Third Wave Civilizations

Human civilizations connected more during the third wave than during any other time in human history. The drive to expand empires and explore new regions was aided by advances in technology that allowed for easier travel, thus creating more connections between societies. The new ways in which societies connected in the third wave of civilizations include the conquering of environmental road blocks; trade via the Silk, Sea, and Sand roads; and the link between the societies of Europe and the Americas.
Cultural advancements allowed the people living in the harsher climates of the Andes of South America or the steppes of northern China to connect to other civilizations. The most prominent example of this is the rise of the Mongol empire in the 13th century. The cultural advancement that allowed the pastoral society to conquer almost all of Eurasia was their finely-honed skill of horseback riding and mounted warfare, which was “central to their conquest” (469). The Mongols were able to break out of the cold, harsh region
Motivated by the potential riches and Christian converts that they could find, the Europeans launched maritime voyages that had perhaps the most lasting impact of any other connection made between cultures during this time. Having never made contact with the civilizations of South America before, the people there succumbed to the foreign diseases and were “decimated in the sixteenth century at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors” (522). The Native South and North Americans that were not killed by disease were exploited and destroyed at the hands of Europeans who sought their gold and to spread their own religion. This lead to European countries becoming rich world super powers and has lasting effects still today. This new connection between cultures shaped everything about history going