The Cultural Politics of Global Economic Integration
Jonathan Dong DBQ
Global integration, the idea of combining of economics, politics, and cultures to become a more universal world , has become especially prevalent in the ancient civilizations of South America. Cortes , the Spanish conquistador was able to conquer the massive Aztec empire. Christopher Columbus, another European explorer, united the growing settlements of the Americas and Europe. Because of their modern weaponry and diseases, the Europeans were able to create the ideal society for global integration to occur. As a result, the connection between Europe and America as well as the Aztec s was deeply impacted, with numerous positive and negative effects.
One of the major contributors as to why the Spaniards were able to conquer the Aztecs was because of the much superior weaponry that they had. Compared to the Spaniards, the Aztecs were severely unprepared and underdeveloped for the war that was to occur between them. While the Aztecs fought with spears and shields, Cortez’s army had cannons, iron arrows, and arquebuses (predecessors of the musket) 249. The Aztecs were outnumbered, and outgunned and as a result, “the canal was soon choked with the bodies of men and horses” 251. However, although these inventions brought great destruction to the Aztec Empire, the tactics and weaponry that was left behind was able to help the remnants of these people
Disease also played an important role in the conquest of native populatiions and globalization, especially in the carribean islands, with Christopher Columbus. Over years of natural selection, each region became generally accustomed to the parasites and diseases of that region. For example, “Most Europeans for instance survived measles and TB , and most west Africans survived yellow fever and malaria. When Columbus reached the carribean islands, he brought weapons, jewels, ideas, new people , but also one of the most deadliest things known to mankind: disease. Furthermore, smallpox, a sickness that
Global integration, the idea of combining of economics, politics, and cultures to become a more universal world , has become especially prevalent in the ancient civilizations of South America. Cortes , the Spanish conquistador was able to conquer the massive Aztec empire. Christopher Columbus, another European explorer, united the growing settlements of the Americas and Europe. Because of their modern weaponry and diseases, the Europeans were able to create the ideal society for global integration to occur. As a result, the connection between Europe and America as well as the Aztec s was deeply impacted, with numerous positive and negative effects.
One of the major contributors as to why the Spaniards were able to conquer the Aztecs was because of the much superior weaponry that they had. Compared to the Spaniards, the Aztecs were severely unprepared and underdeveloped for the war that was to occur between them. While the Aztecs fought with spears and shields, Cortez’s army had cannons, iron arrows, and arquebuses (predecessors of the musket) 249. The Aztecs were outnumbered, and outgunned and as a result, “the canal was soon choked with the bodies of men and horses” 251. However, although these inventions brought great destruction to the Aztec Empire, the tactics and weaponry that was left behind was able to help the remnants of these people
Disease also played an important role in the conquest of native populatiions and globalization, especially in the carribean islands, with Christopher Columbus. Over years of natural selection, each region became generally accustomed to the parasites and diseases of that region. For example, “Most Europeans for instance survived measles and TB , and most west Africans survived yellow fever and malaria. When Columbus reached the carribean islands, he brought weapons, jewels, ideas, new people , but also one of the most deadliest things known to mankind: disease. Furthermore, smallpox, a sickness that