Shiv Patel
4th period
9/29/16
The Europeans left without trade, power, and slaves began looking for routes of trade in
the Atlantic. Bartolomeu Dias began the search by, heading to the Cape of Good Hope in 1482.
Dias then found a route to India and began trading with the natives. Christopher Columbus of
Spain discovered the Americas in 1492 and this led to the beginning of the transatlantic trade.
The expansion of the transatlantic trade caused amazing and beneficial effects on the economy of
Western Europe in 1450-1700. The effects that it caused were Spain becoming the most
powerful nation during the century, growth of slave trade, and increase in the importance of
mercantilism.
Spain become the most powerful nation in Western Europe. The Spanish became
powerful because, they were the first people to discover North America with the help of,
Christopher Columbus. Columbus was trying to find a different route to Asia but, found the
Caribbean Islands in 1492. Spain went to conquer the Aztecs and the Incas by bloody massacres
and killings but, gained Central and South America in their conquest. Back in Europe Spain
controlled northern Italy, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Netherlands. Control of these states
gave the Spanish its wealth and power in Western Europe. Spain did not use its power and
wealth in the right form. They used their wealth to fight wars and to buy luxurious good which
led to the fall of Spain.
The increase of trade and colonies led to importance of mercantilism. Mercantilism was
practiced all throughout colonies. Mercantilism is when the mother country gains what the
colony makes and earns. To make sure the mother country gets it’s the colonies exports, the
mother country used acts or rules to help enforce the giving of exports to the mother country.
One example which, was used by the western Europeans, is the Navigation Act of 1651. The
Navigation Act of 1651 prohibited foreign ships from engaging in coastal trade in England and
required that all goods imported from the continent of Europe be carried on either an English
ship or a ship registered in the country of origin of the good. Acts like this one helped to limit
trade with foreign countries and made sure that goods went right to the mother country. Also,
acts helped to make sure colonies would not abandon the mother country and make a nation for
themselves.
Expansion of trade in the transatlantic led to an increase in slave trade. Colonies of
western Europe were growing and growing and needed more labor. The labor that all the
colonies thought of were slaves. The trade of slaves began with the Portuguese when they
explored West Africa. This began slave trade to the colonies of Western Europe. This benefited
the Western Europeans as they could get their goods faster and cheaper since, slaves did not
work for money and worked very long and speedily.
As the increase of mercantilism, Spain becoming the most powerful nation during the
century, and the growth of slave trade on the Western European economy it showed stunning and
beneficial effects on its economy. Slaves became used in time periods later than the 16th and 17th
century. They were used continually in the 18th and 19th century to benefit from the advantages
of having slaves including, low cost of labor.