The emergence of the Atlantic world can be seen as a cause of new developments and the result of historical processes. What long-term political,...

European countries were motivated to expand in part because of political competition among themselves and the economic theory of mercantilism, which sought to maximize a country's exports and minimize imports in an effort to amass bullion (or gold). New World conquests helped European countries export more and import less because the New World was a source of raw materials and markets for finished goods made in Europe. Nationalism, or the belief that a country's destiny...

European countries were motivated to expand in part because of political competition among themselves and the economic theory of mercantilism, which sought to maximize a country's exports and minimize imports in an effort to amass bullion (or gold). New World conquests helped European countries export more and import less because the New World was a source of raw materials and markets for finished goods made in Europe. Nationalism, or the belief that a country's destiny is to expand, also was a political motivation for European expansion. In addition, the growth of European populations was a demographic factor behind their expansion. 

As a result of the interconnectedness of the Atlantic World, there was an exchange of products, technology, and livestock. For example, horses were introduced into the New World from Europe, and agricultural products such as tobacco and sugar were brought back to Europe, where they proved very popular. Technologies such as guns were introduced in the New World, as were diseases that were unknown in the Western Hemisphere up to that point, including small pox. These diseases resulted in the decimation of some New World populations. Tragically, slavery was also introduced in the New World, as slaves were imported from Africa to the West Indies and to the mainland North American and South American colonies.