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The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492
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Chapter 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 5 Summary: “New World Foods and Old World Demography”
The earth’s population quadrupled in the last three centuries due to worldwide agricultural growth initiated by the Columbian Exchange. There is a direct connection between the Columbian voyages and demographic growth, particularly in Europe. This European population expansion, in turn, meant a regular source of settlers to the regions of the world that European countries colonized, including the Americas.
Demographic growth is fueled by improvements to agriculture: “An entirely new food plant or set of food plants will permit the utilization of soils and seasons which have previously gone to waste, thus causing a real jump in food production, and therefore, population” (168). Such a phenomenon occurred all over Europe post-Columbus. The potential for famine encouraged Europeans to cultivate New World crops that they were initially hesitant to adopt. Maize became one of the most important New World crops adapted for cultivation throughout European countries and their colonies due to its high yield. Likewise, potatoes became a staple crop because they produce a great deal of food on a small amount of land and can be grown in temperate climates using relatively simple technology. Statistically, New World crops produce higher yields than Old World foods. Furthermore, crops from the Americas can be farmed alongside Old World crops, thus diversifying diets and raising production levels overall.
Demographic evidence from various regions of Europe shows a connection between the introduction of New World crops and population increases. For example, maize was widely cultivated in the Balkans by 1800; over the course of the 19th century, this region experienced a noticeable population boom. Similarly, in Ireland, potato cultivation contributed to rising population. In 1754, the Irish population stood at approximately 3.2 million people. Within 100 years, the population grew to roughly 8.2 million. The introduction of maize to Egypt likewise led to demographic expansion. In 1882, Egypt’s population was 6.7 million people. By 1964, the population grew to 28.9 million. This pattern continues around the globe. In the modern era, at least one third of the world’s plant food comes from crops that are indigenous to the Americas.
Chapter 5 Analysis
Crosby’s fifth chapter shows a correlation between the dispersal of American crops around the globe and population increases in the modern era. Throughout world history, agricultural improvements are linked to demographic growth. Populations grew after humans first domesticated plants and animals; in the post-classical period, populations in the Eastern Hemisphere grew along with new agricultural improvements such as the introduction of fertilizer. In medieval Europe, the population grew substantially because of an agricultural revolution that introduced new technologies such as the heavy plow, the harrow, and the water mill to Western Europe. Then, in the early modern period and into the modern, populations expanded because humans diversified production due to the Columbian Exchange.
Crosby shows this correlation through surviving demographic data that shows large population increases across Europe, Asia, and Africa after people in these areas began to grow American crops, including maize, potatoes, beans, and manioc. While medical advancements and developments in sanitation also played a role in higher population levels, the historical pattern by which populations grow with agricultural improvements is also a strong indication that the Columbian Exchange was critical to this growth.
At first glance, it appears that this development was positive. Nevertheless, new population pressures had a negative impact on Indigenous societies in the Americas. Europe’s consistent and steady population increase caused constant demands for more products, crops, and labor, perpetuating continuing exploitation of the Americas as a consequence of ecological imperialism. The growing population meant that there was a supply of colonists available to conquer and govern other parts of the globe as empires fought to sustain their growth, and many Europeans departed for North or South America. The arrival of these immigrants served to displace Indigenous people from their lands. This furthered the abuse and displacement of Indigenous people and the environmental degradation of American lands as a result of the Columbian Exchange.
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