During these three centuries, building an empire was the norm. In this era, several empire flourished such as the Aztec and Inca of America. The Spanish, Portuguese, French, British, and Dutch people also built their own empires and strived to expand them in different parts of the world.
One of the earliest modern empire built was those of the western part of Europe. Europe’s empires were mostly on the American region due to proximity. Trading and movement of material and human resources are also strong driving force for the “colonization.” European Empires were more advanced in terms of technology and weapons. Another reason for the success of the European Empires in penetrating America was …show more content…
Commerce was a vital part of every conquests. Slave trading was popularized. The search for spices and other valuable items also opened the gate for new connections to be built between lands separated by vast ocean. Not only were the societies altered, but the natural environment experienced significant change as well. For instance, hunting and trapping wild animals for their fur was very prevalent that time.
During the 15th century, the Indian Ocean was a hot pot of trade and commerce. The goods are being transferred into the Mediterranean through the Middle East. In Europe, Venice was the center of commerce. One driving force for the conquests of Europeans straight to the East was due to their dislike to the monopoly posed by the Muslims in the Middle East as well as that happening in Venice. The rich resources in the East prompted the Europeans to bypass the trading route and head straight to Asia. For instance, Spain started colonizing the Philippines in the 16th century. Several Europeans such as the Dutch and the British sought to gain control over the Indian ocean trade. The European’s attempt to take hold of the Asian trade did not succeed as great powers were already established in most countries in Asia. For instance, the French were expelled by the people in Siam. They were also unable to penetrate China, Japan, and