> mean didn't the greater European community as a whole benefit greatly by access to the materials found in the "new world" (and also Asia)?
At the expense of killing millions?
< Plantations is a bit vague but to assume Cotton; people benefited tremendously from cheaper clothes. A lot of the early industrial revolution was weaving machines which wouldn't be possible without a lot of cotton.
It would really help if you could identify a specific business to talk about.
Columbus wasn't a business but if you take a look at why he got funding [1] you'll see its very clearly for the greater good (of the crown). Of course, the inhabitants of the land being colonized are not taken into consideration but they're also not the one giving Columbus his funding.
I think you need to think a bit longer about this. If slavery wasn't useful economically why did so many civilizations engage in it?
At the expense of killing millions?
< Plantations is a bit vague but to assume Cotton; people benefited tremendously from cheaper clothes. A lot of the early industrial revolution was weaving machines which wouldn't be possible without a lot of cotton.
At the expense of killing and enslaving millions?