What are the factors that contribute to Europe's rise to global power?

Answer 1

Europe emerged from the Medieval period and the Renaissance began in places such as the Italian peninsula. The movement there enlightened the ruling kingdoms to the point that they began to look beyond their borders and develop their societies in a new way.

They also began to see that the Roman Catholic Church, dominated their religious lives and a new movement started by Luther in Germany gave birth to Protestantism.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, a series of religious wars dominated the political and economic trends of Europe. The wars, taken by themselves, were bloody affairs but for better or worse, contacts between kingdoms increased and alliances were made and alliances were broken.

Part of this process, was the development of military forces and new weapons. In order to create an advantage for themselves over European rivals, the need to trade and find better ways of making war, elevated the kingdoms above other parts of the globe.

From a disunited status of the Middle Ages, new nationalistic States began to form. If wealth could be obtained from other nations, it was pursued to the point of nation vs nation warfare.

In their searches for leverage over their European foes, wealthier and more intellectual nations began to see that material resources such as coal and iron ore, were beneficial to their populations and beneficial to producing weapons of war.

These nations also were aware of riches in minerals, gold and silver, that might be obtained overseas. Inroads from Europe were made in North Africa, which did not have organized governments to the extent that European kings possessed.

The far east had been opened to a limited extent by the expeditions of Marco Polo to China. They correctly perceived that the riches in the East could be turned into power & wealth in their European kingdoms. Faster ways of reaching the East were developed by exploring the possibilities of sailing west to "get" to the East faster and more safely than Marco Polo type land expeditions.

Bottom line here is from the Renaissance period forward, new sciences, new ways to travel, new forms of nationalism, new forms of warfare, created a competitive environment among the peoples of Europe.

No other region on Earth, had developed in this manner. Thus, upon exploration new lands and under developed peoples became places to obtain wealth & power.

Answer 2

Weakness of central government