Proceedings of the 33rd International Academic Conference, Vienna

EXPLORATION OF AMERICA AND IRREVERSIBLE CHANGES IN THE NEW WORLD

SERDAR ORNEK

Abstract:

Historians overwhelmingly accept that God, gold, and glory are the motives for Europeans to explore and create colonies in the New World. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean and discovered America. The exploration of the American continent by the Europeans has caused dramatic changes in the world. Columbus’s discovery inaugurated an age of aggressive Spanish enlargement across the Atlantic. Spain obtained a great deal of gold, silver, and furs from its colonies. This success attracted the attention of other European countries. European forces that had the will to dominate the economic resources presented by the continent fought each other along with Native Americans. Since Europeans had the advantage of weapon technology, these wars resulted to the detriment of Native Americans. In this article, the way people, trade, economy, health, and environment were affected by the discovery will be discussed.

Keywords: The Exploration of the New World, The Columbian Exchange, American History, Colonization, Latin American History

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2017.33.053

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