Why Is The Columbian Exchange A Turning Point In World History

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The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of goods between Europe and the Americas. There were major cultural changes on both sides of this exchange. The Columbian Exchange was a turning point in world history because of how it sparked a growth in population and the middle class, nearly destroyed an entire group of people and their culture, and benefitted Europe’s economy. During the Columbian Exchange, a new diet allowed Europeans to have a longer life expectancy. Europe originally grew lots of wheat, which was sustain large groups of people. New staple foods, like corn and potatoes, were brought in from the New World. These more efficient foods eventually led to the starving population in Europe significantly declining. As a result, the population increased. The middle class of Europe also began to grow. The number of middle and peasant classes versus elites continued to grow and grow until the ratio was extremely uneven. This is important because it would eventually lead to revolts against the elite class, like the French Revolution which completely changed France’s …show more content…
Europeans brought many new diseases, such as small pox, to the New World. Unlike the African slaves, who had over time built up an immunity to these diseases, the Native Americans were completely exposed. Enormous amounts of their population were wiped out because the arrival of the Europeans and these diseases. Their people and culture were almost completely wiped out even today they have never recovered. Economically, European countries were able to benefit greatly from exploration of the New World. They were able to bring back goods into their countries and create new markets from them. For example, in Ireland potato farming became one of the main aspects of their lives and economy. They were also able to trade these new found goods and ideas with other