Stability in Western Europe 1450-1750

How did mercantilism contribute to stability in European empires?

• By encouraging free trade across all regions

• By providing colonies with economic independence

• By enriching the mother country through controlled trade

• By eliminating competition between European powers

What was a key feature of mercantilism in Spain and Portugal?

• Creation of powerful local governments in colonies

• Control over vast silver and spice trade routes

• Freedom of trade between colonies and other countries

• A system based on free-market economics

How did the collapse of indigenous empires, such as the Aztecs and Incas, help stabilize European control in the Americas?

• European settlers adopted indigenous forms of government

• It created a power vacuum that Europeans quickly filled

• Indigenous peoples formed alliances with European powers

• Indigenous rulers voluntarily ceded power to Europeans

What role did disease play in creating stability for European empires in the Americas?

• It weakened European settlers and disrupted their control

• It caused European armies to abandon their colonies

• It decimated Native American populations, making conquest easier

• It allowed Native American empires to rise again

What was one effect of the encomienda system in Spain’s colonies?

• Indigenous people were granted rights equal to Europeans

• European settlers were encouraged to leave the colonies

• Spanish conquistadors were given control over indigenous labor

• The system ensured fair treatment of indigenous populations

How did the Casta system contribute to maintaining order in Spanish colonies?

• It allowed indigenous people to hold the highest social ranks

• It created a rigid social hierarchy based on race and background

• It gave all colonists equal access to political power

• It eliminated racial divisions in the colonies

Why were settler colonies, such as those in North America, more stable than other types of colonies?

• They were based on permanent European control and self-sustaining communities

• They relied heavily on the encomienda system for labor

• They avoided conflicts with indigenous populations

• They were built on temporary settlements that moved often

How did chattel slavery threaten the stability of European colonies?

• Enslaved people formed peaceful alliances with European rulers

• The brutality of slavery led to frequent slave revolts

• European settlers opposed the use of enslaved labor

• Slavery brought wealth and peace to the colonies

What impact did the Little Ice Age have on European stability?

• It led to warmer climates and better agricultural production

• It caused widespread agricultural failure, leading to unrest

• It strengthened Europe’s colonial efforts by improving trade

• It made Europe less dependent on its colonies

What role did Native American resistance play in disrupting European colonies?

• It destroyed European cities, forcing settlers to flee

• It significantly weakened European control in the Americas

• It had little impact on the colonization process

• It led to peaceful treaties that preserved European stability