-
Explain the environmental effects of the various networks of exchange in Afro-Eurasia.
There was continued diffusion of crops and pathogens, with epidemic diseases, including the bubonic plague, along trade routes. -
Explain the role of environmental factors in the development of networks of exchange
The expansion and intensification of long-distance trade routes often depended on environmental knowledge, including advanced knowledge of the monsoon winds. -
Explain the causes of the Columbian Exchange and its effects on the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
The new connections between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres resulted in the exchange of new plants, animals, and diseases, known as the Columbian Exchange. -
European colonization of the Americas led to the unintentional transfer of disease vectors, including mosquitoes and rats, and the spread of diseases that were endemic in the Eastern Hemisphere, including smallpox, measles, and malaria. Some of these diseases substantially reduced the indigenous populations, with catastrophic effects in many areas.
-
Afro-Eurasian fruit trees, grains, sugar, and domesticated animals were brought by Europeans to the Americas, while other foods were brought by African enslaved persons.
Populations in Afro-Eurasia benefitted nutritionally from the increased diversity of American food crops. -
The development of the factory system concentrated production in a single location and led to an increasing degree of specialization of labor.
-
Explain how environmental factors contributed to industrialization. A variety of factors contributed to the growth
of industrial production and eventually resulted in the Industrial Revolution, including:
- proximity to waterways, access to rivers and canals
- geographical distribution of coal, iron, and timber
- urbanization
- improved agricultural productivity
- legal protection of private property
- access to foreign resources
- accumulation of capital