The social and economic transformations that occurred in the Atlantic World as result of new contacts among Western Europe, Africa and the Americas from 1450 – 1750.
As result of new contacts among Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas from 1450- 1750, there was a very large social and economic transformation that had occurred. Societies transformed socially as people interacted with one another and the spread of cultures and diseases had occurred. Economies of the different areas, mainly in the Western Hemisphere, had changed as it prospered as a result of the slave trade and an agricultural increase. Along with these changes, there were continuities among the different regions, as some aspects of society and economy remained constant. Overall, the interactions that had occurred during this time period had greatly influenced the society and economy of the different areas.
In the different areas, Society had greatly been influenced by the increase in social interactions. The Americas, Africa, and Western Europe experienced dramatic changes as they participated in a formation of an integrated Atlantic Ocean basin. Societies transformed as cultures began to assimilate along with the spread of epidemics that had profoundly influenced populations. In African society, there was a balancing effect that was occurring. The Atlantic slave deprived the African population of millions of people due to the mistreatment that slaves were given. Several individual societies experienced severe losses due to this trade, although the total African population rose. Due to American crops that enriched the diets of Africans, there was a rise in the population number.
In the mid-sixteenth century, American crops such as manioc, maize, and peanuts arrived in Africa from Portuguese ships. These crops supplemented the staple foods of sub-Saharan Africa and allowed for the population to thrive. The slave trade had also malformed the African sex ratios, since approximately two-thirds of all exported slaves were males, leaving women predominant in Africa. This sexual imbalance encouraged some to practice polygamy and forced women to take duties that once belonged to men. In Western Europe, there was also a social transformation that was taking place. Europeans also partook in the Atlantic slave trade, and so their society had changed significantly. The earliest European slave traders were Portuguese explorers who reconnoitered the West African coast in the mid-fifteenth century.
By 1460, mariners were delivering 500 slaves per year to Portugal and Spain. In Europe, African slaves usually worked as miners, porters, or domestic servants. The Europeans mainly prospered from this trade as their population and agriculture flourished. This trade allowed for a Columbian exchange, which enriched European diets by introducing new crops to the Europeans from the Americas. Better-nourished populations were also able to fight of the ferocity of the diseases that were spread. With this ability, the population in Europe was able to grow as decreasing mortality rates resulted in an increase rapid population growth. For these reasons, the European involvement in the Columbian exchange allowed for a transformation in society.
In America, there was a huge metamorphosis that had occurred. People from Europe and Africa had immigrated into their lands, and created a multi-racial society. The slave trade allowed for a diffusion of languages, religions, and cultures, which changed the American society. Under plantations, European and African languages affected communication among peoples in the Americas, and religions has changed into a syncretic faith, which drew inspiration from Christianity. Along with the cultural changes that were taking place, there was also a decrease in the native population.
Imported diseases, such as those from the middle passage, ravaged indigenous populations in the western hemisphere and the people found themselves in a situation in which there was fertile land, but not enough laborers to control it. Some people, such as the Spanish, attempted to induce labor of those who survived the diseases, but the native people often revolted against their overlords or escaped away. For this reason, they started to rely on African slaves as laborers. As can be seen, a large social transformation was occurring among the different areas that had interacted with one another.
As communications between the western and eastern hemisphere increased, the economies of societies had begun to alter. In the Americas and Africa, the economy became dependant; and in Western Europe, they started to rely on capitalism. With the various trades that were occurring, the Americas developed a way that made them prosperous. They started to build plantations that helped to build the economy. Most African slaves went to the plantations and worked there, which in turn led to an increase in money. Plantations produced sugar, rice, indigo, and other crops that emerged as cultural crops that were high in demand. Their purpose was to profit from the production and export of commercial crops.
Slave labor on these plantations made a crucial contribution to the building of the economy; without the presence of slaves, labor would have been impossible, as natives had started to depopulate, and there was no one left to cultivate the lands. In this way, the Americas became economically dependant as they relied on others for their economy to succeed In Western Europe, the communications between societies encouraged the development of capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system in which private parties make their own goods and services available on a free market to take advantage of market conditions to make a profit. The trade developed between the different areas allowed for this system to prosper, as it created a market in which there was a supply and demand for different goods. In Africa, the economy depended on the Slave trade, as it became their main source of retrieving goods.
For example, Europe gave guns and gunpowder in exchange for slaves. Africa also benefited from livestock and agriculture as they traded slaves in for these goods. Without slaves, Africans would not have been able to trade with other areas to receive necessary goods for their economy to thrive. This is how the economies of the different areas had changed as a result of new contacts with different areas of the world.
From the information provided it can be inferred that new links between different regions impacted society and economy in different ways. However, there was some continuity along with the changes. In African economy and society, Slavery had always played a role. Even before communications increased, the African society and economy relied on different forms of slavery in order to survive. In Europe, there was not much of a change in cultures. It stayed a homogeneous society even after the Columbian exchange and slave trade occurred. In the Americas, traditional Native American culture, religion, and society continued. The indigenous population remained the same along with the changes that were occurring, although it had become depopulated.
It is also important to realize that the Columbian exchange was not only impacting these regions. Different areas around the world were participating in the development of trade routes which facilitated the exchange of goods and services for different values. For example, East Asia participated in this exchange as they received spices and goods from other countries. Also, China took part in trade, as they traded silk and tea for goods that they found necessary. As shown, increased contacts among different areas of the world, such as Africa, Western Europe, and the Americas during the time period of 1450-1750, had played a significant role in both economy and society.
