Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 2 European Expansion in The World
Chapter 2 European Expansion in The World
Chapter 2
History
Today, nearly every region of the earth has been mapped and developed. In the mid-15th century, the situation was different Europe had not yet discovered the Americas and only had a vague notion about Asia and Africa. 200 years later, European navigators along with soldiers and missionaries traveled to other continents and established trading outposts and colonies.
Citizenship
Over the centuries, Western countries have exploited poor countries resources. The look abroad for the resources they need and set up factories in regions where wage are very low. This started with the European Expansion
Motives
European rulers and merchants longed to have power and wealth, this is why there was a growing interest in Asia With an increasing population in Europe, a higher demand for certain products like silk, spices and gold increased. To meet this demand, European countries looked for new sources of supplies, particularly in Asia.
Precious Metals
Large-scale trade, which had been growing ever since the Middle Ages, prompted the Europeans to seek out gold and silver, which was used as currency. The main source of Gold was found in Africa and access to it was under Muslim control. Europeans had to find another route than through the Mediterranean.
Motives
Favourable Conditions
A series of discoveries and inventions simplified navigation and made large-scale expeditions possible:
Ptolemy, a Greek geographer, proved that the world was round. (His distance calculations were off) Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, proved that the earth orbited the sun, not vice-versa
His theories were of great interest to navigators, who were now able to calculate their position on the Earths surface more easily. These ideas went against the teachings of the church who saw the Earth at the center of the universe.
Favourable Conditions
Refinements in Cartography
Travellers and mariners had access to increasingly accurate maps to guide them. Navigators, who were fearful of straying to far from the shores, took highly detailed notes on costal areas. This information was then added to existing navigation charts , known as Portolan Atlases. Geographers then compiled this information to produce sophisticated maps, including using latitude.
Refinements in Cartography
Technological Progress
Over the course of the 15th and 16th centuries, navigation had access to more sophisticated instruments. These instruments were adopted by European explorers:
The Compass: which was used to estimate a ships position to magnetic north The Astrolabe: which complemented the compass, by determining a ships position using the stars, latitude calculated and longitude could be estimated. The Log: a float attached to a knotted rope that trailed behind the ship. Used to calculate the distance covered in a given time.
Technological Progress
Portuguese Expeditions
The kingdom of Portugal was the first to finance and organize a large-scale maritime expedition. In 1487, Bartolomeu Dias sailed the entire coast of Africa, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and reached the Indian Ocean. In 1498, Vasco de Gama followed the same route as Dias, although he travelled further into the Indian Ocean, reaching the Indian city of Calicut. In 1500, the Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvarez Cabral was blown westward by strong winds, as a result he discovered the east coast of Brazil.
Spanish Expeditions
Inspired by dreams of vast riches and trading opportunities in Asia, Spain also undertook a number of expeditions One of the first was by Christopher Columbus Columbus set off with three ships in 1492 and landed after 61 days Little did he know that he discovered America, he thought he had reached Asia! Although Columbus made three voyages in the Americas, he died convinced that he had reached India!
Spanish Expeditions
English Expeditions
The kingdom of England commissioned a number of expeditions to find a route to Asia via a Northwest passage around North America In 1497, John Cabot, an Italian navigator serving the British crown, set off with his son and 20 crew. Cabot explored the northern reaches where the Spanish and Portuguese had never done. Cabot is generally credited with having discovered North America 500 years after the Vikings. England used Cabots maps and gradually took possession of what is now known as the east coast of the United States, which along with the Dutch, colonized the area.
English Expeditions
French Expeditions
The king of France sent Jacques Cartier, a navigator and cartographer on a expedition to explore the coast of North America. In 1534, during the first voyage, Cartier reached the Gulf of St-Lawrence and thus took part in the discovery of what is now known as Canada. Cartier made 2 other voyages: in 1535, his first exploration he thought he had found the northwest passage to Asia. His second voyage, his mission was to colonize the area to explore new resources in the territory. Instead of finding gold, Cartier established the fur trade.
French Expeditions
Mismatched Armies
The Native peoples were quickly overwelmed by the better-armed Europeans. Native populations were reduced dramatically by European-imported diseases against which they didnt have any immunity. Their numbers plummeted in the space of just a few years.
Mismatched Armies
World Economy
In political, economic and cultural terms, Europe and the rest of the world was changed during the course of these two centuries. Whenever the Europeans found resources that interested them, they established trading posts and permanent colonies. An international trading network, known as the World Economy soon came into being. Today, its called Globalization.
World Economy
Economic Instruments
The world economy was centred around the great powers of western Europe The newly discovered territories, which were now occupied and exploited for their resources, formed the hinterland A range of economic instruments aimed to strengthen the world economy as well as some principles for its direction.
Companies
Large trade companies were formed in the colonizing countries. Holland launched the Dutch West India Company The French founded the Compagnie des CeniAssocies (Company of the Hundred Associates) For the most part, these were private companies established by merchants for the purpose of sharing the risks of increasingly costly expeditions
Banks
Enormous sums of money were required to finance the expeditions and colonizing activities The potential benefits were considerable, and emphasis was placed on profiting from them To this end, the major European banks were created.
Mercantilism
Aimed at strengthening the power of the colonizing countries, a new economic doctrine was developed: Mercantilism. According to this doctrine, a countrys wealth was proportional to its reserves of gold and silver
Economic Instruments
Triangular Trade
Under the doctrine of Mercantilism, rules were established that favoured the colonizers. In the Americas, the colonizing countries claimed exclusive rights to their colonies natural resources, such as gold and sugar cane. They were also the exclusive suppliers of manufactured goods and, in some cases, slaves to the colonies Goods bound for a colony could only be shipped using the colonizers vessels. This system was known as Triangular Trade.
Triangular Trade
Cultural Exchange
Over the course of two centuries of European exploration, people acquired knowledge of navigation, geography, etc) In establishing colonial outposts, Europeans imposed their language, culture and religion As a result, English and French are among the main languages spoken in North America Food provides another example of cultural exchange. Potatoes and tomatoes, both came from America are now staples in Europe.
Cultural Trade