THE GREAT DISCOVERIES
Historical background:
- Catholic Europe formed a relatively small territorial and closed economic unit
- the Western European feudal societies at the 14th century get into an economic crisis: wars, peasant uprisings,
epidemics, overpopulation.
- urging need of food, lack of resources/raw material
- not enough precious metal for the developing countries
- the technological development also contributed to the explorations new investments such as:
cannon (protection, defence )
magnetic compass, astrolabe (better navigation)
improved shipbuilding (caravels instead of galleys - using wind power instead of manpower)
broaden/wider knowledge in cartography and astronomy
- the Portugal prince Henry the Navigator established academy for sailors
- Turkish invasion Muslims occupied the ancient trading routes new ways were needed
- lack of luxury products and spices from the East
Explorers:
Bartolomeu Diaz: 1487 reached the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa
Vasco Da Gama: 1498 reached the western shores of India
Christopher Columbus: 1492 discovered America.
Magellan: 1519-1522 Portuguese sailor who first sailed around the world
Amerigo Vespucci: realised Columbus’ mistake: he had reached America instead of India
Conquistadors:
Cortez – 1519 Mexico (Aztec empire)
Alvarado – 1523 Guatemala
Pizzaro – 1532 Peru (Inca empire)
Almagro - 1532 Chile
Consequences of the explorations:
- colonies were established
- slavery appeared
- new products (potato, maize, tobacco, chocolate, tea, etc.)
- improving living standards increasing population
- trading routes shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic world wide trading base of capitalism
(decrease of importance of Italian cities)
- economical effects:
- inflow of large amount of gold and silver into Europe inflation (devaluation of gold and silver) mercantilism
- co.-s by the ocean became extremely rich Europe divided into western and eastern region
- new kind of division: developed ↔ less developed states
- economy based on investment capitalism appeared
- new social layer the entrepreneurs (business affairs, risk + competition for higher profit)
- cities offered jobs for the poor, business for merchants, better living standards moving from rural areas into urban
centres