European Exploration: for Good or for Bad?

European Exploration: for Good or for Bad?

It has been a controversial topic for a very long time. Was the act of European exploration beneficial or harmful to mankind? Obviously there must be points on both sides. If there were not, there would be a simple answer, either yes or no. However, its not that simple. For instance, Columbus discovered a source of wealth and power for Spain and eventually other countries like Brittan, France, and the Netherlands, and also spread the Christian religion to the Americas. This in turn cost the lives of many Native Americans. Some may say that the negative things outweigh the positive ones, but its very obvious that this is not so. The positives clearly override the negatives.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus “lit” what would become the fuse for future European Exploration. The conquistadors of Spain then commenced in dominating the newly discovered continents. In 1519 Hernán Cortés landed his army in Mexico and easily overran the Aztecs, and in the 1530’s Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas. This cost the lives of many Natives just to satisfy the desires of the Spaniards. Not to mention that the natives were defenseless , and were basically slaughtered.
Although this does sound gruesome, had this not happened, the unification of the Americas most likely would have never happened. Under the Spanish rule, former Aztec and Incan cities like Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), and Lima had universities and printing presses established in them. This set the foundation for a common language, and with a common language communities can thrive with trade and commerce. Especially since they had just acquired an exceptional amount of precious metals from the conquering of the former empires. And with more money coming from the new region, they could fund their economy back in Europe and become more and more powerful.
With a common language, its also substantially useful to establish a common religion. Common religions can minimize religious conflicts and create a unity between...

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