Random Things That Would Have Happened If Christopher Columbus Missed Americas (14 items)

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  (#6) China Would Remain A Powerful State And Control Trade In Asia

  China's dominant Ming Dynasty sent out its own voyages of discovery during the 15th century. Under Admiral Zheng He, the Chinese fleet traveled to India and Africa. However, the Ming quickly took an isolationist turn, declaring China the only civilized part of the world.  

  While European traders had a presence in China, they had to acknowledge Chinese superiority. European powers, which would have been weaker without their New World colonies, would have struggled to break into the Chinese market, likely playing an even smaller role in Chinese trade. As a result, China would have continued its role as the dominant power in Asia. With less competition from European powers, especially Portugal and the Dutch, China would have controlled trade throughout Southeast Asia.
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  (#4) The Inca Empire Would Have Conquered South America

  In the 100 years before Spanish contact, the Inca more than doubled the size of their empire. By building alliances with neighbors, the Inca created a strong, sophisticated empire on the Pacific coast of South America. 

  However, Pizarro toppled the empire with the help of superior weapons and ruthless tactics. After capturing the Inca ruler Atahualpa and extracting a ransom worth more than $50 million today, Pizarro executed Atahualpa. Even before the Spaniards reached Inca territory, European diseases had swept through, weakening the empire.

  Without Spanish contact, the Inca would have continued their expansion, creating a massive empire that could have even conquered South America.
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  (#8) Spain Would Have Split Into Competing Kingdoms 

  Spain unified a couple decades before Columbus's voyage, when Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon shared their crowns. 

  In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs expelled Spain's Jewish population and conquered Granada, ending the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian peninsula. With the discovery of the New World, gold and silver poured into Spain, propping up the newly united kingdom. 

  But without wealth from the New World, Spain might easily have crumbled back into competing kingdoms. A poorer Spain might not have successfully pushed out Muslims and Jews from their country, creating a more diverse, less united Iberia.
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  (#13) The Russian Empire Would Have Become The World's Dominant Power

  The year 1492 was an important one for Russia. The king of Poland passed, and his weak successor eventually ceded his Baltic territory to Ivan the Great. Ivan also conquered the Mongols, transforming Central Asia into ripe territory for Russian conquest.

  Russia's strategic position gave it access to Asian trade without having to pass through hostile Ottoman territories. With less competition from Habsburg rulers, the Russians might have expanded their empire even faster, transforming themselves into a dominant world power. For centuries, Russia fought the Ottomans, but the balance might have tipped in Russia's favor with stronger European trade passing through Russian lands. After all, without the resources of the New World, Europeans would still clamor for Asian trade, which the Russians could provide.
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  (#10) West African States Would Have Developed Into Their Own Expansive Imperial Powers

  In the 15th century, West Africa was dominated by the Mali Empire. Before Columbus's voyage, Mali dominated a territory larger than Western Europe, applying a sophisticated political system to control its empire. The Mali Empire enriched itself with trade, including important commodities like gold and salt.

  By around 1500, a new dominant power rose in West Africa: the Songhai Empire, which controlled trans-Saharan trade routes. 

  However, West Africa eventually devolved into competing neighboring states, in part because of a new trade network: the Atlantic slave trade. Without European demand for slaves in the New World, West African states like the Mali and Songhai empires would have continued to grow and consolidate power.
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  (#14) England Would Become The 'Sick Man Of Europe'

  England was slow to colonize the New World in comparison to their European rivals Spain, Portugal, France, and even the Dutch. But without their North American colonies, which made up the vast majority of Britain's overseas empire by 1750, England might not have become a major European power.

  Britain used the North American colonies to fuel their expansion, and the colonies also became an important outlet for religious dissenters. The British might not have established control of India without their experience and the wealth from their American colonies.

  However, by the 18th century, as the Industrial Revolution dawned, Britain's major coal reserves likely would have made the island an attractive resource. It's even possible that another power, like the Russians or the Ottomans, would have colonized England for the coal.

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