When European explorers began to leave the old continent in search of new trade routes to China, Africa, along with Asia, with their ultimate goal of gaining a foothold in the quest for the various valuable commodities and items it possessed (Strayer 581). Europe did not appear to be destined to be in the lead for the inevitability of global dominance.
Henceforth, there were a few factors, which would eventually contribute into them doing so, with the key primary aspects being the establishment of nationhood, which allowed for the creation of a common identity, as well as laid down the foundations of a revival in the idea of cultural influence. This influence would be epitomized and manifested with the ascent of the European Renaissance.
Moreover, this phenomenon would reestablish a central belief in the arts and European hegemony. However, to the discernible and objective reviewer, at the turn of the 15th century, Europe at best, was still a highly fractured as well as war ravaged continent, still mired in a feudal conflicts, in recovering from the Black Death, and lagging severely behind the Islamic world and China in terms of influence and monetary wealth.
Therefore, this thought of them suddenly becoming a dominant global force, which would soon rule over vast amounts of lands in successive centuries makes their rise all the more noticeable, given the fact that they did not possess many characteristics which suggested they would eventually be world powers. The idea of nationhood was at one point a completely foreign idea to Europeans and the continent as a whole, however the impact of its subsequent creation would be lasting in many regards, because before it’s establishment the people of Europe were a highly fractured group and pledged individual llegiance to the numerous kingdoms, fiefdoms, and city-states such as those in present day Italy (Strayer 578). However, the idea and concept of nationhood allowed for regional and ethnic differences to overcome through a central system, moreover for various groups who would otherwise be split politically as in the case of Russia, to be forged into a government that had the power to tax it’s own citizens and subjects.
These taxes would later be used to build up cultural infrastructure which enabled the proliferation of arts, as it would in the looming European Renaissance (Strayer 579), but also more importantly led to the formation of standing military armies and navies, which were used to not only just protect interests at home but also had the ability to project an overseas presence to their rivals. Therefore, when Europe entered into the renaissance period, it drastically and fundamentally turned the foundations of established thought on its head.
No longer feeling completely beholden to the church, rulers and thinkers such as Leonardo de Vinci returned to Greek classical thought and began to express a more secular humanist point of view, which placed a greater emphasis on man finding solutions for the world ills rather then accepting it as just simply “gods divine will” (Strayer 580). This movement also stressed a strong individualistic streak that was reflected heavily in its art and in other forms of expression.
Furthermore, it also influenced economic spheres with the ascent of capitalism and the great desire for the mass consumption of wealth (Strayer 580). These factors would help enable a continent, which had thus far lagged behind its adversaries to level the playing field and assert themselves on a more global and economic scale. For the reason being that their survival depended on the very need to do so.
When it came to expansion, Europe did not possess the necessary traits to suggest that they had an advantage over their counterparts in Asia and the Islamic world. Furthermore, it can be arguable that they were at an extreme disadvantage due to the myriad of conflicts and diseases that had been inflicted upon them such as the Black Death which wiped out a large portion of their population, while in comparison China had entered into an era of relative peace and prosperity brought upon by a system of self sustainability (Strayer 578).
Thus, while China did branch out of their isolation to overseas markets there was never a real attempt to establish two-way trade between respective parties, but instead they attempted to create a tributary system in order to enforce their economic superiority (Strayer 577). Moreover, in the Islamic world, while there were religious differences between both the Ottoman and Safavid Empires trade was still allow to flourish because of their political stability (Strayer 586), and in some instance as in the Mughal empire of India, these religious difference could be overcome in their was a shared common goal (Strayer 587).
However, what they might have lacked, Europe still did posses the necessary nuances and inklings that gave them the opportunity to equal the economic might of their rivals. The formulation of nationhood provided them the cover to create a centralized system, which unified lands that had long been disunited and fractured. Creating a common identity and structure necessary for the survival of their states.
This structure also provided the necessary funds through taxation to raise armies and navies to advance their presence outside of their countries. Furthermore, because of the Renaissance the proliferation of ideas such as humanism, which placed an emphasis on taking care of ones own self interest, allowed for the seeds of capitalism to be planted. This need for the massive accumulation of wealth, and insatiable greed, would fuel the motives for future European conquest.
