The Early Modern Cycle, 1350–1700 Lecture 40
The ¿rst and most spectacular change probably of all in this period was in exchange networks. And this has to count as one of the most spectacular changes in all of human history. What happens after the voyages of Columbus is that the four world zones are linked, over the next 200 years, for the ¿rst time in human history.
T
he “early Modern” Malthusian cycle lasted from about 1350 to about 1700. By 1500, most areas of Afro-Eurasia had recovered from the Black Death and continued to rise. In the 17th century, populations stagnated or declined slightly in some areas, but there was no population crash similar to that of the 14th century. Is this a hint that rates of innovation were beginning to accelerate? How rapidly did commerce and capitalism expand in this period? The evidence is contradictory. The most spectacular change in this period was the uni¿cation of all four world zones into a single global network of exchange. This change stimulated commerce and capitalism throughout the world as goods, crops, ideas, and people began to circulate on a larger scale than ever before. The linking of the four world zones was the work of European mariners, using highly maneuverable ships equipped with cannons and backed by aggressive, commercially minded governments. The ¿rst captain known to have circumnavigated the globe was Juan Sebastian del Cano, a commander in Ferdinand Magellan’s Àeet who returned to Spain in 1522. The sudden expansion of world markets stimulated commerce and capitalism so decisively that Karl Marx described this as one of the great turning points in human history. American crops such as maize, potatoes, manioc, and tomatoes stimulated population growth in China, Europe, and Africa, where they could be grown in regions unsuitable for local staples. Between 1400 and 1700, the populations of China, India, and Europe all doubled. Increasing trade stimulated commerce and capitalism. As China’s population and economy 185
