The Impact Of European Exploration

Many changes in trade, technology, and demographics were brought about by the cultural exchange brought about by European exploration. The Age of Exploration had far-reaching impacts on world history. Europeans and their descendants were the prime beneficiaries of the events in the early modern era. The new global economy stimulated Europe and helped to finance the Industrial Revolution, making these countries even wealthier compared to other regions. An innate sense of superiority soon emerged that allowed Europeans to financially and culturally dominate much of the world. Other regions such as the Americas were utterly devastated as a result.
The impact of exploration was profoundly negative for indigenous peoples. Europeans consciously worked to re-create the Old World in whatever lands they found themselves. Religious, political, and social modes were introduced and native customs suppressed or destroyed. The high culture of Native American civilizations disappeared shortly after European contact. The sciences, mathematics, and literature that characterized Aztec and Inca society were disregarded by ethnocentric European conquistadores. In particular, thousands of Aztec books were burned by Catholic priests who considered them the work of the …show more content…
The quest of European nations to obtain resources and wealth lead to the trade of goods between Europe, the Americas, and Africa, known as the Columbian Exchange/ Triangular Trade. In this system, American colonies sent sugar, tobacco, cotton, and other raw goods to Europe. In return, Europe sent textiles, rum, and manufactured goods to Africa. Then, African slaves were sent back to the Americas to supply a labor force. European exploration marked a major shift in how economic activity functioned in the Americas. Pre-exploration, most trade was very limited between peoples and occurred almost exclusively