Officially recognized discovery of America by Europeans was, in fact, chronologically second, because the development of the continent from Asia and Polynesia started 10-15 thousand years earlier.
The first Europeans in the New World were the Spaniards.
In October 1492, three Spanish caravels cast anchor at the small island of the Western Hemisphere, designed by Admiral Christopher Columbus as San Salvador – «Holy Savior».
Common reasons for sending expeditions were: growth in the European commercial production; lack of precious metals and related search for new lands, which had hoped to find gold and silver, spices and ivory (in the tropics), valuable fur and walrus tusks in the Nordic countries) ; search for new trade routes from Europe to India and East Asia due to the desire of Western European merchants to get rid of trade intermediaries and to establish a direct link with Asian countries (Turkish conquest almost completely closed the highway to the east through Asia Minor and Syria).
Great geographical discoveries were possible because of the advances of science and technology: the creation of a sufficiently reliable for ocean sailing vessels Caravel), improvement of the compass and nautical charts, etc.; greater role was played by increasingly adopted ideas of sphericity of Earth. The importance for the great geographical discoveries were made in the field of geographical knowledge and the development of navigation among the peoples of the East.
Great geographical discoveries were the events of world-historical significance. There have been established the contours of inhabited continents (except for the northern and north-west coast of America and the east coast of Australia), investigated most of the Earth’s surface, but still many unexplored areas of domestic America, central Africa and all interior Australia. Great geographical discoveries have provided the extensive new material to many other areas of knowledge (botany, zoology, ethnography, etc.). As a result, Great geographical discoveries Europeans first became acquainted with a number of agricultural crops (potatoes, corn, tomatoes, tobacco), and then spread them to Europe.
Great geographical discoveries had important socio-economic consequences. The discovering of new trade routes and new countries contributed to the fact that trade has become global in nature. There has been a huge increase in the number of goods. This has accelerated the expansion of feudalism and the emergence of capitalist relations in Western Europe.
The colonial system, created after the great geographical discoveries (in this period, Europeans destroyed the indigenous population, seized vast territory in America and organized a base on the coast of Africa, South and East Asia), was one of the levers of the so-called primitive accumulation of capital. This influx has helped after the Great geographical discoveries of cheap American gold and silver in Europe, causing much higher prices.
Navigating by the great geographic discoveries of trade routes from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic has contributed to economic decline in some European countries (Italy, part of Germany) and the elevation of others (Netherlands, United Kingdom). Russian great geographical discoveries have contributed to the colonization of Siberia.
Thanks to the courageous expeditions mariners and travelers of many countries in Europe had been opened and studied most of the Earth’s surface, oceans and seas surrounding it; unknown tumble into many inland areas of the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia. There were laid major sea routes, linking continents between them. Yet the geographical discoveries began a terrible enslavement and extermination of peoples of open countries that became European seekers gain the object of the brazen looting and exploitation: treachery, deceit, the consumption of local residents were the main methods of conquerors.
Such a price was paid for the creation of the conditions for capitalist production in Western Europe. The colonial system created by the geographical discovery, contributed to the accumulation in the hands of bourgeoisie in Europe, big money required for the large capitalist production, as well as publish market for its products, which is thus one of the levers of the so-called primitive accumulation.
With the establishment of the colonial system the world market began to take shape, which had a powerful impetus to the emergence and development of capitalist relations in Western Europe. «Colony – wrote Marx – allowing the market to a rapidly emerging manufacturing and possession of a monopoly market that provides increased accrued. Treasures obtained outside Europe through robbery, enslavement of people, murder, affluent in the metropolis and it became the capital». The rise helped European bourgeoisie and the so-called revolution in prices of the XVI and XVII centuries.
It was caused by the import from America to Europe the large quantities of gold and silver, extracted cheap labor serfs and slaves. In the colonies they got gold and silver 5 times more than they produced and Europe before the conquest of America, and the total amount of cash, applied European countries increased during the XVI century, more than 4 times.
This influx of cheap gold and silver in Europe has led to a sharp decline in the purchasing power of money and a massive increase in the price (2-3 times or more) for all commodities, both agricultural and industrial. In the villages primary benefits were those nobles who planted a new type of economy, with the hiring of labor and marketing of products on the market at high prices, and wealthy peasants to sell a significant portion of agricultural products. In addition, landowners benefited lodged land in the short-term lease.
Finally, the benefits were got by the long-term tenants, holders-farmers who paid the traditional fixed monetary rent and the major land owners,feudal lords, put out of business, as well as the most of their land even before the XVI century passed in rent over credentials as possible to obtain a fixed rent in cash. Wherever possible, feudal lords offset their losses, increased attacks on farmers, increases in cash rents, and the transition from subsistence to cash quitrent guilt or gathering the peasants from the land.
From «the revolution of prices» the poorest peasants suffered, forced to live part of the sale of labor, and agricultural workers. Marks writes on the «revolution prices»: «The effect of increasing the exchange was, on the one hand, the depreciation of wages and land rents, and on the other – the growth of industrial profits. In other words: to the extent that they came to class degraded land owners and the class of workers, lord and the people, as much capitalist class and bourgeoisie increased». (K, Marx, Poverty of Philosophy, K. Marx and F. Engels, Vol 4, p. 154.)
Thus, «the revolution of prices» was also one of the factors contributing to the development of capitalism in Western Europe. As a result of the great geographical discoveries communication with the countries of Europe, Africa, South and East Asia increased and relations with America were first established. Trade has become global in nature. Center of economic life has shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean, had collapsed in South Europe, primarily Italian cities, which are mainly carried out through Europe with the East, lifted the new trading centers: Lisbon – Portugal, Seville – Spain, Antwerp – in the Netherlands.
Antwerp became the richest city in Europe, it was widely size colonial trade in goods, especially spices, carried out by the large international trading and lending operations, aided by the fact that, unlike other cities in Antwerp was established full freedom of trade and credit transactions. In 1531 in Antwerp for the implementation of trade and financial transactions, particularly the building was constructed – Exchange with a characteristic inscription on the pediment: «For the needs of merchants of all nations and languages». By trading on the exchange transaction, the buyer examined the only product samples. Loan commitments bill listed on the exchange of securities; a new type of profit stock exchange speculation.
The contact between the Old World and the New had for the last some fatal consequences – the destruction of indigenous civilizations, the sharp decline of indigenous populations as a result of epidemics, the change from European immigrants and African slaves of ethnic and racial composition of the population, changing socio-economic patterns, and even sometimes landscapes. But as a result of this gigantic historical catastrophe, new peoples and civilizations have made an enormous contribution to human development, accelerating the discovery of America.
References
Tindall George, Shi David , America: A Narrative History, Brief Seventh Edition, Volume 1, W. W. Norton; 7 edition (2007).