations were developing on its wealth. In mercantilism, a nation could increased its power by favorable balance of trade, in which the country sold more goods than what they bought and by obtaining gold an silver. Under mercantilism colonies provided markets.
The Columbian exchange was the global transfer of goods, animals, and plants during the colonization of the Americas. Ships from the Americas brought many items the Europeans, Asians and Africans had never seen before, and viceversa. One of the most important traded items between these continents from the Americas were potatoes and corn, since they were both cheap to grow and highly nutricious. Europeans also introduced several things into the Americas, from livestock animals [cattle, pigs, horses] to food [bananas, yams, and wheat] to diseases [smallpox and measles]. During this time, there was a wave of economic growth and new trade practices which changed the ecomomic scene in Europe.
During this time, the concept of capitalism grew, so governments were no longer the only owners of great wealth. This increase of economic activity also led to an increase in Europe's economic supply, which brought inflation. During this time, the concept of Mercantilism also started to grow, which stated that a country's power depended on it's wealth, which resulted in these nations to try to get hold of as much wealth as possible. This also encouraged the new ways to become wealthy: by obtaining gold and silver and by establishing a favorable balance trade. Colonies played an important role in this new economic movement, since besides providing gold and silver they also gave these countries raw materials which they couldn't find in Europe, such as wood.
The Columbian Exchange was the trade of animals, crops and plants globally. Ships from America brought goos to Africa, Europe and Asia. The goods included cacao beans, pineapples,corn, potatoes, squash, etc. Livestock and crops were also transported from Europe , Africa and Asia to the Americas. Some livestock were cows, pigs, sheep, etc. The Columbian Exchange also transfered diseases that killed thousands of Native Americans.
The establishment of colonies in the Americas and The new wealth this brought to the European countries started a new wave of business and trade practices. Today's financial dealings are rooted from these practices, that changed the economy in Europe. The growth of capitalism, an economic system based on private ownership and investment of resources, was one aspect of the economic revolution in Europe. Money supply increased bringing inflation. Also joint-stock companies were established similar to the ones we have today. The European nation adopted a new economic theory called mercantilism. this theory said that a country's power depended on the amount of gold it had, the more gold the more powerful. A nation could increase its wealth in two ways, obtaining gold and silver and establishing a favorable balance of trade.
By: Laura Ibert
The ultimate widespread exchange of plants, food, ideas and slaves during the Eastern and Western territory was called the Columbian Exchange. This movement was one of the significant event during all human history because it involved ecologically and cultural. But this exchange also brought consequence like the introduction of diseases to the indigenous people that haven’t had that kind of problem before. With all these exchange with the new territory Europe began to prosper because they took all the new spicy and started to trade it globally.
After the Columbian Exchange another new system began to born, it’s called the Mercantilism that was an economical theory in which the prosperity of the country is depended on the supply of the capital. With all these wealth the nation built strong navies and purchase good or luxury. This system goal was to become self-sufficient, not depending on other countries goods; it was like encouraging export and discouraging imports in which it could stop all the economy if every single country becomes a mercantilism.
Mercantalism is a theory that the nation with the most wealth in the world, is the most powerful. It was mostly practiced in Europe from the 1500s to the 1700s. During this time, wealth depended on the amount of gold, silver, and other treasures a nation had. There were two main ways thar countrys could gain wealth and be self-supportive. They could establish colonies in the "New World", which came to be known as the Americas in search of gold and other treasures. The country could also establish a favourable balance of trade. This is where the nation sells more stuff than it buys, or it receives more gold than it sends out. An example of using the colonies in the Americas to their fullest. England encouraged their colonies to specialize in the production of raw goods so that they could ship them back to Europe for a small price, get manufactured into something, for example raw cotton is turned into cloth. Then England would sell the cotton turned cloth to other European nations and to the Americas at a high price. The end goal of mercantilism was for the nation to become completely self-sufficient, not needing anyone's help.
Nicolas Jimenez
