How Did Overseas Expansion Lead To The Rise Of European Imperialism

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The overseas expansion can be explained by a country’s want to imperialize and grow as a nation. In the Fifteenth century, Europe embarked in an age of discovery, which is now a term that historians refer to this period as. Not only did Europe want to create new relationships for potential trade and agricultural opportunities, but this century also began the start of missionaries advocating for Christianity on new ground. This expansion that occurred was a turning point in civilization because countries realized that what they thought about the world was wrong.
The European countries partook in trade agreements with countries in the Far East, including India and China along the Silk Road. However, Europe wanted to expand their horizons and search for other goods to be included in trade routes. After Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, European nations, such as Portugal, wanted to find other trade routes to Asia. The Ottoman Empire was unreliable in the trading industry and they wanted to keep Chinese and Indian spices in their trade routes. With the new technology and construction of better ships, Europeans had the chance to
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Spain and Portugal in particular looked at new land as possible converts to Christianity. This caused an increase of missionaries to travel to these new parts of the world. Europeans viewed the indigenous people as barbaric; they felt the only way for a population like that to become civilized was to convert to Christianity. Muslims had control over many trade routes and Europeans felt if Christianity was spread throughout the world, they would have better access to these routes. The Portuguese exploration eventually led to the control of the Indian Ocean, which stopped the Muslim control of Asian trade. In the name of Christianity, Henry also brought the Slave Trade to Europe in 1444; Henry explained that the plan was to convert the slaves to