Ap Euro Dbq Essay

alan katz
AP Euro
Age of European Explorations The renaissance’s curiosity helped pave the way for the European age of exploration, which took place from 1450 to 1525. There were many factors, including technological, economic, political, and religious ones. The age was promoted by many specific factors, including the invention of caravels and other nautical inventions, the commercial and price revolutions, the new monarchs, and the constant growth that the Catholic faith wanted. “God, glory, and gold” paved the way for the age of exploration. The technological advances during the age of exploration allowed sailors to go much further much faster, therefore promoting the age. Prior to the 15th centuries, most ships being sailed were barge like, and very fragile. These were suitable for the Mediterranean, and were widely used by Portugal and Spain. However when the thought of traveling over the Atlantic Ocean came up, they
needed to make a ship that was better suited for the new conditions. They created the caravel, a larger, more advanced vessel that could last longer lengths of times at sea, and could hold more cargo, which meant greater profits. With the expansion of the ocean, and more water being covered in a voyage, there was an increased threat of pirates. To counteract this threat, the cannon was invented, which is a weapon that was used to protect the boats and cargo from these pirates. Another important invention was the compass, which helped the sailors know where they were while in fog. Another invention was that of the astrolabe, which calculated latitude. These inventions and many more helped the age of exploration go forth by sophisticating sea travel and making it lengthier and more profit bearing. The 15th and early 16th centuries saw a major boom in Europe’s economy. This was led by mercantilism, a policy that a country should work to gain as much money as possible by whatever means. The belief was that the richer the nation, the more powerful it was considered. This belief extended to the people, and it helped the growth of industries. The large influx of gold and silver from the new world led on the price revolution, when prices rising about six times over this time. Also, the gradual increase of the population led to the increase as well. The Colombian exchange, which is the transporting of goods to and from the new world, also greatly helped the revolution. The new goods that were sold helped elevate the status of a merchant, because everyone wanted these new crops and other merchandise. This new money helped bring on the age of exploration by giving countries the funds to send people across the ocean to discover new lands and find more resources. The new monarchs helped the age by promoting nationalism and expansion, as well as other factors.
The rise of nationalism intensified international competition between the European countries. They all wanted to be better then the next. To do this, monarchs sent explorers into the new world to discover trade routes and find pockets of wealth to further increase the nation’s status. They used this wealth to help colonization, as well as improving the public works of their country. Colonizing the new lands led to an even greater social standing, one that was brought by the country’s wealth and amount of land controlled. The monarchs want for power also led to an increase of funding maritime navigation research, which led for the explorers to be able to go further, faster. The explorers themselves were also a major factor of the exploration, for there was such an influx if people who wanted to leave a mark on the world, similar to renaissance thought, and what better a way then to glorify their country, especially by discovering new
lands. The age of exploration was greatly influenced by religion. Being that Europe was an almost entirely Christian state, they wanted to spread that as far and wide as they could. Monarchs used religion as a scapegoat for taking over new lands, even though the real reason was the economic and social gain. The Protestant Reformations put pressure on the church to find new followers because of the church’s loss of followers through them. This led to church funding of exploration and colonization, because the Catholic Church wanted to try to reestablish their power. Europeans believing in global domination led to the belief that the world should also be under one religion, and in doing so they would not only spread their belief, but also help those being introduced to it. The age of exploration was brought forth by many factors, including technological, economic, political and religious ones. The age was both negative and positive in many different ways. On one hand it led to the boom of world commerce and knowledge of the world; and on the other hand it led to the destruction of cultures and the deaths and enslavement of many Native Americans and Africans.