• 1.3: Impact of Global Exchange

      • 1.3.1: Ecological Impact

        • Alfred W. Crosby's "The Columbian Exchange: Plants, Animals, and Disease Between the Old and New Worlds"

          Read all three pages of the essay. After you finish the essay, consider the questions that Crosby poses as the third page. What are some of the lasting consequences of the Columbian Exchange in the Americas and Europe?

          This short essay by historian Alfred W. Crosby, who is Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin, discusses the ecological and biological consequences of European exploration and colonization of the Americas. Crosby focuses on the differences between American and European plants and animals, and he discusses the impact of infectious diseases on Native American and European populations.

      • 1.3.2: Changing patterns of Production and Consumption

        • South Asian History: "History Crafts, Manufacturing, and Trade in the Indian Subcontinent"

          Read this article. As you read, consider how matters of international trade disrupted local economies throughout the Indian Subcontinent.

          This article discusses the various handcrafts that originated in the Indian Subcontinent and examines how they formed the basis of regional trade until the British East India Company established economic domination over the region in the late-17th and early-18th centuries. The British discouraged local textile and metal trades and instead encouraged the production of opium for trade with China. This disrupted regional economies and led to dramatic changes in patterns of wealth. As you read the article, consider how matters of international trade disrupted local economies throughout the Indian Subcontinent.

      • 1.3.3: Shifting Power Balance between European States

        • The History of the British Empire

          Read this article, which offers a brief overview of the dramatic expansion of the British Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. As you read, consider the role that the East India Trade played in Britain's emergence as an international power.

      • 1.3.4: Changing Economic Relationship between East and West

        • Andre Gunder Frank's "Asian-Based World Economy 1400-1800: A Horizontally Integrative Macrohistory"

          Read the excerpts from Andre Gunder Frank's book.

          In this article, economic historian Andre Gunder Frank, who teaches at the University of Amsterdam, discusses the economic relationship between Europe and Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries. He argues that Asian nations were far wealthier and more powerful than European nations during these centuries and did far more to shape the world economy. Only in the 19th century, thanks to the Industrial Revolution and European colonization efforts, did European nations surpass Asian nations in economic power. As you read, consider the historical evidence that Gunder Frank presents to support his arguments. Why does he characterize Europe as the "caboose" to the "Asian economic train"?