Impacts of the Colombian Exchange

The Columbian Exchange had been the first embrace of the Americas in international trade, and had a great impact on the Americas and Europe politically, economically, and culturally. Politically, the Columbian Exchange had caused a shift on the degree of political control, as the Americas had emerged from their isolation and self-sufficiency to become the colonies of the newly imperialistic Western European nations. Economically, the Columbian Exchange had led to the development of core-dependent regions, as well as other systems such as mercantilism, encomiendas and more. Opposed to these positive effects, the Columbian Exchange had caused devastation culturally, as the Afro-Eurasian diseases had infected the Native American population due to their contact, but had also led to the widespread exchange of crops, animals, and religion. The Columbian Exchange had changed America and Europe, paving the road for future colonization.

In regards to politics, the Columbian Exchange had a great impact upon the degree of political control within the Americas. Prior to the Columbian Exchange, the Americas were self-sufficient and isolated from the rest of the known world. Due to this exchange, however, the Americas had been claimed by the Western European nations, such as Spain, Portugal, and England, and were forced under the King’s rule. The Natives within Latin America, who had previously lived within their separate tribes and empires, were then split up into two viceroyalties, divisions of the Spanish colonies that were direct representatives of the king of Spain. These two viceroyalties, one located in Lima and the other in Mexico City, were ruled by viceroys and were further divided into ten regions. These viceroys had reported directly to the King and had royal magistrates to rule each individual region. Latin America, which was once isolated and self-sufficient, had transformed and was controlled by the new and complex bureaucratic system. The Columbian Exchange had...