Overall,
the European drive to gain entrance into the Asian trade routes through the
Indian Ocean was a drive fueled by luxurious gain versus the economic and the
individual prosperity motivation of the conquering of the Americas. Consequently, the negative outcomes of the
European inclusion in these trade routes will seem unnecessary due to their
inherent frivolous nature.
The Portuguese
treatment of the trading routes disrespected the established system, and due to
their excessive desire to control the scenario, led to an inevitable failure.
Had the Portuguese rather assimilated into the system rather than attempt to
monopolize it, their influence and position within the trading would have
spanned a greater time period. They took advantage of a situation where they
found themselves in position of the upper hand, which, coming from an American
point of view, would be considered capitalizing on a situation. They had the
swifter naval fleet equipped with more advanced weaponry, and quickly adapted
to the situation to gain a stance among the established trading route. However,
they reacted to their superior position like a child granted the right to
punish his peers for the very first time: without restraint nor repent. They
desired to establish a “trading route empire” due to their desire to control
commerce rather than territory. The taxes they implanted were unfair, and the
manner by which they achieved their dominance with brutal killings in Mombasa
as well as the blocking of the Red Sea was unnecessary. Naturally, Portugal
forces spread their strength too thin amongst the great powers of Asia, and
inevitably, and quite necessary in my opinion, suffered the decline of their “empire”
in 1600.
Spain
quickly followed the route of the Portuguese in entering the trade route,
though their tactics are debatably much more effective in establishment rather
than in domination. Spain set its sights on permanence in land rather than in
the conquering of the trade route entirely as with the Portuguese. They
conquered the Philippines and effectively renamed them to the title I
understand them as today, and affirmed their position by robbing another of
their land and rights.
After
the Portuguese, the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company
emerged as the greater power in terms of economics, naval prowess, and the
liberal freedom they had with people and war in order to achieve their goals.
The monopoly they created was established in the same manner as apparently is
the European way: through domination, manipulation, control, and inhumanity. After
reading on the European influence in the Asian trading routes, it appears that
once again the countries are comparable to that of a child that developed
prematurely. They use their force and their greed to completely annihilate any
human respect that initially existed between the people of the land and trade,
in order to simply gain some luxury, unnecessary items. The ways of the
European world can so far be chalked up to cruel and repetitive.
