The peoples of Europe are largely provincial in the centuries following the collapse of their conquerors, the Roman Empire. The European people have held onto much of the cultural identity that was forced upon them by the Roman regime including their alphabet, the Middle Eastern religion of Christianity and even the imperial way of organizing a society which empowered a few to rule, and often oppress, the many.
Why and how these rather unsophisticated conquered people will come to build overseas empires that rival the largest ever in human history needs to be well understood if we are to know our own story.
Take a moment to consider what is needed by any people
who wish to create an overseas empire.
In the Blogger space below write a comment that argues for one thing that a people will need to begin this process, defending your choice.
Then, as is our pattern, reply to two of your classmates offering feedback. Write your comment before reading the comments of others. This will increase the likelihood of a wide variety of responses. Be as "obvious" or as "subtle" as you like, all responses that are defended will be given full credit.
The things that are needed by people in order to create an overseas empire is Willpower, Knowledge, and resources. The reason I say they need willpower is because if they choose to travel overseas to this territory unexplored by them they will need the willpower to continue their exploration and encourage themselves to stay even when a trouble arises. I say they need knowledge because they need to know how to grow a civilization and do things like build houses and create a government. I say they needed Resources because how are they going to do the things such as building houses, making tools and more without having the materials needed to do so. These are the things Europeans would need in order to create an overseas empire
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the basis that settlers need a strong willpower in order to survive, because there isn't another option. If you're lazy about farming one year, you might a hundred less people the coming winter.
DeleteI agree with you when you say people need knowledge to run an overseas empire because they need to know how to deal with any problems that may arise.
DeleteI agree that settlers need willpower to survive. Many colonies are in inhospitable and dangerous territory, where the weather or other things can be very unforgiving. If they have no willpower, they will just give up and go home.
DeleteOne thing that people need in order to create an oversea empire is good relations with the indigenous peoples already there. In the beginning of a colonization, there are only a couple hundred people there at first with little to no experience with the land that they are on. For example, when settlers came to Plymouth Rock, they could barely survive the first winter, even with the natives help. Imagine how bad it would be if they didn't have the native's clothing and food to help them survive the bitter colds of New England. Also, the empire would have a steady trading market with the natives, so one wouldn't have to go looking for people to trade horses and guns for. Additionally, the empire doesn't know the land well enough in order to have a stable collection of crops, and they don't know the wildlife well enough in order to have a steady supply of hunted meat. Food from the ship won't last the civilization there for very long, so they need other incomes of nutrition in order to survive.
ReplyDeleteI agree because they didn't know what the weather would be like, and they didn't prepare enough to be able to withstand it on their own, so allies who know the land is helpful
DeleteI agree because if the people dont know too much about the place they are going they will go and not be prepared. This could make their time there much harder and the progression they make towards becoming an empire much harder.
DeleteHale I agree that good relationships are very important to building a strong society. Both with the people in the society and surrounding it.
DeleteI agree--while good relationships aren't always a necessity once you know the land, they are vital when you first arrive.
DeleteOne thing that people need to expand across an ocean is an excess of resources, because you have to assume that the new land will be harsh unforgiving territory, so you have to bring enough food for both the tourney there and some for when you are there in case it takes a while to establish a food source. you also have to bring clothes for every possible weather change you might experience. They also need a way to record and send information to their origin, because they could have found something of extreme value and they would need to extract it and bring it back. If only one ship goes, than people will have to stay behind and risk their lives even more. If more than one ship goes, then they can have a messenger.
ReplyDeleteOliver I agree that good resources are a necessity. this is due to the act that civilizations can't thrive without the basic necessities, and those are provided through good resources.
DeleteI agree that the territory can easily impact the resources you have. Therefore, the resources are a key part of a healthy empire. The climate, land, or water amounts can easily tip the scale when it comes to the amount of resources an empire can get.
DeleteI agree that resources are necessary to start a successful empire. People can't thrive without resources, and if the people don't thrive then neither will the civilizations.
DeleteI agree with this because if you are sailing into unknown territory, the resources needed won't be clear until you are there so it is much better to be prepared
DeleteI agree with you where you say they need resources. Without resources they couldn't do anything at all no matter how hard they try. They wouldn't be able to build houses and have a stable shelter. They wouldn't be able to make tools and they wouldn't even be able to trade for those things because they would have nothing to trade with.
ReplyDeletethis is responding to Oliver
DeleteSome things that are needed by in order to create an overseas empire is healthy relationships, experience, and resources. Healthy relationships are nesscary for many reasons. I f you don't have good relationships with the indigenous people in the land not only will you be fighting with them for centuries but will also have some not so great things in your past. You need to be able to have a symbiotic relationship in which everyone benefits from the empire. Furthermore, if one doesn't have good relationships with the surrounding areas there will be constant war. This will weaken the empire immensely. Resources are necessary because you need a base to build an empire. Without basic implements like irrigation systems, forms of government/ trade, and basic agricultural development a society can't function. Finally, Experience is key in building n empire. The best way to do better is to learn from your mistakes. In order to build a strong empire one should look back and see what others did wrong so that they can ensure they don't make the same mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your reasoning that all of the things you listed are necessary for a healthy, strong empire. I especially agree with your thought that mistakes can help strengthen an empire, rather than weaken it. You can learn from your mistakes and make sure you don't do them again, which makes you stronger.
DeleteI agree with your statement about healthy relationships with the indigenous people. Without a healthy relationship it will not only cause war but you will not be able to learn about the land and your new environment with ease.
DeleteI agree that alliances but benefit them but adding on to that they could also deceive the other nation once they have learned enough about the land to pillage them (steal all their supplies)
DeleteOne of the main things that people would need in order to create an overseas empire is a good amount of resources, experience, knowledge, and alliances. People would need all of these things in order to either start making an empire or keep the empire from falling apart. The resources are important since they would need them to make a civilization amongst themselves. Experience is also needed. If one doesn't have experience, they will have a difficult time trying to live a normal life. Experience is needed for many reasons, whether it's farming, fighting, making hard decisions, etc. This ties to having knowledge. Having knowledge is very important for an empire, since it allows the empire to make the best decisions in the case of an emergency. Finally, good and strong alliances can make an empire very strong. Alliances can help you strengthen your numbers, allowing you to be a bigger threat to posing empires. Alliances also allow an empire to exchange resources and valuable information, which can be very important if it is used correctly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that in order to run an overseas empire you need alliances because those allies are the ones who are going to help you protect your kingdom while you are not there.
DeleteI agree, and I think that alliances are not only necessary where you are coming from, but also where you are going.
DeleteI agree with your statements about needing experience, because if you have no idea how to rule a country you're not in, it will most likely fail.
DeleteIn order to run a successful empire overseas, you need communication, money, and a form of transportation. For starters, if you are going to maintain a healthy empire overseas, you need to form connections with the people on that half of the world. Without allies to help you protect the kingdom while you're away, you will have no clue what's going on. There is no doubt in my mind that you will also need some sort of income. How can someone run an empire across the map without being financially stable? Finally, you will need a way to get there. You may not need to be there all the time, but there must be a way for you to get to your empire when you need to be there. When trying to run a flourishing province overseas, you must have someone reporting the status of your empire, a stable source of income, and some sort of transit to reach your far-away kingdom.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree, especially with the transportation requirement. How could a potential empire claim control of an area without getting there in the first place?
DeleteI agree with the money part but they would have to know what the peoples surrounding them valued for trade because they didn't have bills or coins back then
DeleteI agree with the communication, as it would be a positive benefit to communicate with the native people on the land you decided to have as your own. In addition, you would also have to form many connections if you intended to create your own colony on the new land.
DeleteOne thing that is necessary for running an overseas empire is a place to colonize. It is impossible to have territory in a place that doesn't exist. Often, this place is rich in natural resources, but not necessarily. However, this place only needs to exist for an overseas empire to exist.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteEdit: However, this place only needs to exist for a potential overseas empire to have a chance of becoming a full overseas empire.
DeleteI agree with you because you need a place to colonize first before you think of colonizing it. If europeans had known that all the earth consisted of was Europe, then they wouldn't have decided to go exploring in the first place.
Deletei agree with you because its true you need a place to colonize if you want to colonize something
DeleteSome things a nation needs to become and overseas empire is resources, transportation, and military or some other kind of deadly force. To colonize a place away from your homeland, you must have the resources to do so, which includes food, water, and money to keep the venture going. You also need transportation so you can ferry resources to the colony, and keep it supported throughout it's lifespan. Thirdly, you need some sort of military or militia so you can take over the area you desire, and to keep it in your control. These are all crucial to running an overseas empire, and most countries that succesfully colonized places had them in abundance.
ReplyDeleteI agree because without transportation they would not be able to get to the new world
DeleteI agree because it's important to be ready for whatever could happen throughout the exploration. A good military can be beneficial in keeping all voyagers safe.
DeleteI think the most important thing that people need in order to create an oversees empire is resources. Without money there is no way to pay for the trips that transport you oversees, and even if you had transportation you need the food resources for the people who are traveling. In order to have people begin to form a civilization you need to survive the oversees journey. In my definition of resources, I include money (with a surplus of resources you can sell it to make $) because you need money in order to even start building this empire. You need housing developments, irrigation systems, borders from enemy's, agricultural development and much more. A steady flow of resources and income will be the building blocks towards successfully building and maintaining an oversees empire.
ReplyDeleteI agree. While everything else is important, without the resources to sustain your journey, you'll never be able to achieve anything, which is why it takes so long for a nation to be ready to expand and colonize.
DeleteThe main thing people need in order to create an overseas empire is resources understanding and a boat. Obviously they need a boat to go overseas but they also need resources to start a home once they get there. They red the understanding that they might not know everything about the place they are going and that they might need to explore. Overall I think the most important thing is resources.
ReplyDeleteI agree because without recourses the colony will not have the jump start it needs to become economically profitable.
DeleteI agree they do need a bowl and all the understanding and resources so they can win over the people, to conquer the land overseas
DeleteThe things that are needed by any people wishing to build an overseas empire are a large sum of money to fund an expedition, a superior technological force to conquer the natives, and the reason to go because they would need to be kind of desperate because if you had a stable economy there is no reason to expand.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that settlers need in order to create an overseas empire is leadership. It's very important to have people that step up because otherwise chaos could ensue. People often look for someone they can follow. If they don't have this, the empire will have a much more difficult trek to create an empire
ReplyDeleteI agree because without a leader, there would be anarchy. A leader is also important to have so that there is someone to encourage everyone to continue on the journey, and remind them of their purpose. This leader also needs to know a lot about military, navigation, and trading.
DeleteThey would have to have a large variety of resources as well as a large empire. They have to defend themselves from people trying to attack them. They would also need resources to ensure that their empire doesn't fall anytime soon
ReplyDeleteI agree that they need to defend themselves. It is very important that they have strong fighters so they stay an empire and don't fall. Having a military is necessary if they want to conquer other nations,
DeleteI agree because if they were small and had no resources they couldn’t conquer the land overseas.
DeleteSomething that's a necessity when starting an overseas empire would be the resources to actually make the voyage. For example, if you were planning on traveling from Europe to the Americas, you would need plenty of food and water for the journey, as well as maps so you could be sure of where you were going. You'd also need skilled sailors, as well as protection from storms and harsh conditions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with having the resources in order to travel out to sea is very important. Food and the materials in order to build ships would in fact be needed.
DeleteThe most important ingredients for an overseas empire to me would be organization, information, and communication. An empire would need to know where they need to go, which is where information comes in. You'd need people such as map makers a printers to be able to accurately tell you information. Communication is important a you'd need to know what's going on throughout your empire. You'd need to know whether or not the land you're conquering has indigenous people that a violent or friendly. You'd need to know which colony has gone rogue or is under attack so you can protect it. This is where organization comes to play, as you'd need to know where everything is at all times. You'd need to know which men you'd assigned to govern some colonies, how many resources you'd need in one area of the world, how to expend you're men wisely, and so forth. Information, organization, and communication play a key role in a overseas empire.
ReplyDeleteIn order to create an overseas empire, you need to have lots of resources. You need navigation tools, like a compass, boats, and maps. Otherwise, you won't be able to travel overseas successfully. You also need a purpose, and people that are motivated. They have to be willing to go there, or else you will lose track of why you are going and they will want to go home. Having alliances and healthy relationships will also be a big benefit because war will just waste your weapons and cause constant fighting. You need a protection system like a military that will keep your empire strong.
ReplyDeleteI agree I mean how are you to go somewhere by sea if you don't even have ships or the resources to make ships then you'll get no where
DeleteSome of the most important things in order to create a overseas empire would be money, technology, and knowledge. These would be the most important things because you would need alot of money to fund the voyage, such as using it for food, supplies, ships, and payment for the sailors. In addition, you would also need technology, such as compasses and advanced maritime technology so that the you could successfully feel. Lastly, you would need knowledge about the area you plan to conquer, as well as knowledge about the land, geography, and how to create colonies.
ReplyDeleteyou'll need poor people. you can have the population and the money and all the resources but you need poor people that are hopeless and have nothing to loose. the reason is because people know that going on such trips means risking their lives for it. so when you have a huge group pf people with no reason to keep living then its a positive thing if you are to go up to them and say hey get on this ship and if you survive then well give you things and you'll have a reason for life. so unless they have a good reason no one will get on that ship. so you need a reason to offer.
ReplyDeleteWhat do Europeans needed to take over a colony overseas is confidence, power, and resources. With confidence they can conquer without a fear of doing what ever they can. With power, they can take over large large colony overseas and continue fighting to conquer. Resources can help with winning the trust of the people in the colony to take over. With all of these together the Europeans can definitely take over overseas and succeed in expanding their land and colonies.
ReplyDeleteTo create an overseas empire, you will first of all need a team. People willing to go, knowing they have nothing to lose. You will need the transportation in those times, boats. You will need weapons, for protection. You will need a variety of resources. and you will need leadership, someone that knows how to lead, so the whole empire does not fall apart.
ReplyDeleteDo you really need a devoted team, what if you have money/slaves, you can always hire people
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