I personally believe that Europe's rise to prominence has a lot to do with the growth of individual European nations that slowly began to gain access to the Atlantic Ocean. This new access to the Atlantic made trade with other nations easier and, in the process, greatly benefited Europe at the time. Access to the Atlantic affected Europe both directly and indirectly. For example, the growth of the New World and Asian trade with parts of the commercial middle class (bourgeoisie) allowed groups to obtain and sustain institutions to protect property rights. However, the most significant economic changes and effects were related to nations that had a government system of controls that would limit some business activities abroad. This allowed new traders from these nations with a check system to benefit from trade across the Atlantic. The rise of Europe was largely the result of capitalist development that occurred as a result of new opportunities arising from Atlantic trade. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay North America's geographic location has allowed it to be an excellent trading partner with Europe and Africa. Many Europeans and Africans chose to come to North America. Because of the distance, many Asians have chosen not to immigrate. The European economy was thriving due to their geographical advantage which led to the creation of many new and improved trade relationships with other nations. Although Africa, Latin America, and Asia also traded during that time, they had some difficulty reaching other parts of the world due to their location. At the time, Europe accounted for a major part of most trade involving the Atlantic in some way. This new thriving economy has influenced work systems in Europe. This new capitalist emergency was essential for the growth of Europe. Although there was a hold on rural labor in that period, there was an increase and, in some cases, a surplus of labor in the commercial and industrial sectors. The Atlantic slave trade system took place across the Atlantic Ocean. The slaves involved in this were forced to work on farms, usually producing coffee, tobacco, cocoa, cotton, sugar, and more. However, this system of slavery differed from previous traditional slavery systems. Specifically, a major example of this is that prior to this time, women were the coveted commodity. However, the Atlantic slave trade focused more on young people. Before the Atlantic slave trade, slaves were not transported as heavily as they were at that time. The colonies needed labor, and African slave traders sold slaves to the highest bidder. Slavery, at that time, was not considered a form of evil. It was simply a trade or commercial transaction. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay During this period, Latin America was the primary destination for millions of blacks transported from Africa to the French, Portuguese, and Spanish colonies. Slavery was an important part of the Spanish Casta system. As a result of this new civilization, the African presence in Latin America had an effect on their culture. Slaves were baptized upon arrival in the New World. And in most cases, the Catholic Church came to the defense of the slaves.