View
214
Download
0
Category
Tags:
Preview:
Citation preview
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 1
Voyages of discovery: Europe looks East and West
Topics:• Economic aspects of imperialism• European expansion and imperialism• Portugal• Spain and the New World • Rest of the World• The Spice Trade• Analysis and implications• Spain and Portugal: onset of economic decline
Economic aspects of Imperialism
• Empire: a form of state rule via external domination
• Motives: include economic objectives, among others
• Opportunities: stem from unequal initial distribution of power
• Means: typically coercion –force on land and sea
• Was it worth it? Did the benefits exceed the costs?
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 2
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 3
European Expansion & Imperialism• Early European excursions: tentative, not
sustained
• Overseas probing by Portugal & Spain enabled acquisition of overseas possessions
• Dutch & British trading empires expand in 17C & 18C
• European overseas colonisation, c1820 – mid-20C
European Expansion: the role of technology
• Technological advances in:– Ship design– Navigation– Armaments
• European advantage: disease resistance relative to the `New World’
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 4
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 5
Portugal
• Variety of motives, only partly economic
• Probes eastwards along the West African coast
• East Indies Spice trade develops from early 16th century
• Portuguese “Golden Age” in first half of 16th century
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 6
Spain and the New World
• 1492: Columbus voyages westwards, to the orient
• Instead of spices, found vulnerable populations – and treasure
• Early 16th century conquests of Aztec and Inca empires
• Reach East Asia in 16C via the “South Sea” (Pacific)
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 7
Rest of Europe
• Dutch: dominant overseas trading empire in 17C/18C
• Britain: initially follow a northerly route, then southwards
• France: also focused on northern N. America
• Scandinavian countries: overland, eastward via Muscovy
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 8
The Spice Trade
• Consumed in Europe from early (ancient?) times
• Traditional trade route from E. Indies via the Levant
• Little success in growing the spices outside south Asia
• Portuguese develop sea route, around Africa
• Dutch & British displace Portugal from early 17C
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 9
Analysis and implications
• Orthodox view: conquest of New World not accidental
• Piecemeal formation of European overseas empires
• Economic gain: a vast “Ghost acreage” of resources
• Opportunities for settlement & agricultural expansion
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 10
Sugar and the Slave Trade
• Sugar production:
– Suitable climate in Caribbean and central America
– But the plantation system needs gang labour
• Slave trade
– Slaves from Africa provide much of the labour
• “Triangular” Atlantic economy: slaves to America;sugar to Europe; European manufactures to Africa
EC120 week 04, topic 3, slide 11
Spain and Portugal: onset of economic decline
• Spain: a dominant European power in 16th century– Became rich with treasure from the New World – But domestic economy tended to falter
• Portugal: remarkable economic power for a small country– But, like Spain, held back by weak economic
institutions
Recommended