Roman Empire. European countries engaged in imperialism for various reasons. Soft power and hard power are very different, hence why the UK can beat out the US in the former. In 1914, really only China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire had escaped becoming European colonies. And the more that the political leaders spend, the better their chances of defeating other leaders and, in the long run, of dominating the other cultures. You can compare this with the ossified empires of China and the Ottomans, which were large and powerful and had no rivals in the age when small European states were struggling constantly against one another. [ix] “Weathering the Storm,” The Economist, September 9, 2000, p. 23. Firstly Europe was a continent of many small competing states. What kinds of factors are included in this model? She will go down in German and European history as a leader with a huge amount of staying power at the ve… Even in a traditional realist assessment of balance of power resources, neither the US nor Europe are likely to threaten the vital or important interests of the other side. Things are much better if the conflict concerns something that can be split up—such as money or land. Many of the conquering European kingdoms were extremely powerful and unified, and any with a lack of manpower (Portugal and the Dutch) made up for it with relative wealth. There are many possible explanations for why history played out this way, but few can explain why the West was so powerful for so long. In 1900, Europe accounted for a quarter of the world’s population. You can think of that as being much like a baseball team that hires better players to win more games, but in this case, instead of coaches, it's political leaders and instead of games there are wars. No doubts about it. A: When the Turks closed off the routes to India, it forced European powers to find an alternative route. Its lack of vision, divisions, obsession with legal frameworks, unwillingness to project military power, and sclerotic economy are contrasted with a United States more dominant even than Rome…But the problem is not Europe – it is our outdated understanding of power.”[vii]. Helmut Kohl and Helmut Schmidt came close, but neither were in as strong a position as she is at such a late stage in their chancellorships. In this article we take in-depth look at the people of Central and Northern Europe and examine facts and history about the Celts. What are three reason why European countries needed or wanted colonies? That is, most people in that age strongly believed in God, heaven and hell, and the Catholic Church was the center of that belief. Native peoples also suffered heavy population losses due to the diseases the Europeans introduced. The Chinese invited the leaders of India, Brazil and South Africa. In soft power, European cultures have long had a wide appeal in the rest of the world, and the sense of a Europe uniting around Brussels has had a strong attraction for its neighbors. Although the American economy is four times larger than Germany’s, the total economy of the European Union is slightly larger than that of the U.S. in purchasing power parity, and Europe’s  population of nearly 500 million is considerably larger than America’s 300 million. __________________________________________________________, The closest thing to an equal that the United States faces at the beginning of the 21st century is the European Union. On all issues that require power with - rather than over - others, Europe has impressive capacity. Joseph Nye is a Harvard University Distinguished Services Professor, and a former chair of the US National Intelligence Council. Hoffman's work is published in a new book titled Why Did Europe Conquer the World? So trade was an important incentive for the Europeans to seek colonies abroad. My idea incorporates the model of a contest or a tournament where your odds of winning are higher if you spend more resources on fighting. Europe has built up an economic union but not a defence union. Although the American economy is four times larger than Germany’s, the total economy of the European Union is slightly larger than that of the U.S. in purchasing power parity, and Europe’s  population of nearly 500 million is considerably larger than America’s 300 million. Religion: one major reason why Europe's labor unions are so powerful By The Wilson Quarterly Why do 70% of European workers have collective bargaining, while only 13% of their US counterparts do? After the fall of the Roman empire in the fifth century, there was something of a power vacuum in Europe: no monarchy rose to fill the space left. Many of the conquering European kingdoms were extremely powerful and unified, and any with a lack of manpower (Portugal and the Dutch) made up for it with relative wealth. The Chinese invented gunpowder, but Hoffman, whose work applies economic theory to historical contexts, argues that certain political and economic circumstances allowed the Europeans to advance gunpowder technology at an unprecedented rate—allowing a relatively small number of people to quickly take over much of the rest of the globe. The European Union is economically 12 times larger than Russia; a huge potential power. Originally Answered: Why did the European countries become so powerful? It is also true that American consumers can benefit from European efforts to raise standards in anti-trust actions or internet privacy. [vi]  Stefan Theil, “The Modest Superpower,” Newsweek, November 16, 2009, p. 41. [vii]  Mark Leonard, Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century (London:  Fourth Estate, 2005), p. 2. The Catholic Church's power in the Middle Ages was primarily derived from a combination of belief, money and illiteracy. Caltech's Philip Hoffman, the Rea A. and Lela G. Axline Professor of Business Economics and professor of history, has a new explanation: the advancement of gunpowder technology. This is the beauty of Europe, and these are endless reasons why why Europe is the best continent in the world. One of the reasons for doing so was to fulfill economic needs. The book also reminds us that in a world where there are hostile powers, we really don't want to get rid of spending on improving military technology. And despite the frictions between parts of Europe and the George W. Bush administration, Barack Obama became almost a cult figure in his popularity in much of Europe. In terms of economic power, Europe has the world’s largest market, and represents 17 per cent of world trade compared to 12 per cent for the U.S., and Europe dispenses half of the world’s foreign assistance compared to 20 per cent for the U.S. Andrew Moravcsik, “Europe:  The Quiet Superpower,”, Regarding Pro Wrestling, North America will remain as a super power! This season, the Premier League is fulfilling Mourinho’s words and proving just why it has a greater appeal than the other leagues. To many Americans (for example) Europe is the ultimate travel experience. For example, how did states get the ability to impose heavy taxes? The more they spent, the more chances they had to improve their military technology through trial and error while fighting wars. Over the decades Europe has seen alternations between excessive optimism and bouts of “Euro-pessimism” such as the current period. I suppose an element of this is due to the fact that they are long-haul destinations for them (anywhere far away is bound to be more exciting and exotic) but the Yanks are on to something, Europe really is the most romantic continent on earth. Direct investment in both directions is higher than with Asia and helps knit the economies together. In some ways, the inevitable frictions between the two continents show a closeness rather than a distance. Rome lost to the Pyrrhus, the Mithridates, and in the Hannibal wars. The History Of European Colonization Of The Americas Sometime during the 11th century was the first of many European colonization endeavors. The United States spends 2.7 per cent –twice as much as Europe – on universities and R&D. [x]  Robert D. Blackwill, The Future of Transatlantic Relations (New York:  Council on Foreign Relations, 1999). Andrew Marr looks at why it is that German chancellor Angela Merkel is making such a profound mark on the lives of everyone in Europe, on the eve of her visit to the UK. For all the complaints about Hollywood films or McDonald’s, no one forces Europeans to eat there, though millions do each year. Europe has built up an economic union but not a defence union. Instead, European governments (and the IMF) had to organize a $925 million rescue program to try to restore market confidence, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that if the Euro fails, “then not only the currency fails…Europe will fail, and with it the idea of European unity.”[i]. These heavy, strong, canon-wielding ships were far superior in clout than anything the other powers could come up with. The European Union is economically 12 times larger than Russia; it is a huge potential power. Our past contributors have included Jürgen Habermas, Michel Houellebecq and Michael Walzer, among many others. That meeting and Europe’s absence was the ‘seminal image’ of 2009.”[iv]  Moreover, after the 2008 financial crisis, the fiscal problems of several EU members, particularly Greece, exposed the limits of fiscal integration in the Eurozone and  raised questions about  role of the Euro. By 2060, it may account for just 6% – and almost a third of these will be more than 65 years old.”[v]  Europe does face severe demographic problems, but size of population is not highly correlated with power, and “predictions of Europe’s downfall have a long history of failing to materialize.” In the 1980s, analysts spoke of  Euro-sclerosis and a crippling malaise, but in the ensuing decades Europe showed impressive growth and institutional development. The British Empire. Philip Hoffman, Rea A. and Lela G. Axline Professor of Business Economics and Professor of History, Credit: Courtesy of Philip Hoffman/Caltech, Click here to open the "Quick Links" submenu, Click here to open the "Research" Submenu, Click here to open the "Academics" Submenu, Click here to open the "Admissions & Aid" Submenu, Click here to open the "Campus Life & Events" Submenu, Technology Transfer & Corporate Partnerships. The National Intelligence Council report foresees a Europe in 2050 that will be “a hobbled giant distracted by internal bickering and competing national agendas”. The political dominance of western Europe was an unexpected outcome and had really big consequences, so I thought: let's explain it. And in a larger sense, Americans and Europeans share the values of democracy and human rights more with each other than with other regions of the world. We spoke with him recently about his research interests and what led him to study this particular topic. [iii]  Chris Patten, “What Is Europe to Do?” New York Review of Books, March 11, 2010, p. 12. Insofar as the term retains any meaning, the world is. They competed more with each other through war, which meant that they were forced to develop better technologies that helped. So, I put together an economic model of how this technology has advanced to come up with what I think is the real reason why the West conquered almost everyone else. For that to happen, the countries have to be small and close to one another. “The EU’s modus operandi – sharing power, hammering out agreements, resolving conflict by endless committee – can be boring and even frustrating to watch. The rest of Europe at that time was really no wealthier than China, the Middle East, or South Asia. Many theories purport to explain how the West became dominant. Until the Spring crisis of 2010 when fiscal problems in Greece and elsewhere created anxiety in financial markets, many economists speculated that the Euro might some day replace the dollar as the world’s primary reserve  currency. That was a really great question and it got me interested. Predictions of European decline rely on an outmoded understanding of power. [viii]  Andrew Moravcsik, “Europe:  The Quiet Superpower,” French Politics 7, 3 (Sep/Dec 2009), pp. This led to the Voyages of Discovery by the … [iv]  Marcus Walker, “EU Sees Dreams of Power Wane as ‘G-2’ Rises,” Wall Street Journal, January 27, 2010. [v]  Charlemagne, “Lessons from ‘The Leopard’”, The Economist, December 12, 2009, p. 61. The Celts were a people living in large parts of Europe during the Bronze Age and Iron Age. ... Italy is an EU founding member and Italians were once strong supporters of the European project. The creation of the European Monetary Union and the launching of the Euro at the beginning of 1999 made Europe’s role in monetary affairs and the International Monetary Fund nearly equal to that of the U.S. (though the 2010 crisis over Greek debt dented confidence in the Euro.) The uk does have a massive global reach far beyond its military, culture language law and more plus close ties with a wide selection on countries all over the planet. Speaking of … One big factor that's important to the advancement of any defense technology is how much money a political leader can spend. Before 1800, Europe had already taken over at least 35 percent of the world, but Britain was just beginning to industrialize. In the words of Lord Patten, a former member of the European Commission, “unlike the US we do not matter everywhere.”[iii]. Instead, European governments (and the IMF) had to organize a $925 million rescue program to try to restore market confidence, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that if the Euro fails, “then not only the currency fails…Europe will fail, and with it the idea of European unity.”, Over the decades Europe has seen alternations between excessive optimism and bouts of “Euro-pessimism” such as the current period. Insofar as the term retains any meaning, the world is bipolar , and is likely to remain so over the foreseeable future.” The pessimistic prognosis  is based on a 19th century realist view in which “power is linked to the relative share of aggregate global resources and countries are engaged in constant zero-sum rivalry. 9 May 1950: The French foreign minister Robert Schuman makes his famous declaration calling for Germany, France and other countries to jointly control their coal and steel industries. The Chinese invited the leaders of India, Brazil and South Africa. This led to the Voyages of Discovery by the Spanish Conquistadors and Portuguese explorers like Vasco de Gama and Prince Henry the Navigator. At the cultural level, Americans and Europeans have sniped at and admired each other for more than two centuries. Medieval Europe: Europe's medieval period lasted from the fall of Rome in the 5th century to the spread of the Renaissance in the 15th century. Over the years I've been interested in a number of different things, and this new work puts together a lot of bits of my research. A d100 is rolled and then modified by the maneuver of the leading general on each side to determine the terrain, you can be in for some nasty surpises if you attack high maneuver generals. Such enemies existed in the past—they were fighting for glory on the battlefield or victory over an enemy of the faith—and one could argue that they pose a threat today as well. The European Countries are powerful because they've got a strong culture and a large amount of People. While you think Rome is powerful, they also lost a significant number of battles. #1 What were the 3 reasons why the Catholic church became so powerful in medieval Europe ? The Celts are a mysterious people who played a very important role in the history of ancient Europe. The difficult business of containing Germany — so large, so rich, and so powerful — must be the key to Britain’s policy in Europe, wrote the head of the Foreign Office more than 100 years ago. In brief, Europe’s political fragmentation spurred productive competition. Why was the pope a powerful figure in medieval Europe? King Henry ruled the Holy Roman Empire and he appointed clergy to gain power and Pope Gregory VII found out and banned King Henry from the church. Ruthless Colonial Exploitation & Expansion Gave Europe Prosperity! That comes down to the political costs of raising revenue and a leader's ability to tax. On questions of trade and influence within the World Trade Organization, Europe is the equal of the United States and able to balance American power. It meant that European rulers found themselves competing for the best and most productive intellectuals and artisans. A: When the Turks closed off the routes to India, it forced European powers to find an alternative route. Disease can't explain, for example, the colonization of India, because people in southeast Asia had the same immunity to disease that the Europeans did. They were well organized, came from the wealthiest families and well educated. Also to know is, what were three reasons why the Catholic Church became so powerful in medieval Europe? It was politically weak, it was poor, and the major long-distance commerce was a slave trade led by Vikings. Many theories purport to … The pope was the most powerful man in Medieval Europe because he was ( to Europeans) the only medium between God and Man. That meeting and Europe’s absence was the ‘seminal image’ of 2009.”, The political scientist Andrew Moravcsik makes a similar argument that European nations, singly and collectively, are the only states other than the U.S. able to “exert global influence across the full spectrum from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ power. Although Europe represents only about 8 percent of the planet's landmass, from 1492 to 1914, Europeans conquered or colonized more than 80 percent of the entire world. European seas are stormy, dangerous waters and to survive them, the ships need to be heavy and strong - which meant they were always strong enough to carry canons. Yes, there are lots of conventional explanations—industrialization, for example—but on closer inspection they all fall apart. The … Europe has built up an economic union but not a defence union. Yet before the Settlers came to america Britian had alot of … The spending on war gave leaders a chance to try out new weapons, new armed ships, and new tactics, and to learn from mistakes on the battlefield. [i] Ralph Atkins, “State of the union,” Financial Times, June 1, 2010. Europeans have also been important pioneers and played central roles in international institutions. As The Economist noted, “talk of Europe’s relative decline seems to be everywhere just now….You may hear glum figures about Europe’s future weight and with some reason. [ii] Pippa Norris, “Global Governance and Cosmopolitan Citizens,” in Nye and Donahue, eds., Governance in a Globalizing World (Washington, D.C.:  Brookings Institution, 2000), p. 157. What made you turn to the idea of gunpowder technology as an explanation? The key question in assessing Europe’s resources is whether Europe will develop enough political and social-cultural cohesion to act as one on a wide range of international issues, or whether it will remain a limited grouping of countries with strongly different nationalisms and foreign policies. Until the Spring crisis of 2010 when fiscal problems in Greece and elsewhere created anxiety in financial markets, many economists speculated that the Euro might some day replace the dollar as the world’s primary reserve  currency. Another explanation, described in Jared Diamond's famous book [Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies], is disease. [x] Power struggles over conflicting interests are likely to remain at a more mundane level. Second most powerful based on alot more than military capabilities, keep in mind this not saying second most powerful military as we all know while we would fit in the top 10 2 would be pushing it. Greek Empire. More than a third of trade occurs within transnational corporations. The political scientist Andrew Moravcsik makes a similar argument that European nations, singly and collectively, are the only states other than the U.S. able to “exert global influence across the full spectrum from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ power. 406-7. The European Union is economically 12 times larger than Russia; a huge potential power. Europeans have also been important pioneers and played central roles in international institutions. More than 20 years ago, Germany made a sacrifice for Europe at Maastricht when it agreed to put the deutschmark to the sword so that another currency could be born. All Europeans (except after the Orthodox Schism) payed tithes to him and homage so he could grant them favour with God. Most other terrains also decrease combad with, making your numerical advantage even worthless. Pines and the like just shoot straight up into the sky, making them extremely easy to work with. Pines and the like just shoot straight up into the sky, making them extremely easy to work with. Saxons & Vikings & the Dutch, French and German Empires ect are all Europeans and claimed much islands and colony's to gain recourse's to build their empires from their neighbouring powerful nations. I absolutely love travelling to exotic and far-flung destinations, but a few of my recent trips (Dublin and Barcelona) have reminded me how amazingly fortunate I am to live in a country that is so close to so many other countries. In other words, what is Europe’s power conversion capability? In terms of relative power, if the EU endeavored to become a global challenger to the United States in a traditional realist balance of power, these assets might counter American power. On the other hand, legislative and executive branch integration has lagged, and while Europe has created a president and a central figure for foreign relations, the integration of foreign and defense policy is still limited. The reason European countries wanted more colonies was that colonies helped countries accumulate wealth and … The pope was the most powerful man in Medieval Europe because he was ( to Europeans) the only medium between God and Man. so the Europeans had so much power and used it to their advantage of gaining respect. A thousand years ago, no one would have ever expected that result, for at that point western Europe was hopelessly backward. It was the wealthiest and most military powerful empire in the Muslim world. Why Angela Merkel is the world's most powerful woman WHEN the Berlin Wall was torn down by the East German people, Angela Merkel, a scientist who lived in … They were well organized, came from the wealthiest families and well educated. But even while doing so, these countries defeated powerful empires, the Aztecs of Mexico, the Moors in Southern Spain, the Mughals of India, the Ottomans of Turkey. The BBC's Andrew Marr looks at why it is that Ms Merkel is making such a profound mark on the lives of people in Europe. And on issues that require power with rather than over others, the Europeans have impressive capacity. Angela Merkel is now into her third term in office, and it has a historical dimension – not just because she is at the xenith of her power, but because Konrad Adenauer is the only chancellor before her to have had such a strong standing after a similar amount of time in office. And in a larger sense, Americans and Europeans share the values of democracy and human rights more with each other than with other regions of the world. Why was the Roman Catholic Church so powerful in medieval Europe quizlet? For example, that Europe became industrialized more quickly and therefore became wealthier than the rest of the world. It's just fascinating. [viii]  Moreover, as he points out, Europe is the world’s second military power with 21 per cent of the world’s military spending compared to 5 per cent for China, three per cent for Russia,  two percent for India, and 1.5 percent for Brazil. So as an explanation, industrialization doesn't work. Finally, and this is my most important point, Russia is powerful because Europe grants that power to Russia. Thus Europeans ended up with superior, more powerful navies. One lesson the book teaches is that actions involving war, foreign policy, and military spending can have big, long-lasting consequences: this is a lesson that policy makers should never forget. As The Economist speculated a decade ago, in terms of military security, it is possible that “by about 2030, both Europe and America will be having the same trouble with some other part of the world” such as Russia, China and Muslim southwest Asia.[ix].