History Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History - Coursework Example ent nations were motivated to dominate other nations by the need to enlarge and control foreign trade which would serve their insatiable appetite for luxuries, such as silks and spice and they were also trying to obtain raw materials and supplementary sources of labor, passages for extra capital and markets for surplus goods. Another explanation suggests the political determinants of imperialism, according to which the nations of Europe in the 1500s were motivated to expand chiefly due to the desire to gain power, defense, and diplomatic advantages, and their desire to implement military force and compete with other European nations was served by imperialism and conquests. â€Å"Reversing causation, trade could precipitate the extension of European empire. However, European power politics (together with European technological advantages) gave a stronger impetus to imperialism.† (Aldcroft and Sutcliffe, 121) Therefore, economic and political explanations of European imperialism in the 1500s are highlighted in the analysis of the factors that drove European civilization to get involved in imperialism and conquest. However, there are other important explanations such as the explanations based on the ideological or moral motives of European imperialism in the 1500s, according to which imperialism as a missionary activity was caused by cultural or religious beliefs. Similarly, the religious explanations of European imperialism in the 1500s emphasize the desire to spread