The Columbian Exchange was the global spread of animals, diseases, people, technology, and ideas between Europe and the Americas. During the Age of Exploration, European explorers undertook journeys across the Atlantic Ocean to find a shorter route to India. However, they discovered two new continents where they colonized and claimed their respective nations. Of course, trade occurred between Europe and the Americas and was later formally called the Columbian Stock Exchange. Although the effects of the Columbian Exchange were similar in both the Americas and Europe due to the introduction of crops such as chili peppers and sugar cane in America and the introduction of crops such as corn and potatoes in Europe, it was more different because the Americas experienced more negative effects due to exposure to many new types of diseases, while Europe experienced more positive effects such as the monopolization of American silver mines. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Americas were introduced to native European crops such as chili peppers and sugarcane. Likewise, Europe was introduced to indigenous American crops such as squash, beans, corn, potatoes, and cocoa, thus forever transforming the diets and cultures of both continents. For example, the inability to produce healthy potatoes during the Irish Potato Famine led to the emigration of many Irish people because the potato was a staple of the Irish diet. Additionally, American food crops caused the European population to increase and land to be increasingly cultivated and fenced. Before the Columbian Exchange, diseases such as smallpox, typhus, bubonic plague, influenza, and the common cold resided only in the Old World, which consisted of Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, humans, rats, and mosquitoes created a pathway for the spread of these diseases from Europe to the Americas during the Colombian exchange. Although Europeans developed immunity to these diseases due to their prolonged exposure to disease, approximately 100 million Native Americans died due to the long environmental isolation between the New and Old Worlds. In other words, Native Americans possessed no immunity from European diseases, which led to a medical catastrophe that wiped out approximately ninety percent of the Native American race. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now .Get a custom essay When China began its trade policy of accepting only silver for its products, Europeans began desperately searching for sources of silver to meet the demand Chinese. During the Columbian Exchange, the Spanish discovered the existence of silver in the Americas. Convinced that whites were superior to the colored races, Spain employed a system of forced labor to create and monopolize American silver mines. Using a form of mercantilism, an economic system in which slave labor, trade restrictions that allowed trade only with Spain, and unbalanced trade were enforced through the Encomienda system, the Spanish people benefited because it sucked out most of the silver and possible profit. . In contrast, the Americas have suffered greatly from complete land transformation, loss of land, and brutal working conditions. Furthermore, Spain stole most of the natural riches present in the Americas by extracting most of the silver present in the lands.