In the 15th century, Europe had a number of reasons for the exploration of the Atlantic. During that period of time, Europe was broken into different states that had to deal with the existed Islamic worlds and their power over people and political, economic, and social segments. Though the necessity to defeat the supporters of the Islamic culture and find allies that could be used against the Muslim powers was the goal of the European exploration, it was not the only one.
Europeans wanted to get access to a larger world of economy and find more people, who could be converted to Christianity. In fact, there were different forces that drove European countries onto the Atlantic that touched upon the existing economic, political, and social elements, and, as a result, the most important global transformations took place in those fields making Europe think about its strong and weak aspects in regards to the Islamic world and its power.
The year 1453 was a crucial period for all European countries because it was the time when Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II “decisively conquered the great Christian city of Constantinople, bringing the thousand-year history of Byzantium to an inglorious end” (Strayer 601). As soon as the religious aspects were broken in Europe, many people were eager to put their lives on risk to conquer the Atlantic Ocean and find new lands.
However, the travelers did not have enough money and tried to get sponsorship from their kings and monarchs. Ordinary Europeans wanted to promote their religion, and kings wanted to believe that new lands could bring new powers and opportunities to become wealthy. Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, and the Netherlands were the countries that decided to begin their expeditions in a short period (Strayer 618).
During the three centuries, from 1450 to 1750, the creation of empires by different European states turned into a serious global process. One of the main transformations that took place globally was connected with the possibility to create a link between different continents. Besides, the industrial changes occurred as people wanted to conquer the Atlantic with fewer losses and costs. Finally, the demographic explosion was observed that required certain changes in education, urbanization, and commercialization.
The world had nothing to do but follow the transformations caused by the rise of Europe, and the resistance was one of the possible methods to cope with the challenges and concerns. At the same time, the relations that were developed by the Europeans around the whole world were impressive indeed because all continents were related.
From an economic point of view, Europeans won a lot using the opportunity to get access to such products as grain, sugar, meat that could create a powerful base to support the expansion of European economy (Strayer 621). Native Americans and other regions where the penetration of Europeans was inevitable faced both, negative and positive, outcomes. It was possible to sell their products as unique for Europeans and earn good money. Still, many Americans and other nations had nothing to offer to Europe. As a result, they were enslaved and had to work on plantations that were the properties of the European people.
In addition to the economic concerns, many social concerns took place. Native Americans were not physically ready for the expansion of Europe. New people brought new diseases, and the Americans did not have an appropriate immune system. The results were dramatic because many people died because of new unknown epidemic cases. However, Europeans got access to cheap corn and potatoes, and other products from America (chocolate), tea (China), and coffee (Arabs). Europe took a lot from those transformations and continued using poor people as the main source to achieve their goals and become a powerful economic body. Still, the European states could not accept the fact that they had to divide their power with each other and began regional fights to protect their rights and underline their powers.
The creation of an Atlantic economy was the main reason for the misunderstandings that took place between the European leaders. The same situation could be observed with the Native American tribes, such as Aztecs and Incans. Their division led to the search for new allies from Europe. Natives did not want to use their powers only. They thought they could ask Europeans to provide them with help and defeat their enemies neglecting the chance that one-day allies could be one-year enemies with time. The collapse of Native American societies was the main political transformation, and the promotion of economic relations led to the impossibility for Native Americans to gain leading positions but become slaves of Europeans.
In general, the development of a new Atlantic economy that was based on the intentions of the Europeans to expand its power was dramatic for many Native American societies and advantageous for many Europeans. History showed that the European decision to conquer the Atlantic was successful indeed as it helped to discover new opportunities and learn the benefits of global trade and business relations.
Works Cited
Strayer, Robert, W. Ways of the World: A Brief History with Sources, Volume 2. Boston: Bedford, 2010. Print.