ABSTRACT
As argued in the chapter The Expansion of Europe, 1450–1700,” the foundations of the modern world system had been laid by the middle of the seventeenth century. Except for the Americas and the fringe areas of the Indian Ocean, however, that system did not come into practical being until well after 1700. Moreover, except for their dominance at sea—though in the long run that made all the difference—it is premature to talk in terms of European world hegemony. Quite simply, early modern Europeans lacked the military resources to challenge the powerful land-based empires of Asia and the Middle East—or even the far weaker states of West Africa.
