The Global Convergence
A United Nations Demographic Report
My name is Sumani N. I am making this page as a Humanities role-playing project and am not trying to represent, impersonate, or hold claims to the United Nations in any way. I am merely using the social scientist pretense for educational purposes.
Overview
We at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, USA, have noticed an irregular pattern in population and have decided to analyze and create a report with detailed factual information about this anomaly. This report will describe the demographics and the causes of population changes throughout the years 1400-1800, the era of the great global convergence. There are multiple graphs and a brief timeline outlining the major events of the global convergence that pertain to the demographics of the world during this time.
What was the "Global Convergence"?
The global convergence (1400-1800 A.D.) was a time period where the world came together and advanced by exchanging ideas, thoughts, goods, and technology. This was the time period when West Africans were enslaved in the Americas by European plantation owners seeking opportunity, when Native Americans were forced off their own lands and forced to work, and when many people decided to trade their goods. It was the official start of the world we live in today. It defines who we are.
The Great Dying- Major Demographic Change
The Great Dying
The Great Dying was an event that occurred in the Americas, when the Europeans brought pathogens to the Native Americans. The African slaves that were brought with the Europeans had immunity to these diseases, so the Native Americans were undefended and some reports say the population loss in the Americas at the time was more than 21 million people (the population supposedly went from 22 million in 1500 to less than 1 million in 1640). See the graph below.
Major Population Changes
Population Change in China
China, from 1368 to 1644, was going through its Golden Age: the Ming dynasty. It was the first dynasty in Chinese history to be ruled by a Chinese. Before, China was ruled by Mongols such as Kublai Khan and Genghis Khan. The Mongols were very strict rulers who looked to only gain land. When a Chinese finally started ruling China for the first time, Canton (now known as Guangzhou) became a major trading port and therefore increased population. (See graph at bottom of page)
Population Change in India
India experienced steady population growth from 1400 to 1800 because of its Golden Age. India's Golden Age is known in better terms as the Mughal dynasty. The Mughal dynasty first started with the Emperor Akbar the Great, a Muslim. He built up the empire from scratch and then his predecessor, Jahangir, took over and added on to this enormous empire. Jahangir's son, Emperor Shah Jahan (who is famed for building the Taj Mahal) built the empire up to its peak. Then Emperor Aurangazib took over and collapsed centuries of hard work. At that point, the Mughal Empire ended and the steadily built population evened out.
Population Change in Europe
Europe experienced a steady increase in population during this time period because of all the popularity it got from investing in the Americas. When the Europeans discovered the Americas, they saw the opportunity to trade with them and gain valuable resources. The Europeans then brought back things that Afroeurasians decided they could use, and the Afroeurasians went to trade with Europe, which steadily grew in population to become a trading hotspot.
Population Change in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa experienced a decrease in population during the global convergence, mostly because the Europeans were enslaving Africans and taking them to the Americas to work on large plantations. When the West Africans were enslaved in such a large scale and taken away from their homeland, the population experienced a sudden decrease.
Population Change in Latin America
Latin America experienced a sudden and extreme population decrease during 1400-1800. First, the population was even because of all the previous population of Latin Americas. You would expect the population to go up because 42% of the Slaves were going to Latin America, but when the Europeans brought deadly pathogens from Europe and contaminated the Natives, the Natives didn't have the immunity to fight it, so they died.