The Columbian Exchange

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The Columbian Exchange was pivotal in shaping international trade and the world as we know it today. When trade between the Old World and New World became a standard, it opened up many new possibilities for business. There was a new demand for the exotic foods and goods from the New World. This demand for New World products contributes directly to the rise of production and industrialization of the Old World. The Columbian Exchange reshaped the process of mass production, population growth, and consumption.
The discovery of the New World by European civilizations began a new era of trade and consumption. After the discovery of the New World, trade of New World products became a common practice among European countries. Products such as pineapple, …show more content…

Since the products became more affordable for the average citizen, they were incorporated into daily life. In the seventeenth century, industrialization of cities became common, this can be attributed to the increase in food available to the general public. This increase in availability of food lead to a population growth. During this time, population in cities increased at high rates; in 1800, there was only six cities that surpassed half a million citizens. Just one hundred years later, 800 cities had surpassed this, and fourteen cities had ten million or more citizens. Before the eighteenth century, production was limited to craft manufacturing, so the industrialization of Europe allowed for a greater population to be sustained in the cities. Many new jobs, such as night-soil men and sewer hunters, were started in order to deal with the growing population. Sanitation was major concern during this time period.2 Indoor plumbing had not yet been invented, meaning that the public had to get their water from wells. The sewage system was also not very advanced, and raw sewage was able to contaminant the water wells. This lack of sanitation lead to a myriad of health problems. Cholera killed thousands during this time due to insufficient sewage systems, and a lack of knowledge about how diseases were spread.2 Both this lack of knowledge and increase in population caused great …show more content…

Since the Columbian Exchange, consumption has been growing without much concern for the sustainability of the environment. While in some cases such as Brazil the environment was unintentionally preserved; however, there are many more cases of a blatant disregard for the environment. However, we can not just stop consuming altogether, consumers need to be aware of the effects their choices have on the environment and society. Nowadays, there are many products that focus on sustainability and conservation. A focus needs to be placed on conservation and sustainability. This era of mass consumption may have been started by the Columbian Exchange, but the effects of it can still be slowed down. The Earth does not have infinite resource, making conservation extremely important. One resource that is often overlooked is actually space. When cities became heavily populated, space became a major issue, one that we still see today. In London, mass burial graves were used because there was not enough space for the common people to have their own graves. One rather controversial idea was to turn the burial graves into public parks because this would allow more space in the city for citizens to exercise, as well as, clear up the air. The idea did not go over well with many people, and was called immoral and selfish because graves were typically considered a sacred space. This shows just how important

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