-
Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
Continuities
Social: Western European dominance was felt, slavery was rampant, social division was common, culture transfer occurred
Economic: Western Europe became rich and inflated, the Americas based economy on agriculture, Africans sold other Africans for money, -
Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
Changes
Social: Western Europe developed the white man's burden, racial prejudice formed in the Americas, social class strengthened in African warring groups
Economic: Western Europe gradually became inflated, the Americas started to depend on encomienda systems, African warlords sold captured slaves for weapons of conquest -
Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
Price Revolution in Europe Occurs
Over this 150 year period, prices in Europe increase roughly sixfold. -
Oct 12, 1492
Columbus Arrives in the Americas
Eventually begins the Columbian Exchange, the trade flow of goods, diseases, crops, animals, and slaves across the Atlantic -
Jan 1, 1499
Encomienda System Established in the Americas
Spanish began the encomienda system to make the maximum profit from the farms in the Americas. -
Jan 1, 1501
First Slaves Arrive in Hispaniola
Changes the social dynamic of the region, including complicating social differences between Spanish, Natives, Africans, and any combination thereof. -
Feb 1, 1519
Campaign on the Aztecs Begins
Hernan Cortes began a series of attacks on the Aztecs to capture the capital city of Tenochtitlan. -
Aug 13, 1521
Cortes Captures Tenochtitlan
Hernan Cortes and Xicotencatl the Younger capture the capital city of the Aztecs, causing the demise of the culture. -
Jan 1, 1533
Capture of the Incan Emperor Atahuallpa
Francisco Pizarro and his company of 180 men captured Emperor Atahuallpa, effectively ending the stable Incan Empire. The capture was a power move to steal plunder and political power from the Incans. -
Jan 1, 1545
Silver Mining in Bolivia and Mexico Begins
Silver from the Americas is one of the main contributors to European inflation. -
Asante Africans Use Firearms to Expand
European contact with Africa initiated African tribes' conquest of neighboring tribes. When the Europeans offered tribes guns in exchange for slaves, the African lords saw an opportunity to profit. The warlords with guns conquered other tries and used the slaves from those tribes to pay for more guns. -
Brazilian Gold Rush
The rush sparked a major mining industry in Brazil and made Europe realize the potential of mining in South America, not just of gold, but iron, coal, and diamonds. -
Dahomey Africans Use Firearms to Expand
Dahomey copies the Asante in the trade of newly-captured slaves for guns.