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European Economic and Political Growth

Michael Wang

World History 1011

Professor Hopkins
September 28, 2016

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In the early modern history of globalization, it is evident that Europe is neither the
powerhouse nor the wealthiest continent in the world. However, during this period, the
main sea-born competitors were the Portuguese and Dutch. They sought and laid out the
backbone of European maritime trade through sea routes and settlements in Asian
countries such as China and India. As a consequence, Columbus and his fleet, sponsored
by Spain, tried to find a new route to Asia by sailing westward. Thinking he had reached
the East Indies, Columbus instead reached the island of Hispaniola, presently known as
Dominican Republic and Haiti. This resulted in a new era of exploration for the
Europeans, but created dire consequences for the Native Americans and as collateral
damage, the enslavement of Africans. The conquest and expansion of Europeans
throughout the Americas instigated new European economic and political growth through
the exploitation of New World riches, as well as through the slave trade.
Finding themselves in the midst of a new land, the Europeans set out with one
goal in mind: to become rich. Two primary examples of this were Corts with the Aztecs
and Pizarro with the Incas. Having heard the rumors of the Aztec gold, Corts set out on
an ambitious quest to find it. Upon Corts arrival at the capital of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec
Emperor Moctezuma generously received them believing that the Spanish were the
fulfillment of an age-old prophecy. In The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the
Conquest of Mexico it reports,
Then he stood up to welcome Corts; he came forward, bowed his head low and
addressed him in these words: Our lord, you are weary. The journey has tired

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you, but now you have arrived on the earth. You have come to your city, Mexico.
You have come here to sit on your throne, to sit under its canopy.1
It is evident that the Spanish took advantage of this belief to enter, to explore, and
to exploit the riches of Tenochtitlan. This was the beginning of the Spanish greed. As
time progressed, Moctezuma was kidnapped by Corts and held for ransom meanwhile
the Spanish drained the Aztecs gold and treasures. It is revealed that the Spanish
gathered all the gold into a great mound and set fire to everything else, regardless of its
value.2 The keyword here is gold. For the Spanish, nothing was valued more than gold,
as this was the underlying foundation of monetary funds at which it is used to trade for
other goods. Gold equaled power and power meant potential. The conquering of the
Aztec Empire and the hoarding of its riches guaranteed the Spanish an exponential
growth in both political and economic power. Consequently this meant the funding of
more expeditions in the New World and the funding of wars in later decades.
In the year 1532, Pizarro lands on what was left of the Incan empire after a
devastating civil war. Ironically, this civil war erupted due to the disease epidemic
brought by the Europeans earlier on, which left the Incan Empire without a ruler to
ascend the throne. As John H. Rowe writes, The epidemic also disrupted the imperial
succession.3 Without a solid ruler to govern the war torn states of the Incan empire,
Pizarro quickly dove in to snatch what was left of it.

1 Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, Worlds Together Worlds Apart: A Companion Reader Second
Edition (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc, 2016), 67.
2 Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, Worlds Together Worlds Apart: A Companion Reader Second
Edition (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc, 2016), 69.
3 John H. Rowe, The Inca Civil War and the Establishment of Spanish Power in Peru awpa Pacha:
Journal of Andean Archaeology, no. 28 (2006): 2.

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Pizarro did not go to Cajamarca to fight the Inca Army, but rather to kidnap Atau
Huallpa, a plan inspired by the success of the tactics used by Corts in Mexico.4
Similarly to Corts actions, Pizarro held Atau Huallpa captive for ransom but was later
on killed, suppressed several Inca rebellions, achieving complete control by 15725,
exploiting its riches, and controlling the people through the colonial system and
settlements.
How did the Europeans, mainly the Spanish in this era, conquer a vast area of
land at such a rapid rate? First off, the Europeans had superior technology. In terms of
weaponry they had the arquebuses, canons, cavalry, horses, steel swords and armor.
Pizarro, like Corts, enjoyed the advantage of surprise and had weaponry unknown to
his American opponents.6 This meant that the Native Americans did not know how to
counterattack the Spanish effectively much less pierce through the metal armor plates.
Secondly, the demographic makeup of the Aztec and Incan empire consisted of various
different ethnic groups, which led to a highly unstable state and rebellion. The Spanish
capitalized on this to gain allies to conquer the empires. Lastly, the largest factor in the
annihilation and conquering of the Native Americans was the spreading of the European
diseases. Without immunization the Aztecs, Incas, and native population suffered
substantial demographic loss resulting in a clean slate for the Europeans to easily settle
down and conquer neighboring lands.

4 John H. Rowe, The Inca Civil War and the Establishment of Spanish Power in Peru, awpa Pacha:
Journal of Andean Archaeology, no. 28 (2006): 3.
5 Library of Congress, Exploring the Early Americas: Pizarro and the Incas, Sep 17.
6 John Darwin, After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-200 (New York: Bloomsbury
Press, 2008), 61.

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Colonizing in an abundant, unadulterated land opened up a whole new global
market for the Europeans. This would eventually grant unlimited resources for the
Spanish to exploit. Even though this meant colossal pocket prosperity, the Spanish faces a
problematic question: how would they start harvesting these resources without the
sufficient work or labor force after a massive demographic loss of the Natives? They
found the solution to their problem by turning their attention to Africa. Without consent,
the Europeans would grab them and get them to be sold.7 As a result, Africas
population went on a downward slope, which had a negative effect on its economic,
demographic, and social implications. This marked the beginning of the infamous
Atlantic Slave Trade, which was the first step in the process of the triangular trade
between Africa, America, and New England plus Asia.
Slowly as the Atlantic Slave Trade progressed, the African slaves in combination
with the Indigenous slaves were used in sugarcane production, mining, and other
agricultural labor. An example on the exploitation of human labor was the sugarcane
production in Barbados. The labor required for sugarcane production was so intensive
that it held several hundred acres and many scores of slaves under its discipline.8 Sugar
was highly valued in Europe because of its low production supply in the early modern
era, but as the Europeans learned how to grow sugarcane and produce sugar, it became a
highly demanded good. During the same time, European coffee houses were gaining
popularity as a place of social intercourse, which consequently led sugar to become the
key ingredient in delivering caffeine. Argued as the engine9 that drove the European
7 Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, Worlds Together Worlds Apart: A Companion Reader Second
Edition (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc, 2016), 87.
8 A. G. Hopkins, Globalization in World History (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2002), 103.
9 A. G. Hopkins, Globalization in World History (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2002), 103.

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economy upwards, sugar mills and production also became essential in the development
of a new economic system, Capitalism. In terms of Microeconomics, profit comes when
the production of a good is low and the demand of said good is high. The Europeans
generated a high income in revenue with essentially free labor productionslaveryand
maximum profit yield.
The Europeans experienced an exponential growth in both its economic and
political factors through the exploitation of the natural resources, riches, and slavery in
the New World. Through the capturing and conquering of the Aztec and Incan Empire, to
the Atlantic Slave Trade, to the sugarcane production in Barbados, Europe finally grew
independent from the Asian market trade. This meant that the need for imported goods
from Asia diminished and the exportation of European goods increased globally. Slowly
yet steadily, Europe started to ascend and dominate the global market trade and its
political influence carried weight across the globe.

Bibliography

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Darwin, John. After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000.
New York: Bloombury Press, 2008.

Hopkins, A. G., ed. Globalization in World History. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 2002.

Library of Congress, Exploring the Early Americas: Pizarro and the Incas, Sep
17.
Pollard, Elizabeth, and Clifford Rosenberg. Worlds Together Worlds Apart: A
Companion Reader. Second ed. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016.

Rowe, John H. "The Inca Civil War and the Establishment of Spanish Power in
Peru." awpa Pacha: Journal of Andean Archaeology, no. 28 (2006): 1-9.