The growth of powerful, unified nations like Spain and Portugal in the 1400s directly led to...

a sharp decline in the European population.

the end of trade with any Asian countries.

an era of peaceful cooperation among all kingdoms.

increased rivalry to find new sources of wealth.

Which statement best describes the political structure of Western Europe before strong monarchies began to form in the 1400s?

It was a single, unified empire under one ruler.

It was dominated by a few large, democratic republics.

It was a patchwork of small kingdoms and city-states.

It was controlled entirely by Italian trading cities.

Exploration was funded by private merchants, not by national taxes.

The money from taxes provided monarchs with the funds for expeditions.

Taxes were lowered to encourage sailors to go on long voyages.

Voyages were expected to lose money, so taxes were raised to cover the debt.

The rise of independent city-states that controlled local trade routes.

The unification of smaller lands into powerful monarchies with national wealth.

The division of large empires into smaller, more manageable territories.

The establishment of democratic governments that voted on exploration.

establish peaceful alliances with all other nations.

increase their country's wealth and power through new trade.

learn new farming techniques from other continents.

prove that the Earth was flat, as was commonly believed.