Global Connections: 1450-1750

The emphasis on self-sufficiency decreased imperial expansion due to a focus on developing domestic industries over colonies.

Mercantilist focus on gold reserves discouraged overseas investments making empires less inclined toward territorial acquisitions abroad.

Mercantilism fostered competition among empires leading to increased militarization and colonization efforts to control resources directly.

Free-market principles promoted under mercantilism reduced tariffs, enabling smaller nations without colonies to thrive equally.

The sixteenth-century

The eighteenth-century

The fourteenth-century

The twenty-first century

The telescope.

The steam engine.

Industrial looms for textile production.

The caravel ship.

Improvements to the traditional compass.

The invention of the fluyt ship design.

The development of the astrolabe for navigation.

The use of lateen sails on trading vessels.

Astrolabe

The compass

Lateen sails

The caravel

A decrease in global trade volumes.

An increase in enslaved labor populations for plantation agriculture.

Rise in literacy rates.

Local traditional art forms flourished.

Indigenous populations saw significant population growth due to improved healthcare from Europeans.

Indigenous populations were left largely untouched by European maritime empires.

They faced displacement, disease and often drastic population decline due to European colonization.

Indigenous cultures thrived with increased exposure to European ideas and technologies.

They raised capital for expeditions and colonization, spreading risks among investors.

They functioned as military entities protecting trade routes without state support.

They operated as religious institutions promoting Christianity overseas.

They served as governmental organizations for implementing mercantilism globally.

French colonial interests might have taken precedence in India, altering European dynamics in the subcontinent.

The British East India Company would have likely focused on consolidating its trade routes in Southeast Asia instead.

The Maratha Empire could have emerged as a dominant regional power, potentially creating a barrier to European colonial ambitions in India.

Spanish maritime exploration and colonization efforts could have shifted towards South Asia for new opportunities.

new crops and agricultural technology improved the diet and health of Africans

slavery strengthened existing monarchies in some African nations

the slave trade had been abolished in Asian and Islamic nations by the late 1700s

new ethnic and racial categories grew as a result of contact among Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans