Frq Essay
During 1450 through 1650, Europe went through a period of significant economic growth. Influences such as the discovery of new worlds and its riches and exotic produces, inflation of taxation within lower economic levels, and a rise in the previously lower population helped create this growth. Of course, smaller factors such as wars, religion, geography, and power shifts also greatly contributed to it.
From 1450 to 1650, Europe experienced an age of discovery, possibly the greatest influence to its economic growth. The period is distinguished as a time when the Europeans began exploring the world by sea in hopes of finding trading partners, new goods, and trade routes. Many countries began to explore for good, spices or maybe even gold, but main reason for exploration was the longing to find a new route for the spice and silk trades since traveling via the Silk Road had been restricted for Europeans by the Ottoman Empire, whom had just acquired Constantinople. The most famous of the voyages of this era are of Christopher Columbus sail to America in 1492. This voyage set off the competition between European nations too not only claim land but also for other goods, such as tobacco and most importantly gold. Europe had limited resources in valuable metals and the economy needed gold and silver. The gain of the exploration of the New World was vastly influential to the economy. Gold and silver flooded into Europe, particularly into Spain and eventually into the hands of bankers and merchants.
Economic conditions appeared to be improving with the Exploration but with this came poverty as bankers sought to take advantage of their wealth and the lower class people. Funding was necessary for these expensive voyages and money needed to come quick for nations to compete. Since people in the lower or even middle class levels weren’t extremely important, because