1. The Columbian Exchange & Silver

3. Columbian Exchange
American crops became staple foods in European, Asian, and Africa diets
Potatoes (Europe), sweet potatoes (China),
and maize/corn meal (all Afro-Eurasia) dominated diets
Europeans also began large-scale plantations projects in their
colonies for cash crops (tobacco, coffee, & sugar)
To the Americas also comes domesticated animals:
Horses, pigs, and cattle
African slaves also brought rice and okra

4. The Atlantic System (Triangular Trade)

5. The Atlantic System
Triangular Trade was a system developed by the 17th and 18th centuries
Since most American goods were farmed or mined, slave
labor was incredibly important to European empire profit
The cycle: buy slaves from Africa, send them (Middle Passage) to work in
plantations, then send the goods to Europe for consumption or production
Some Europeans were also brought over as ‘indentured servants’ that paid
for their trip with hard labor (often an escape from poor European conditions)
The textiles, salt, or sugar were then sold to African and Asian markets
This, along with the incorporation of Spanish silver
created the first truly global trade network

6. Impact of Exchange
The biggest impacts on the Old World were wealth and population
Europeans began to not only control trade, but from
the Americas, they now had goods to fight over and sell
Additionally, the food from the Americas was far more diverse and calorie-dense
This led to a wide-spread population boom through Afro-Eurasia
On a more negative note, it also introduced the enslavement
Of Native Americans and Africans for large-scale plantation work
Additionally, European-style agriculture did (and continues)
to cause mass deforestation and soil depletion

7. Spanish Silver
In Peru, Mexico, and later Nevada, the Spanish discovered HORDES of silver
Copying the Incans, they adopted the (more severe) mit’a system
and required peasant male natives to work the silver mines
While this made Spain insanely rich, they had no idea how
to handle inflation or their taxes (not adjusted for inflation)
They then used this silver to fund many, many wars in Europe
they could not win (eventually going bankrupt)
Spanish silver was also used in Asia to purchase goods such as tea
(England got hooked!)
Too much silver = silver is worthless

8. Impact on China
This is turn caused silver inflation in Asia—most notably China
when the Ming Dynasty switched to silver-only taxation payments
As a result, most Chinese peasants and workers were forced to
make items (luxury goods) Europeans would pay silver for
The effect? WAYYYY too much silk & porcelain and not enough food
Too much silk =
silk is worthless!