Why Did The West Explore The New World Essay
Why the West was the First to Discover, Explore, and Settle in the New World
By 1450 a large area of the world remained unexplored by the old world. At least three civilizations: China, the West, and the Islamic World all had the capability to explore the Americas . However only one did- the West. If one observes the technology of the West in 1450 it comes as rather a surprise Europe made it to the New World first. The other civilizations, particularly China were more powerful, wealthier and more technologically advance. Some have argued the people of the West have seemed to have a stronger urge to explore the world with roots going back to the barbarian migration into Rome and the Crusades in the Holy Land . There is however a stronger reason the West was first to explore the New World. The West was (and remains) relatively poor in natural resources. The other great civilizations of the world: China and the Islamic World had at their disposal many more resources in there civilizations …show more content…
Some have argued Westerners compared to other civilizations at the time seemed to have a stronger curiosity about foreign cultures, phenomena, and desire to know the world . Historians point to pre-15th century European exploration such as the barbarian migration into Europe, Frankish expansion into northern Europe and the crusades in the Holy land to show Westerns even before the age of exploration seemed to have a stronger curiosity about the wider world than its Asian counterparts. An example by some historians such as professor Daly point to the different experiences between Europeans and the Chinese elite when they received giraffes as gifts from foreign states. The Italians were fascinated by the giraffe and the famous Domenico Ghirlandaio even painted a portrait of it. The Chinese elites however expressed little interest in the giraffe and were quick to identify and classify the
By 1450 a large area of the world remained unexplored by the old world. At least three civilizations: China, the West, and the Islamic World all had the capability to explore the Americas . However only one did- the West. If one observes the technology of the West in 1450 it comes as rather a surprise Europe made it to the New World first. The other civilizations, particularly China were more powerful, wealthier and more technologically advance. Some have argued the people of the West have seemed to have a stronger urge to explore the world with roots going back to the barbarian migration into Rome and the Crusades in the Holy Land . There is however a stronger reason the West was first to explore the New World. The West was (and remains) relatively poor in natural resources. The other great civilizations of the world: China and the Islamic World had at their disposal many more resources in there civilizations …show more content…
Some have argued Westerners compared to other civilizations at the time seemed to have a stronger curiosity about foreign cultures, phenomena, and desire to know the world . Historians point to pre-15th century European exploration such as the barbarian migration into Europe, Frankish expansion into northern Europe and the crusades in the Holy land to show Westerns even before the age of exploration seemed to have a stronger curiosity about the wider world than its Asian counterparts. An example by some historians such as professor Daly point to the different experiences between Europeans and the Chinese elite when they received giraffes as gifts from foreign states. The Italians were fascinated by the giraffe and the famous Domenico Ghirlandaio even painted a portrait of it. The Chinese elites however expressed little interest in the giraffe and were quick to identify and classify the