Samuel Thomas
Mr. Love
HIST-1112
23 January 2023
China, Europe, and the Age of Exploration Essay
The age of exploration helped shape worldwide trade forever. It was in this time period between the early 15th century and the 17th century where Europe hit the open seas with the intention to discover more of the globe and gain more strengths through knowledge and wealth. The age of exploration impacted worldwide trade and laid the foundation for many explorers we know today, and cultures and societies across the globe that changed forever due to the developments made in trade and the advancements technologically.
After the events of the Reconquista when the Iberian Peninsula gained independence led by Spain and Portugal there was a new
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The Ming Dynasty was at work too. Under Zheng He’s command large Chinese fleets explored the world due to their power and size “Many foreign rulers willingly gave tribute to the emperor when they saw the size of the Chinese fleet.”1 Due to this the Chinese were able to open new trade opportunities and gain more global power. But further down the line China pulled back from exploration due to the high costs associated with exploration, the risk of hostile encounters, and the fact that the Ming dynasty was more focused on internal affairs rather than foreign relations. Confucian scholars pushed back against Zheng He and were not fond of merchants or trade and used their influence to ultimately stop the exploration period for the Ming …show more content…
Marco Polo wrote of a vast, powerful, and well-organized empire. Columbus described the New World as a society in its rawest form. He also noted the potential of the land and the undeveloped lifestyles of the native people. While Marco Polo may have inspired Christopher Columbus to sail west and explore they encountered polar opposite societies once they hit land. Ultimately his findings helped advance Europe's control on globalization and control of world trading and colonization.
In conclusion, the Age of Exploration had a far-reaching and lasting impact on the world. It led to the discovery of new land which then harbored new colonies and trade routes. It brought about the introduction of different cultures onto new lands and crossed many different people’s norms with each other across the world. It led to many political and economic shifts in the world. The Age of Exploration was a time period of expansion for the world and still impacts the world even