Ganador

At one point in history, several nations of Europe became the most powerful and dominant in the world. Surpassing all others, Portugal, Spain, France, England, and the Netherlands emerged as the dominant nations of Europe. Colonization would lead to territorial expansion, as well as economic and political prosperity. By establishing colonies all over the world, the trade and profit would beenormous. These five European nations traveled around the world, colonizing any land they could find, in hope to broaden their empire and achieve complete supremacy. This colonization brought them wealth and power, but something else emerged from this colonization: the birth of several new cultures, people, and identities.
Portugal became the first to engage in colonization, and led to the rest ofEurope following and competing for power. Initially, Europeans longed to find a route to Asia, since there were rumors of extraordinary empires and cities, as well as the many economic opportunities, resulting in increased wealth and trade. Finally, in 1498, Portuguese captain Vasco de Gama arrived in Asia after sailing along the western coast of Africa and around the southern tip to reach the IndianOcean. This discovery opened the gates for future European exploration and colonization, and encouraged Europeans to set sail for new lands. Portugal’s primary reason for colonization was for the wealth and profit. In the early 1500s, a Portuguese governor, Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa and made it the administrative center for Portugal’s Asian empire. The arrival of the Spanish and Dutch,as well as other Europeans, also threatened Portugal’s empire.
After losing most of its Asian territory to a powerful opponent, the Dutch, Portugal went to colonize in the Americas, which was founded by Spain in 1492. This vast land was occupied originally by the Natives, but the Europeans flocked by the thousands to conquer territory and gain profit from the land and people. Although thePortuguese were incapable of maintaining their colonies in Asia, they were able to maintain Brazil. Captaincies, huge plots of lands, were granted to donataries, individuals who agreed to finance the colony in exchange for power of the future territory. This was based upon the Spanish encomienda system, where wealthy colonists were granted land to harvest for profit. This often led to conflicts andbloodshed between the Natives and Portuguese. Large plantations called fazendas provided most of the incoming wealth, as well as gold mines. Colonization in Portugal included the introduction of several new crops in Europe, since the Americas contained a new type of land for new crops and produce. The Portuguese sold these products in Europe, where there was a high demand for new products from theAmericas, and generated a very beneficial profit. Portugal also led to cultural diffusion in the Americas. One example is that Brazil’s national language is Portuguese, which reflects that the Portuguese left their culture implanted in their colony. A negative consequence of this colonization was the deaths of the Natives. One of Portugal’s fiercest rivals was its neighboring country on theIberian Peninsula, Spain. The Spanish came to colonize for profit and wealth, mainly in their search for gold and valuable metals. In 1492, Columbus, thinking he was in Asia, landed in the Caribbean and claimed it for Spain, conquering several islands. Although Columbus did not establish many permanent colonies, he paved the path for future Spanish colonization in the Caribbean. In 1519, a Spanishconquistador, named Hernan Cortes, arrived in Mexico, eager for land and gold. In the late 1520s, Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, raided the Incan Empire and plundered the gold and silver, generating unbelievable profit. By the 1570s, the Spanish added the entire western coast of South America to their empire, making the Spanish the most dominant nation in the Americas at the moment. The...