The 16th and 17th Centuries: Economic Shifts in Europe
The 16th and 17th centuries saw many shifts in Europe's economic growth. Economic developments will continue to affect modern Europe's socioeconomic, political, and cultural perspectives. Before the 16th century, Europe's population was stagnant, and in some places, it had begun to decline. Early modern Europe refers to the time frame before economic growth. It marks the end of the Middle Ages, heralding the start of the industrial revolution and a slew of new developments. The population faced a variety of benefits and drawbacks as a result of the economic transformation. Historians have analyzed this period differently since then, putting its start in the 1450s with the advent of moveable type printing and the end of the Wars of the Roses and the voyages of the Christopher Columbus. It is important to focus on the emergence of modern Europe since it helps determining its contributions on the economic, social, cultural, and political stand. This sociological paper reflects back on major developments that took place during this period and how the modern Europe came to be. It goes further viewing the impacts of this economic transition era.
Geographical Discoveries and Globalization
Numerous geographical discoveries in Europe signified the emergence of Europe in the world economic system. These findings also marked the beginning of globalization. These discoveries include the Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira, the discovery of a sea route to India in 1948 and the discovery of the coast of Africa. The first circumnavigation of the globe between 1519 and 1522 is also one of the famous discoveries that led to the growth of global trade and rise of European colonial empires in the new world (America and Australia) and the old world (Africa, Asia, and Europe). Prince Henry sponsored the Portuguese during the Atlantic coast exploration. Here the Portuguese had to come up with a lightship to sail faster and for longer distances. They came up with a highly maneuverable ship that they named Caravel. Using this ship, Bartholomeu Dias was able to reach the Indian Ocean in 1488. Christopher Columbus also managed to cross the Atlantic and reached America in 1492. In 1498, Vasco Da Gama and his expedition arrived in India via Africa. The essential reason for this exploration was to discover new areas where Europeans could get raw materials for their industries. Secondly, they needed more land to settle their vastly growing population.
Imported Goods and European Material Wealth
The imported goods from the newly discovered lands enriched Europe's material wealth. These materials were acquired from America, Africa, and the Far East. Some of these products were obtained through trade with the Far East states such as China and India. The goods included cotton, spices, and sugar. Now, this exploration era paved the way for Europeans to travel farther in demand for these products hence eliminating its dependency on the trade. The Europeans discovered Africa as a good source of slave labor. The slave labor led to the emergence of the transatlantic slave trade. Over time, Europeans saw this exploration profitable and the states began taking control. The Iberians became the earliest states to embark on the exploration in search for luxury goods and American silver. These goods facilitated the growth of trade and merchants, bankers, and entrepreneurs took advantage of the era. This era also attributes to capitalism.
The Rise of Capitalism
It is during the 16th century that capitalism began and spread in many regions. Capitalism is a system in which private owners control trade in a country. Capitalism had a significant role in economic, political, and international relations. Renaissance, a period of new continents discovery and powerful discoveries, spread all over Europe and changed how people viewed themselves and the world. Capitalism however did not bring a lot of success. Instead, capitalism was associated with numerous financial clashes. A good example is the frequent bankruptcies that faced the Spanish crown in 1557, 1575, 1577, 1596, and 1647. Secondly, in capitalism way the poor continued to suffer leading to serfdom. In the late 1690s, general crisis slipped in many European countries leading to a new level of cultural conformity. Many states opted to expel the Jews and failed to allow religious dissenters. Witchcraft and black magic was a hysterical fear among many people including the learned class. This period Europe was experiencing massive deaths due to plagues, epidemics, frequent famines and the Black Death of 1347 to 1350. These human losses contributed to labor imbalances and capital fall. The fall in population saw a fall in the prices of food. New developments in Europe had a great impact on the population, agriculture, trade, political institutions, and cultural attitudes. According to Jan De Vries, an American historian, the population of Europe grew massively in the 16th century. He estimated 61 million people in 1500, 74 million in 1550 and by 1600, the population was over 78 million people. However, the population was sparse and some areas, especially the Northwest, witnessed the highest growth compared to the other regions. England's population grew vigorously in less than 60 years from about 2.5 million in 1500 to about 6.0 million in 1650. However, Germany lost about 30 percent of its population during a period of war in 1618 to 1648. The increasing population led to the development of towns and cities.
The Growth of Cities and the Urbanization Process
Trade led to the growth of towns. However, at first, cities experienced slow growth with about 0.9 percent growth from the year 1500 to 1550. Urbanization later accelerated as the population continued to grow, placing about 7.5 percent of the whole population in cities, and the 17th-century crisis made the urban population grow even higher. General Crisis in the 17th and 18th century was a period of conflict and instability in many countries of Europe and the world at large. The Thirty Years War in Germany and the Fronde in France are some of the conflicts experienced during this period. Some of these cities include Rome, Madrid, Vienna, Moscow, and Naples. Other cities developed because of port activities, including Venice, Seville, Amsterdam, Bremen, and Hamburg. The Atlantic revolution played a significant role in the growth of these cities. Genoa and Venice served as the main cities supplying Europe with goods from the Middle East countries, whereas German cities played a major role in Baltic trade. This economic transition period had an impact on the political and empire growths.
Political Structures and Empire Growth
The emergence of the modern Europe saw many changes in the political structures of many countries. Western Europe highly comprised of monarchical governments. However, the development of centralized bureaucracy and economic revolution brought about social stability. International relations comprised of a balance of power promoting secular values in politics. The new political structures implemented diplomacy and warfare where sovereigns and armies replacing the feudal array of the past. Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler challenged the system of Aristotle and Ptolemy on clerical approval. Hundreds of years' war in England and France reduced the powers of aristocracies, an immediate opponent of monarchical authority. Tudors formed an efficient government in England whereas Louis XI and Francis I formed a stable one in France. Other states such as Portugal and Netherlands were interested in forming empires based on global trade. Spain and England went on to conquer and colonize various territories mostly in North and South America. The colonization of these territories changed the view of culture and science.
Spread of European Culture and Religion
Europeans spread their culture to the whole world through exploration. Before this period, Europeans knew very little concerning people and states beyond their boundaries, especially Africa and Asia. They view the world as very small, making Columbus and Magellan think that discoursing a route to Far East was an easy task. It is by the end of the 16th century that European countries began to change their depictions on geographic discoveries. The scientific revolution also took a new course. Developments in biology, astronomy, mathematics, and physics started to transform the people's view on nature. Towards the end of the Renaissance period and the beginning of the 18th century, there was a scientific revolution hence the emergence of a movement referred to as the Enlightenment. Galileo's publication Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems aimed at recovering the ancients' knowledge. The scientific revolution ended with Isaac Newton's law of motion and gravity in 1687. It paved the way for the Age of Reflection in the 18th century. This revolutionary era had an impact on religion too.
Spread of Christianity and Colonialism
Tenets of Catholicism agreed that Christianity ought to be a universal religion and saw it important sharing their religion with all of humanity. Spielvogel states, "Catholic doctrine had emphasized that both faith and good works were required for a Christian to achieve personal salvation." Europeans embarked on crusades to spread this religion even before the Age of Exploration. Missionary work played a major role in the global expeditions. The pope encouraged worldwide exploration and the enslaving indigenous populations. Europeans saw it important to civilize the world through the adoption of Christianity. European global exploration sparked at the beginning of colonialism, which went on for a number of centuries until the late 20th century. The colonialism facilitated the spread of Christianity and incorporation of western cultures in many of the colonized territories.
Conclusion
Ideally, the emergence of the new Europe in the early 16th century inaugurated a new chapter for the whole world. Right from the Age of Discovery and the Age of Exploration the period lasted for over two centuries bringing about numerous changes in all fields. Classical antiquity was marked by the emergence of ancient Greece. The Greeks and the Romans left a legacy in terms of laws, language, and visual art. Currently, the industrial revolution is still taking its channel with technological discoveries taking place on a daily basis. In conclusion, the economic revolution in Europe had more advantages as opposed to its challenges.
Bibliography
Brenner, Neil, and Nik Theodore. “Cities and the geographies of “actually existing neoliberalism.”” Antipode 34, no. 3 (2002): 349-379.
Godechot, Jacques Léon. France and the Atlantic Revolution of the Eighteenth Century: 1770-1799. New York: Free Press [1965], 1965.
Parry, John Horace. The establishment of the European hegemony, 1415-1715: trade and exploration in the age of the Renaissance. Vol. 1045. HarperCollins College Division, 1966.
Quijano, Anibal. “Coloniality of power and Eurocentrism in Latin America.” International Sociology 15, no. 2 (2000): 215-232.
Shapin, Steven. The scientific revolution. University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Soskice, David W., and Peter A. Hall. Varieties of capitalism: The institutional foundations of comparative advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western civilization. Cengage Learning, 2014.
Sykes, Percy. A History of Exploration. 1961.
