This chapter discusses Political Transformations through empires and encounters. For European Empires in the America's there was the European Advantage, The Great Dying, and The Colombian Exchange. From this section the information provided on the Great Dying was most interesting to read about. The fact that over 90% of the Native American population died due to 60-80 million people having been isolated from the diseased, rich Old World for thousands of years, they had not developed immunities to both serious epidemic diseases and what were common endemic illness in Afro-Eurasia. Some of these Old-World diseases included illnesses such as smallpox, measles, typhus, influenza, malaria, and yellow fever all to which exacted a terrible toll. In return Central Mexico went from a population of 10 to 20 million to 1 million in 150 years. It was not until the late seventeenth century that the population began to recover but in only some places. This mass death opened up conquests and slave trade. It is so sad and shocking to read about the percentage of this culture that was forever lost to disease and hunger. It makes me appreciate the medical advancements we have now and the resources. This chapter also discusses the comparison between colonial societies in the americas, as well as the Russian and Asian empires. The Asian Empires were interesting to learn about also because they were such a very advanced empire compared to others in their time. They created the Mughal Empire where they brought Hindu South Asia within a single Muslim ruled political system, as well as the Ottoman Empire where they brought Muslim rule to a Christian population in southeast Europe and Turkish rule to Arab populations in North Africa and the Middle East. Their empires gave way to cross culture encounters and for this reason and more they were very successful.
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