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Effects of Columbian Exchange on Europe
The phrase Columbian Exchange refers to the initial transfer of plants, animals, microbes, raw materials, and mineral wealth that began when Europeans reached lands in the Western Hemisphere in 1492. The exchange is named after Christopher Columbus, who was believed to be the first European person to reach the Americas.
European explorers took new foods back to Europe—especially potatoes and corn—which were relatively easy to grow and very nutritious. Historically, the more food you had, the higher the population could grow because fewer people starved to death. Then, those people would reproduce more easily, because mothers were healthier and could support a baby more easily.
Another positive effect of the Columbian Exchange on Europe was the infusion of mineral wealth, like gold and silver from American mines, into European economies. Remember mercantilism? One of its main goals was for countries to amass as much gold and silver as they could, which was why the Spanish and Portuguese wanted to create gold and silver mines in the Western Hemisphere.
Maritime Technology and International Trade
A factor that contributed to all these changes in European and American economies was new maritime technology. Maritime refers to anything connected to seas, especially commercial and military activity. Toward the end of the Middle Ages, Europeans had been too busy fighting off and recovering from the bubonic plague to focus much on new technology. By the 1400s, they were ready to innovate. Some of the new technologies that allowed them to travel across the Atlantic Ocean included the quadrant, magnetic compass, and maps. While none of these were new inventions, they had finally reached Europe by the 1400s. These helped sailors to better locate their position at sea. Additionally, the caravel, a new type of ship, allowed them to sail faster and more accurately. Another new development was the idea of joint-stock companies. Instead of one person having to pay all the costs associated with sending a ship to the “New World,” a joint-stock company allowed different people to buy stock (or shares) in the company and split both the risks associated with the voyage and the profits of the successes.
Effects of Columbian Exchange on Americas
The Columbian Exchange had fewer positive effects on the Americas than it did on Europe. The introduction of European germs to the Americas was a disaster for Indigenous peoples. When Indigenous people were exposed to Europeans who carried germs for diseases such as smallpox and measles, they hadn’t developed any immunity to these illnesses. Once Indigenous people caught a European disease, it would cause them to sicken and die at a much faster rate than it would for Europeans. Historians aren’t exactly sure what the population of the Americas was in 1491 (the year before Columbus arrived). The general consensus among historians is about 60 million. By 1600, historians estimated that 90 percent of the pre-Columbian peoples had died, mostly due to European diseases. Warfare also greatly contributed to the number of deaths.
The introduction of horses had another, at least partially-positive, effect on the Americas. Some tribes, especially the Sioux, welcomed horses. Horses are draft animals, which can be trained to do work. These horses helped tribes to hunt large animal herds, such as buffalo. Conversely, the possession of horses also increased warfare among tribes, leading to more population loss.
