this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2025
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Why did colonialism begin:
The crusades were a shared experience for Europe of going on a foreign land and taking over (also proto racism)
Crusades reintroduced the silk road to western Europe The black death created the conditions for ending feudalism and start proto capitalism
The growing bourgeoisie did not want to pay the ottomans and other Muslim nations in order to trade with China/India so they began looking for other routes
Portugal tarted by attempting to circumnavigate Africa (surprisingly difficult)
An Italian(?) dumbass (Columbus) messed up the diameter of the earth and tried a straight shot across the Atlantic
Turns out Mexico has literal gold, the Caribbean and Brazil have powder gold (sugar)
Why did Europe begin to dominate:
America's were devastated by disease
Incan/Aztec empires lacked the same knowledge of metalworking
The wealth (silver mostly) from the Americas let Europe gain favorable trade deals in India & China
Notably this trade was primarily initiated by Europe China/India are blessed in natural resources and only really needed money
Because the interactions are one way Europeans and in position to take advantage of weakened nations in a way they were immune to
Why Africa happened late:
Malaria, just like how European diseases ravaged the Americas, malaria ravaged any attempt of European colonization. Trade deals with locals was much more economical.
Thanks for the overview! I have some of these pieces but it's very helpful to have things laid out. Definitely hadn't thought about how the Crusades formed a shared experience in foreign conquest.
Both the naked extraction of resources and Unequal Exchange were vital to the development of early European Capitalism. But (at least according to the book I've found with the most persuasive hypothesis, The Origin of Capitalism: A Longer View) Capitalism was born in the English countryside when rents became subject to market prices and assessed land value, creating a systemic incentive to Improve (vital concept in early capitalist concepts of property relations) the land by farmers.
In my (relatively uneducated) view, it seems like Capitalism (compared to Feudalism) would bring massive advantages in productive capacity and ability to sustain large and increasingly urban populations.
I'll have to give that book a read. The argument I remember* (for england & the Netherlands) was that the soil quality was poor compared to the rest of Europe. The landowners in both states turned to trade, first as a supplement but eventually whole hog.
**Also mildly surprised we didn't read this book, seems just as relevant as Daemonologie /hj
The first chapter of Origin is dedicated to summarizing the various schools of thought (at the time of publishing) on where Capitalism originated in Europe and why, and one of those that the author rejects is the idea that Capitalism arose primarily from trade.
I don't remember who recommended it, and it takes a specific position in a debate, so I'm sure there's some sectarian element that's beyond my understanding.