How and why did European nations become so powerful to dominate over others, e.g. the Aztecs?
When the Turks closed off the routes to India, it forced European powers to find an alternative route. This led to the Voyages of Discovery by the Spanish Conquistadors and Portuguese explorers like Vasco de Gama and Prince Henry the Navigator. So trade was an important incentive for the Europeans to seek colonies abroad. Had the Turks not done this it’s conceivable the American and Filipino and African etc. civilisations would have continued on as before – at least for longer. B: Religious persecution led to many Europeans fleeing their countries, especially British Catholics and French/Spanish etc. Protestants. These colonists strengthened the European hold onto their new colonies. C: European technological superiority, stimulated in part by the voyages of discovery and the consequent need for advances in technology militarily and navigationally. D: Divisions were exploited by European powers e.g. the British, Spanish and French sponsored local rulers in a divide-and-conquer way. The
