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Columbian Exchange: Difference between revisions
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Columbus | Columbus | ||
[[File:GGS-ultimate-proximate-factors p87 w-Americas-added.jpg|thumb| | [[File:GGS-ultimate-proximate-factors p87 w-Americas-added 2.jpg|alt=|thumb|Ultimate & proximate factors analysis for Eurasia and Americas]] | ||
=== Spanish conquest === | === Spanish conquest === | ||
* a core question about the Columbian exchange is why did the Spanish conquer the | * a core question about the Columbian exchange is: | ||
** why did the Spanish invade and conquer the Native Americans and the Native American empires did not invade and conquer Spain? | |||
* Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" explores this question | * Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" explores this question | ||
* Diamond's analysis shows that the "broad" or very long-term causality of the outcome that that Spanish conquered the Americas and not the other way around is due to geography, notably: | * Diamond's analysis shows that the "broad" or very long-term causality of the outcome that that Spanish conquered the Americas and not the other way around is due to geography, notably: | ||
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*** the Americas lacked animals that are appropriate for food consumption and transport | *** the Americas lacked animals that are appropriate for food consumption and transport | ||
**** especially the horse | **** especially the horse | ||
*** many | *** many contagious diseases originated from human proximity to domesticated animals | ||
*** lacking those animals, the Americans had no immunity to Eurasian diseases | *** lacking those animals, the Americans had no immunity to Eurasian diseases | ||
** these combinations yielded advantages to Eurasian societies that the Spanish used in their conquest of the Americas, including | ** these combinations yielded advantages to Eurasian societies that the Spanish used in their conquest of the Americas, including | ||
*** technologies of guns and steel (used for weapons and tools) | *** technologies of '''guns''' and '''steel''' (used for weapons and tools) | ||
*** horses (war horses provided a considerable military advantage) | *** '''horses''' (war horses provided a considerable military advantage) | ||
*** disease, which killed off a tremendous number of Native Americans and weakened their centralized states | **** especially for mounting soldiers and those metal weapons | ||
*** '''disease''', which killed off a tremendous number of Native Americans and weakened their centralized states | |||
*** '''writing system''' which effectively transmitted information about other people and technologies | |||
**** ex. Marco Polo's journeys were tremendously helpful to Europeans as they learned details about China and other places | |||
**** Inca and Aztec writing systems existed | |||
***** but Inca system of “quipu" beads and strings effectively recorded information but not words | |||
****** see [[wikipedia:Quipu|Quipu (wikipedia)]] | |||
== Plants == | == Plants == | ||
* the most important exchange was | * the most important exchange was | ||