Effects of European Expansion In the 1400s, the age of exploration began with countries sailing around the seas in search of new land, trade routes, and goods/resources that could help their nations prosper. In the 1440s, the Europeans became more motivated to become explorers due to their navigational skills and their ship designs becoming more advanced from contact with other powerful nations who were exploring such as China. Their other big motivations were to spread the word of God, to become wealthier from extracting gold, and to become more powerful in general. These motivations are what inevitably lead to the discovery of new trade routes to other countries and completely new lands like the Americas. The Europeans exploration and expansion had many major impacts, both positive and negative, on the world as a whole. It led to the …show more content…
These aspects had a more positive effect on our global world. However, an unfortunate but incredibly significant effect of the European expansion was the spread of diseases across the world. This led to dramatic drops in populations everywhere and even in some cases, wiped out cultures completely. Overall, these effects of European expansion are all important aspects in the understanding of our world’s global history. As stated above, the introduction of new animals to new lands had a significant effect on the world. Europeans and Africans transported animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs to the Americas which provided them with a new source of food, wool, and hides. Inevitably this led to economic growth within the Americas. However, the introduction of these animals mentioned above also resulted in discord due to the