Sea Exploration Profit
Introduction
The explorations that the Europeans did brought about much changes and alterations on the way people lived in those countries that they embarked on. After the plague that resulted in the destruction of many economies and societies, China and Europe were the first to rise up from their own rubbles. During the Ming dynasty, China started to entertain foreign traders and to begin naval exploration in the Indian Ocean. On the other hand, Europe started to embark on sea explorations in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans. This paper aims to provide a bird's eye view on how these significant explorations impacted Europe and the whole world. Furthermore, a brief but concise discussion on the technological, commercial, and social factors triggered developments in these areas.
Hypothesis
The world today exists in a state of cultural, political, and economic globalization. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries two nations, Portugal and Spain, pioneered the European discovery of sea routes that were the first channels of interaction between all continents in the world, thus started the process of globalization that we all experience today. Furthermore, the prevalence of these two pioneering nations, their motivations, their actions, and the inevitable consequences of their colonization are still present today in the architecture, cultural dissemination, literature, economy, languages, religion, and artifacts. The patterns of that era in terms of geographical, technological, economic, political aspects have impacted the world today. In the early fifteenth century the sea-faring countries of Europe were poised to expand their influence in the rest of the world through a program of sustained and systematic exploration. In some cases the motive for exploration was profit, in others, exploration was fanned by the quest for knowledge about the world in which Europeans lived. Still others justified their actions as the logical extension of the Crusades of Christianity against Islam.
What were the technological,commercial,and social developments that fostered the European drive to explore the Atlantic and what ramifications did their explorations and subsequent colonization have for Europe and the New World.
Europe is known to be a an independent continent, able to sustain themselves. Moreover, it had a high level of taste for luxury that was triggered by their trade with the East. Profits from cotton, silk, gems, spices, and slaves that were traded drove the Europeans to seek better means to get a direct access to these commodities. European and Eastern traders had established overland routes through central Asia that served as direct links for these exotic goods, but even regional overland trade was risky and costly.
It was not until the 13th century that Europe was able to develop and high level of sea commerce, allowing them to navigate and explore the Mediterranean, the North, and Baltic Seas. This further allowed them to obtain more knowledge in navigation technologies. These new ships were instrumental to the Europeans adventurers who sought out a cheaper and more practical waterborne trade with the East. With empires cropping up all over Europe, it allowed their commerce and trade to propagate and spread all over the world. When Islam penetrated Africa, conflicts were ignited between Christians and Muslims.
At the onset, explorations were just small-scale sea experiences that were financed by independent businessmen. Some were royalties like Prince Henry, and others were members of the merchant class. These amateur ventures took the form of raid and trade excursions. Ships were sent along the coast of Africa to find inhabited areas where Europeans could trade or raid goods and slaves. Toward the beginning of the 16th century, Europeans not only established sea routes to Asia but also found a way to frequent the Americas, thus paving the way for the people of the world to interact with each other indirectly.
While the Chinese' objective to reconnoiter the Indian Ocean is to create diplomatic, political, and military ties, Europe had a two-fold mission: to spread Roman Christianity and profit from the commerce and trade.
Conclusion
As Europeans continued to embark on maritime ventures into the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, they unconsciously and indirectly paved the way in establishing a new era in history. Since time immemorial, people have bartered, traded, did commerce, communicated, traveled, and interacted with each other. As ages roll by, primitive technologies have evolved and developed into the modern technologies that we experience in our world today. The transportation technology allowed major oceans and seas to become highways for commerce and industry, religious faiths, and diplomatic ties to be happen.
People from the east, the west, and the Oceania became involved in the interaction. The travels made by the Europeans in the 15th century started a process that is still inherent today. Furthermore, these voyages are considered to unify all the peoples of the world into a continuum of interaction. The world today has the European navigations and navigations to thank for because they have ultimately became catalysts of change and development in commerce, trade, communication, transportation, religion, culture, and the society as a whole.
Reference
Bentley, J. H., & Ziegler, H. F. (2000). Traditions & encounters: a global perspective on the past. Boston: McGraw Hill.
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