HIST 220 Lecture Notes - Equal Exchange
Document Summary
Exchange went both ways, but was not an equal exchange. Beneficiaries were the europeans and not the indigenous people of america: ecological exchange, economic exchange, cultural exchange, demographic exchange. Silver from spanish colonial empire (mexico to south america) made spain incredibly wealthy in the 16th century. Spain became a key player in global trade a lot of the silver was brought to china for silk and spices. Precious metals made spain have more economic and military power as opposed to others in the world that did not possess precious metals. The 16th century was an age of wealth and expansion in europe. Steady increase in power for nations such as portugal and spain over eastern empires like. Enslaving of aboriginals was made illegal the spanish and portuguese bought slaves from the west coast of africa. By 1492, sugar was already in europe but known as a luxury item. Portuguese entrepreneurs looked for places ideal for growing sugar plants.
