Final answer:
The smallpox disease greatly impacted indigenous populations in the Americas, causing high mortality rates. The resulting social disruption facilitated European conquest as indigenous society structures were weakened. This made it easier for Europeans to impose their own systems onto these communities.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the European conquest of the Americas, the spread of smallpox had a severe impact on indigenous populations. As Europeans arrived in the New World, they unknowingly brought diseases with them for which the indigenous populations had no immunity.
Smallpox was one of the most devastating of these diseases. Mortality rates were extremely high, often up to 90%, decimating many native communities. The high death rate combined with the resultant social disruption greatly weakened indigenous societies, fostering conditions for European conquest.
In the face of this biological onslaught, indigenous communities lacked the resources and immunity to fight back effectively. The high death rates caused by smallpox and other diseases disrupted indigenous social, political, and economic structures, which in turn made it easier for the Europeans to, often violently, impose their own cultural, religious and economic systems on these communities.
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