During the span between 1450-1700 CE, Globalization was noticeably intensifying and progressing. Globalization can be briefly described as an a process of interaction driven by war, conquest, trade and exploration. Three of the most historic and impactful effects of Globalization in this early era were the spread of exchange of life forms, the use of technology including; maps and lastly slavery. Each individualized historic event, combined as one, lead to great effects of Globalization and transforming our world from such diversity, into a single world society. Together, these three attributes increased more interactions, colonized new territories, promoted exploration, conquest, spread of cultures and international trade. While Globalization lead to an expansive amount of growth and new knowledge, conforming to a single world society was no easy task, and came with its own sets of conclusive and adverse effects.
Exploration was extremely vital in this era. The creation and use of new maps became new technology that would essentially line both the old and new worlds together. Knowledge from voyages were demonstrated on such maps and allowed nations to expand by trade which in turn would only create a stronger and more powerful nation. The Cantino Planisphere map is a great example of such map. Much of the new world had not yet been founded and/or discovered. The Cantino Planisphere map also provided detailed and up-to-date strategic information in a time when geographic knowledge of the world was growing at a rapid pace. One of the down sides to such a crucial piece of documentation, is that people wanted to steal it for their own personal gain. With such new and expansive knowledge, anyone who was in possession of such map would surely use it to dominant new land, and new opportunities for exploration and trade. Without such maps, The Columbian exchange would not have been possible.
The Columbian exchange played an important role in this era. In particular, the exchange of life forms between The Americas and the rest of the world. Animals, plants and crops were deemed extremely crucial in this process. Corn and potatoes were two of the most vital crops in this time. Corn had a dramatic effect on China because rice was too high maintenance to grow and because both corn and potatoes could be grown in difficult climates and highland areas, it allowed the Chinese to migrate and populate areas that they did not think they could habitat. Diet was another thing these vegetables had a dramatic effect on. Because potatoes and were high yielding and nutritious, they would equate to more calories and became a crop that could essentially sustain life expectancy. However, in transferring these things back and forth from the old world to the new world, diseases like smallpox, mumps and measles, always found their way into the new world and would quickly kill off the indigenous people as well as the slave people. As vital as as these life forms were, slave ownership proved to be one of most sought out commodities.
In creating a globally integrated economy, slavery was born. Through the Middle Passage where slaves were stripped naked, and laid in filth, slave traders would ship enslaved Africans to the Americas and use them as labor and to work as domestic servants on cotton and tobacco plantations, gold mines and rice fields. Such labor was needed to sustain these plantations and required intensive labor in order to process, harvest and grow crops. As the need for such commodities grew, so did the demand for labor. In fact, their collective labor was responsible for building the economy in several regions of the country. However, in selling slaves to the Americas from Africa, it would only stagnate the population of Africa which caused the price of slave ownership to dramatically increase. In the final phase of transatlantic slave trade, Britain and the United States began an importation of captives in 1807, thus eliminating the legality of owning slaves in the new world.
All things considered, back in 1450-1700 CE, Globalization had many benefits. With all things considered though, I feel the benefits truly out weighed the risk. Whether it be more international trade, more good and services that could be provided and/or purchased, or more wealth in the world, the effects of Globalization can be seen and noted even our own generation. Without the exchange of of life forms, slavery or maps, Globalization would not have progressed over time, nor would we have any of the wealth, knowledge or goods we so cherish today.
