Turning Points In European History

The Age of Exploration was from the end of the 15th century to the 18th century. There were many causes for the time period that brought two worlds together. However, there were also many positive and negative effects in the age. The time was very prosperous, but the negative effects that came from it were dramatic. The need for advancement and expansion helped motivate the explorers we still know today.

It is evident that in 16th century Europe there existed both the motivation and the means to explore and colonize territory across the seas. As it can be said, “With the dawn of the 16th century, there came together in Europe both the motivation and the means to explore and colonize territory across the seas.” This statement is true to a large extent, especially in the areas of trade and technology. The physical means to explore and colonize came from the advances in technology that the Europeans had gone through, allowing them to sail far across the oceans and take over native populations easily. The motivation, on the other hand, came from trade-related reasons, such as the desire to trade new resources, to find gold, and to find new trade routes. Without the technology or trade at the dawn of the 16th century, there would not have been the means nor the motivation for Europeans to explore and colonize the New World.

The Age of Exploration spread many ideas and knowledge through cultural diffusion to new lands. With the discovery of the Americas, new lands were conquered and religions like Christianity found new followers. While there are many positive aspects of the Age of Exploration, it was a bad thing for others. In the sixteenth century the Europeans had a positive or negative effect on Europe, Africa and the Americas The Europeans affected European culture in an unsurprisingly good way. As depicted in Doc 8, while they did lose half of their ships they came back with a huge profit in spices.

Before any civilized country was established in the New World, the Mundus Novus, there were not many people from the 15th century that ever thought traveling across oceans could be possible nor did they know much about the world beyond their own communities. So, why did they take to the seas? Many historians believe this was motivated by the chance to explore, learn, and understand other cultures. The most willing to expand are the ones who will strive to succeed in the end. Little did they know that doing this would cause a chain reaction for civilization as we know it. These European civilizations stood at the threshold of a new area, but it was this era of time that began for Western European countries to expand and explore, which ultimately transformed European societies for years to come. According to Kreis (2011), “the Portuguese were the first country to send ships, then the Spanish and finally, in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, British, French and Dutch ships set out to discover a world, the New World” (historyguide.org, 2011). These long voyages brought many complications, but the possibility for wealth one could find in other parts of the world outweighed any negative outcomes. European powers were motivated by many factors that drove them to look overseas for new territories; desire for wealth and power, and improvements in technology for the “discovered” territories and peoples as a result of European exploration and expansionism, and its overall

Spain quickly became a dominant power in the European endeavor to discover and conquer the New World. Spain jumped into feet first into the Age of Exploration. Although it wasn’t the first to sponsor trips to discover the new world, but certainly sponsored a successful and well known explorers trip to what is now present day Americas. Originally the mission was to travel over the Atlantic Ocean in search of what many believed would be the Asian continent. He however landed in a new place in 1492 which would be present day Bahama Islands. Once ashore in this New World, Columbus and others set up a base on the Bahamas for what would be the future of their further exploration. Of course the race for exploration didn’t start until a disagreement between Spain and Portugal. Spain wanted to claim all of the new found land, but Portugal was not going to agree or participate in their Spanish claim. Both countries reached an agreement and signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. This treaty which was signed in 1494 claimed that further discovery would be split amongst the two powers.

Most of the time, people yield to the decision made by people in charge, succumb to the ideas supported by leaders or experts, and lose the chance to change the situation. Questioning is always important. The practice of questioning led to the scientific evolution ,to the conception of human rights and to many other turning points in human history.

What caused the expansion of Europe was the pressure the Europeans were feeling because of the growth of Islam and the Ottoman empire. Europe was becoming more literate as they were emerging from their Dark Age and began reading about the wonders and prosperity of the East. Because of these recordings and tales Europeans wanted to explore and trade directly with Asia, but for hundreds of years the Ottomans had control over all trade routes to the east as they controlled all the land in the eastern Mediterranean. At the time, the only known way of getting to the East was through the Silk Road or from Eastern Africa in the Indian Ocean trade route. Western Europe and its Muslim neighbors were rivals, citing the Crusades as the starting point

In the early period of the expansion, explorers from countries such as Britain, France, Dutch Republic, Spain, and Portugal, crossed immense oceans to even find a hint of other civilizations and new resources. With superior technological strength and materials, especially with firearms, Europeans were able to achieve both land and power. The motives for European expansion could be of any variation, from desiring glory from their lands, to obtaining gold for their future, to serve in the name of God, or even to meet the strategic needs that their country may require.

The Age of Exploration was an era that impacted us globally and shaped our world into what it is today. Resources such as spices, rum, guns and crops were used as a means to further develop a nation and to gain power over other underdeveloped nations. However, the Atlantic Slave Trade was used as the main resource to gain power in Europe.

There were Spain, England, France, Russia and China expeditions that visited all parts of the Ocean including Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean basin. Europeans were not the only people who were explored the larger world. In the1400 and 1800, European sailors, explorers and adventures launched series of exploratory voyages to explore the world and brought them to almost to all the earths water. The explorers, conquerors, missionaries, merchants, and adventurers sought to claim new lands to colonize, new land for possession and control trade routes. In the following, I will discuss the differences between the motivations of the Europeans’ expansion of the New World and develop empires whereas the societies of Asia and Africa did not.

Portugal and Spain became the next major players in the game of colonization. Portugal being the farthest country on the Iberian Peninsula needed a way to be included in the trade with Asia, prompting them to create bigger and faster boats to take them down the African coast (Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 15). Their creation of new technologies and colonization of the Africa paved the way for them to establish trade routes with the new world (Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 17). Unfortunately, Portugal was not able to economically or politically back any expeditions to the new world which

The first European country to embark on sea voyages was Portugal. They began by attempting to sail around the continent Africa in order to reach the wonders of the East. These early expeditions, sponsored by Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator,

The Age of Discovery from the 15th to 18th century was a period marked by the discovery of lands, unknown before to the Europeans. The expeditions to find new areas were not only done to find more profitable means for the metropole but also to spread their religion which heavily dominated a person’s life. They wanted to convert the natives to their religion, but if they refused, they saw fit to take over. By doing this, not only did religion spread but also the dominating country, which turned them into an empire. An example of this is Spain, which not only found new lands to bring profit back home but also spread Christianity.

Prior to the 15th century Europe had not much, if any, knowledge of the new world. Content with many small kingdoms and farms, there was no reason to explore. The economy was limited and life was simple. However, by the latter part of the century, conditions changed and Europe’s views did as well. At this time the population experienced tremendous growth. This was definitely a motive for expansion since the economy which was once very weak was now beginning to boom. Europe was truly breaking into a modern age.

If, however, we find that it was economics and the promise of wealth, the desire for goods and services, and the curiosity about technological advances and other social improvements, that drove Europe outward, it was the lack of active colonization that kept both the Ming and Ottoman Empires from perhaps realizing their true potential. Regardless of the public personification of discovering new lands for God and man, the very basis of expansion for Europe was, indeed, the promise of wealth.