European Travel and the Spread of Western Ideology Essay

European Travel and the Spread of Western Ideology Humans began their existence as travelers, slowly making their way across the earth hunting and gathering. This travel was quite slow and gradual, and could be termed a period of â€Å"human expansion†, as traveling groups rarely encountered other humans. It really wasn’t until the sixteenth century that a new kind of travel developed, a kind that was more global, occurred rapidly, and was filled with many encounters with other civilizations. This sort of travel signified not simply the spreading of humans across the earth, but more the spreading of ideas among people. And during this particular period, the travelers were predominantly European, and so it was Europeans who, believing in†¦show more content†¦The Europeans had a huge effect on the local peoples in the various regions that they visited. For one thing, they brought with them many germs. As Diamond noted, â€Å"the importance of lethal microbes in history is well illustrated by Europeans’ co nquest and depopulation of the New World† (210). The microbes killed Aztecs, Inca, and the populations of many Indian towns in the Mississippi. Additionally, â€Å"Eurasian germs played a key role in decimating native peoples in many other parts of the world, including Pacific Islanders, Aboriginal Australians, and the Khoisan peoples of Southern Africa†¦ the Indian population of Hispaniola†¦ Fiji† (Diamond, 213). Because of this, â€Å"European immigrants came to supplant†¦ much of the native population of the Americas and some other parts of the world.† (Diamond, 214). So, it came to be true that, if in nothing else, the Europeans certainly came to outnumber many of the native peoples in many of the areas that they occupied. This gave them added power over them, if only because of their larger numbers. However, it was not simply the germs that the Europeans brought with them that altered life for the native people. The technology that the Europeans had, while at first not superior, quickly became superior. â€Å"The Europeans rapidly improved upon [military technology naval artillery and sailing ships] before theShow MoreRelatedEuropean Nations And Its Impact On The United States947 Words   |  4 Pages European nations eager to enhance their wealth and power took the lead in the early 1800’s when Britain became the first to advance from an agrarian life style to an industry based economy. Britain was able to make the switch easier and quicker than other nations because they not only had the drive to do so, they also had a large labor force supported by an ample food supply, that worked in factories to make low cost goods from raw material that was shipped in on a transportation system. 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