Wednesday, May 25, 2016

The Spanish Empire, Silver, & Runaway Inflation: Crash Course World History #25


In which John Green explores how Spain went from being a middling European power to one of the most powerful empires on Earth, thanks to their plunder of the New World in the 16th and 17th centuries. Learn how Spain managed to destroy the two biggest pre-Columbian civilizations, mine a mountain made of silver, mishandle their economy, and lose it all by the mid-1700s. Come along for the roller coaster ride with Charles I (he was also Charles V), Philip II, Atahualpa, Moctezuma, Hernán Cortés, and Francisco Pizarro as Spain rises and falls, and takes two empires and China down with them.


4 comments:

Dennis Estrada said...

Very interesting connection between America, Europe and Asia through the movement of silver and trade overall. The impact this had in the global economy, a term nobody would have used back then at least not in the way we do today. We can see the phenomenon of inflation acting and regulating finances as far back as the 15 or 1600s. Maybe this inspired some of the greatest philosophers and socio-political thinkers of the time. I'm thinking Hume, Ricardo, Smith, Marx, etc.

Dayde Moreno said...

This video is very insightful with regards to the role of silver and the impact it had. Trade by all means had a great impact and lead to creating great connections around the world especially with the Spanish Empire.

Unknown said...

This crash course video was very helpful in understanding that trade had a great influence on the Spanish Empire.

Jason Madrid - ISS1120MDCKENDALL said...

The contributions the Aztecs have made to modern society still boggle my mind!