There they gathered thousands of Indian allies who hated the oppressive rule of the Aztecs. Update: I believe it's asking for a more "how did they GET the technology" also gunpowder is Chinese. The Chinese invented gunpowder, but Hoffman, whose work applies economic theory to historical contexts, argues that certain political and economic circumstances allowed the Europeans to advance gunpowder technology at an unprecedented rate—allowing a relatively small number of people to quickly take over much of the rest of the globe. Most empires only attacked what was adjacent, not an ocean and half a world away. What military advantages helped Western nations dominate much of the world in the late 1800s? Why are schools pushing kids to choose how they sexually identify? Basically, Europe wasn’t a powerhouse until the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the Crusades. And some others were fighting mostly with and against cavalry. When Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez landed his ships in the western Caribbean port of what would be called Veracruz in 1519, he set out to conquer the great Aztec Empire with no more that 550 Spanish soldiers—an audacious act of boldness. Those improvements can help at times when wars are necessary—for instance, when we are fighting against enemies with whom we cannot negotiate. Another explanation, described in Jared Diamond's famous book [Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies], is disease. A friend of Berrett Crossley writes in about the importance of helmets. The heart of this "World Island" comprises Eastern Europe and most of Asia. So that's not the answer—it's something else. To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.courierherald.com/submit-letter/. For example, that Europe became industrialized more quickly and therefore became wealthier than the rest of the world. Being dominated for centuries has led to lingering inequality and long-lasting effects in many formerly colonized countries, including poverty and slow economic growth. We’ve tried not talking about problems like racism — it’s time we address it head-on. So, we are back where we started. China invented gunpowder and the Arab world made important advancements in the field of mathematics, so why did Europe come out on top? When the Europeans began to explore, they knew they were ignorant of what was out in the world. But why did Europe establish global dominance, when for centuries the Chinese, Japanese, … Britain was able to dominate Egypt due to its political stagnation and economic collapse. The combination of those two events lead to an influx of knowledge being sent into Europe. So, I put together an economic model of how this technology has advanced to come up with what I think is the real reason why the West conquered almost everyone else. Taking a look at the Rejectors, Resisters, Accommodators, and Ambassadors of Christian Nationalism. In the 15th century, Christian Europeans began making oceanic voyages of discovery. Favorite Answer. This emerged first in western Europe, and unleashed tremendous productive forces on the world, but it was based on the global exploitation of the majority of the world’s people by a few. You have been on the Caltech faculty for more than 30 years. youngandfly. Why did Britain come to dominate Egypt? Between 1492 and 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe. This domination … So as an explanation, industrialization doesn't work. Relevance. The Aztec Emperor, Montezuma II, thinking these white, bearded, and stinking strangers might be gods, invited them into their capital of Tenochitlan (now Mexico City). 2 3. The reason that Europe managed to dominate the world is actually pretty simple. Germany Attempts to Dominate Europe. Throughout World War II American troops were provided with Coca Cola and at that time it was manufactured in over 60 factories around the world. Or, that when Europeans began to travel the world, people in other countries did not have the immunity to fight off the diseases they brought with them. - according to a bold theory put forward by anthropologist Jared Diamond - The answer may be linked to the shape of the continents which meant that Europeans had more advanced technology and worse diseases than Native Americans. In the 15th century, Europe sought to expand trade routes to find new sources of wealth and bring Christianity to the East and any newly found lands. With the share of power over the Suez Canal, Egypt's European creditors were taking more than 50% of Egyptian revenue each year to repay their loans, and they forced the Egyptian government to increase taxes to raise more revenue. Ignorance doomed both empires. Hitler's step-by-step plan for world conquest can be summarized this way: Conquer Eastern Europe and you dominate the Heartland. The political dominance of western Europe was an unexpected outcome and had really big consequences, so I thought: let's explain it. In either case, you'll still be spending money on the military and on military research. How did Western imperialism affect the culture of the colonies? So in short: Europe, at least according to the argument by Hoffman, managed to dominate the World because they had fought enough wars with themselves before moving on to the rest of the World, and thus invented good enough firearms to conquer the world. The more they spent, the more chances they had to improve their military technology through trial and error while fighting wars. Why did Europe Colonise the New World and not the other way around ? Between 1405 and 1433, this Chinese admiral of the Ming Dynasty led seven major explorations into the western reaches of the Indian Ocean. Part One:What’s Been Happening inthe ‘Old World’ Since the Break-Up of the Roman Empire? They believed that Western culture was superior to others. Learned tomes by historians, economists, political scientists and other scholars fill many bookshelves with explanations of how and why the process of modern economic growth or ‘the Great Enrichment’ exploded in western Europe in the 18th century. If you think about it, you realize that advancements in gunpowder technology—which are important for conquest—arise where political leaders fight using that technology, where they spend huge sums on it, and where they're able to share the resulting advances in that technology. He ignored the Treaty of Versailles by building a large military force. For example, that Europe became industrialized more quickly and therefore became wealthier than the rest of the world. Why did European Society Dominate the World from the 14th to the mid 20th century? Things are much better if the conflict concerns something that can be split up—such as money or land. The rest of Europe at that time was really no wealthier than China, the Middle East, or South Asia. Yes, there are lots of conventional explanations—industrialization, for example—but on closer inspection they all fall apart. The rest of Europe at that time was really no wealthier than China, the Middle East, or South Asia. by Philip T Hoffman, review: 'a strong case' An economic history argues that a culture of dogged militarism let Europe take over At other times in history, most of Europe was a backwater and the most advanced civilizations were in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, India or China. In the… It started after I gave an undergraduate here a book to read about gunpowder technology, how it was invented in China and used in Japan and Southeast Asia, and how the Europeans got very good at using it, which fed into their successful conquests. Being dominated … Knowledge was power. In the 15th century, Christian Europeans began making oceanic voyages of discovery. At the time of its encounter with the New World, Europe was…• politically fragmented.• NOT the world’s dominant military power (the Ottomans arguably were).• NOT the world’s most advanced civilization (China & the Muslim world were more impressive).• NOT the center of world … It became a global symbol of Americanism. Difficult as it is to summarize a 500-page book into … HIS 2213 LU4 How & When Did Europeans Become Dominant in the World? The Europeans were the first to gain the ability to become imperialistic, and therefore did so. Why didn't other civilizations make use of it? Request PDF | Why Did Europe Conquer the World? Please keep letters to 500 words or less. Then you can bargain with your enemies to divvy up whatever you disagree about and you can have something like peace. And the more that the political leaders spend, the better their chances of defeating other leaders and, in the long run, of dominating the other cultures. In 1914, really only China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire had escaped becoming European colonies. This European pattern of conquest succeeded due to native parochial thinking which would be repeated with the Ottoman (Middle East), Safavid (Persia), Mughal (India), and Chinese empires over the next four hundred years. Nor were Europeans in control of even the Mediterranean until an alliance of Catholic powers defeated the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. 1. To buy goods. While Europe is launching initiatives to capture more of the raw material value chain, the U.S. is slower to react on this.” BNEF’s lithium-ion battery supply chain ranking provides a snapshot of a country’s position in 2020 and where it will place in 2025, based on its current development trajectory. There are many possible explanations for why history played out this way, but few can explain why the West was so powerful for so long. This was not inevitable. Europeans decided that if they wanted to conquer the world, they needed to send out scientists with the conquerors to gain as much knowledge of the cultures and societies as they could. And all of this describes Europe. It was politically weak, it was poor, and the major long-distance commerce was a slave trade led by Vikings. So as an explanation, industrialization doesn't work. Conquering faraway lands and empires was unheard of. It’s a question … The Europeans had "first dibs" on modern industry, just like the Mongolians had "first dibs" on the best (Siberia-trained) cavalrymen, and the (mountain-bound) Greeks on phalanxes. why did europe dominate most of the world after the age of exploration? Legendary Rome | Early Republic | Late Republic | Principate | Dominate. The western world began to look at the world with new scientific eyes. They also forged large empires that dominated the people around them. Please share your story tips by emailing editor@courierherald.com. The model’s predictions are borne out by quantitative and qualitative evidence; other explanations—including the argument about competition—fail such a test. The Europeans used their insatiable quest for knowledge of other cultures and the development of scientific/technological discoveries to conquer the world. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Was it one, any, none or all of these that led Europe to dominate the world after the 1500s? Not everyone, however, welcomed Coca Cola.In the 1950s the French captured truckloads of bottles and smashed them on the ground.. During the Cold War Coca Cola became a symbol of capitalism and the free world. He then marched troops into Austria and a region of Czechoslovakia in 1938. Why Does Hollywood Dominate US Cinemas? One lesson the book teaches is that actions involving war, foreign policy, and military spending can have big, long-lasting consequences: this is a lesson that policy makers should never forget. Very quickly, these voyages led to the outright economic, political and religious domination of the globe. Europeans decided that if they wanted to conquer the world, they needed to send out scientists with the conquerors to gain as much knowledge of the cultures and societies as they could. In contrast, the leaders of the great empires of Asia Minor, Persia, India, and China held the attitude that they already knew what was worth knowing and needed to learn nothing more. Why Europe? It is, in a way, the pinnacle of four centuries of Western reign of the world. Among other factors, their navy technology has a major role here. A thousand years ago, no one would have ever expected that result, for at that point western Europe was hopelessly backward. They did not know about the violent destruction that had taken place on the islands of the Caribbean to the west of them from the time of Columbus’ voyages in 1492. According to Harari, had Montezuma II been able to harness the media to change public opinion in Spain, the history of the world would be very different today. In 1532, Pizarro mimicked Cortez’ conquest by first declaring that he came in peace to the Inca Empire in South America. When, on 1 July this year, Croatia becomes a member, the European Union will contain 500 million people and be the largest market and trading bloc in the world. I'd given it to him because the use of this technology is related to politics and fiscal systems and taxes, and as he was reading it, he noted that the book did not give the ultimate cause of why Europe in particular was so successful. Is college worth going into debt over? In the very successful countries, the leaders could impose very heavy taxes and spend huge sums on war. "The new German power in Europe … When, on 1 July this year, Croatia becomes a member, the European Union will contain 500 million people and be the largest market and trading bloc in the world. Now that we've all learned a lesson, things have changed (somewhat). Well, this is because many of them were involved in conflicts with steppe nomads. The Europeans, fully confident in the value of their own civilization, would present a wholly new threat to the Chinese world order. Why Did Europe Conquer the World? According to … Having a brief look at civilization history, I find that Europeans have a significant dominance over other regions when it comes to sailing. Answer Save. Yes, there are lots of conventional explanations—industrialization, for example—but on closer inspection they all fall apart. The political dominance of western Europe was an unexpected outcome and had really big consequences, so I thought: let's explain it. Why Was It Europeans Who Conquered the World? Dominate the Whole Wide World? 1991 is the beginning of a fabulous decade. The rest of Europe at that time was really no wealthier than China, the Middle East, or South Asia. If “it” is the dominant position of Europeans and North Americans in the world, then yes. You can think of that as being much like a baseball team that hires better players to win more games, but in this case, instead of coaches, it's political leaders and instead of games there are wars. My idea incorporates the model of a contest or a tournament where your odds of winning are higher if you spend more resources on fighting. They visited Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and East Africa. Gun control means taking away your guns — believe it. Very quickly, these voyages led to the outright economic, political and religious domination of the globe. I've looked at changes in technology that influence agriculture, and I've studied the development of financial markets, and in between those two, I was also studying why financial crises occur. For hundreds of years, European kings promised victories. @Stefan:The industrial revolution (of the 19th century) happened in Europe, and absent the internet and other modern communications, did not quickly spread to most other parts of the world (except the U.S). But I think that book is a good introduction to some basic hypotheses as to how Europeans came to dominate the world. Before 1800, Europe had already taken over at least 35 percent of the world, but Britain was just beginning to industrialize. Within the colonies, nationalist movements had begun to take shape. 3 Answers. European attitudes, languages, religions, clothing styles, and forms of government still dominate 500 years later. Rome's farmer-soldiers fared well, comparatively, and their territory expanded. (Hello, Bosnia!) Between 1405 and 1433, this Chinese admiral of the Ming Dynasty led seven major explorations into the western reaches of the Indian Ocean.