During the 16th century, the Spanish moved to Central and South America in search of land to expand their territories. When the Spanish managed to take over America, the Indians, who originally inhabited the land, were left to live at the mercy of the Spanish. Claiming to spread Christianity and bring enlightenment to “the dark continent”, the first Spanish settlers were given complete authority over the Indians exposing them to all kinds of exploitation. Consequently, the Spanish settlers exploited the land and the available labor extensively while the Native Indians, who forcefully worked for the Spaniards, continued to live in total misery. The Spaniards insensitively paid very low wages to the Indians at the expense of the hard labor they were exposed to. Interestingly, the Spanish felt no remorse for their inhumane deeds, because they believed that the Native Indians deserved all that in exchange for the good news of salvation they acquired.
On the other hand, the Spanish not only took control of the entire economy but also amassed various natural resources. While the settlers exploited the Indians through hard labor in their farms and mines, the Spanish were entitled to a fifth of all the products that were acquired from the new territories. Moreover, the Spanish were the only market for gold and silver shipped from the mines every year. In addition, after the discovery of gold deposits around the continent, exploitation of Native Indian workers worsened when the latter were forced to pay rent (installments) to their landlords in form of gold. Meanwhile, all products that the Spanish-American territory needed were shipped from Spain, be it food, clothing or any machinery. This also ensured that no other colony would benefit from this territory in trade thus immensely acquiring wealth for the Spanish which would, in turn, assist them to continue conquering other territories and finally become the superpower.
Buy Free Custom «The Economy of Exploitation» Essay Paper paper online
As exploitation of labor and resources heightened in Spanish colonies of Central and Southern America, other colonial powers were doing everything possible to break loose from Spanish control. For instance, products such as canvas, paper and tar which were only produced in Spain started to be produced by the other European countries thus ending their sole dependency on Spain, which prompted a fall in demand for their goods. This led to the initial phase of the decline of Spanish economy since most Spanish merchants who previously provided a ready and sufficient market for gold and silver mined in South and Central America could no longer afford to buy the minerals thus creating a risk for market invasion. To reverse this and stabilize their economy again, the Spaniards had to recover these losses from their newly conquered territories. This, however, came as a challenge to them since their workers, the Native Indians, had greatly reduced in number and they had no intention whatsoever to do the work themselves. This situation left them with no choice but to buy slaves from West Africa to work in their farms and mines. Consequently, this helped stabilize Spain’s economy and return it back to norm since merchants would trade slaves for gold and silver mined in the American colonies.
Colonialism in Central and Southern America by the Spanish was a significant step towards the realization of their major goal which was to acquire a world superpower status. Having complete control over mineral-rich territories, cheap labor at their disposal and providing a wide market for their goods, the Spanish were on the verge of becoming the world’s sole superpower. In conclusion, the Spanish were able to benefit largely from Central and South America as their colonies through acquiring wealth and resources up to the 19th century. However, the Indians and the African slaves had everything to lose out of all the injustices they incurred in the hands of the Spanish.
FREE Extras:
- FREE revision (within 2 days)
- FREE title page
- FREE bibliography
- FREE outline (on request)
- FREE e-mail delivery
- FREE formatting
We Guarantee:
- Quality research and writing
- 24/7/365 Live support
- MA, BA, and PhD degree writers
- 100% Confidentiality
- No hidden charges
- Never resold works
- Complete authenticity
Paper Format:
- 12 pt. Times New Roman
- Double-spaced/Single-spaced papers
- 1 inch margins
- Any citation style
- Up-to-date sources only
- Fully referenced papers
Related Economics essays
0
Preparing Orders
0
Active Writers
0%
Positive Feedback
0
Support Agents
Dissertation chapter - Literature ..., 4 pages
This writer is perfection at its best. She reads and follows the instructions and completes assignments promptly to assist you in completing the assignment on time. So happy I found this writer. She is 5-star plus!!
John R., USA
9:32 AM, Feb 17, 2025
Blog Article, 4 pages
great paper as usual
Kristen P., USA
7:42 AM, Feb 17, 2025
Literature Review, 9 pages
1 paragraph short of 2 pages
Gea E., USA
7:22 AM, Feb 17, 2025
Revision, 14 pages
it was a amazing essay thx so much
Bhupendra A., Australia
6:49 AM, Feb 17, 2025
Dissertation chapter - Hypothesis, 11 pages
This's a good writer done my work in before the due time, which gave time to read and no stress.
Viet P., USA
8:42 PM, Feb 13, 2025
Research proposal, 5 pages
Great paper and got it before due date!
Hieu P., USA
11:09 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Literature Review, 8 pages
Better than the last, but again offline and could not do a revision. I did it myself. Attention to details is an effective part of writing, just saying.
Jannette V., USA
9:01 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Poem, 9 pages
Recieved paper early and had great knowledge!
Avetis K., Indonesia
6:36 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Discussion Board Post, 15 pages
good writer and did meet the timeline
Lisa G., USA
3:36 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Marketing Plan, 18 pages
perfect, but reply too slow
Jonathan R., Japan
3:13 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Dissertation chapter - Literature ..., 4 pages
This writer is perfection at its best. She reads and follows the instructions and completes assignments promptly to assist you in completing the assignment on time. So happy I found this writer. She is 5-star plus!!
John R., USA
9:32 AM, Feb 17, 2025
Blog Article, 4 pages
great paper as usual
Kristen P., USA
7:42 AM, Feb 17, 2025
Literature Review, 9 pages
1 paragraph short of 2 pages
Gea E., USA
7:22 AM, Feb 17, 2025
Revision, 14 pages
it was a amazing essay thx so much
Bhupendra A., Australia
6:49 AM, Feb 17, 2025
Dissertation chapter - Hypothesis, 11 pages
This's a good writer done my work in before the due time, which gave time to read and no stress.
Viet P., USA
8:42 PM, Feb 13, 2025
Research proposal, 5 pages
Great paper and got it before due date!
Hieu P., USA
11:09 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Literature Review, 8 pages
Better than the last, but again offline and could not do a revision. I did it myself. Attention to details is an effective part of writing, just saying.
Jannette V., USA
9:01 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Poem, 9 pages
Recieved paper early and had great knowledge!
Avetis K., Indonesia
6:36 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Discussion Board Post, 15 pages
good writer and did meet the timeline
Lisa G., USA
3:36 PM, Feb 17, 2025
Marketing Plan, 18 pages
perfect, but reply too slow
Jonathan R., Japan
3:13 PM, Feb 17, 2025