Spain Became a World Power

¶ … Spain Became a World Power

Spain, before its 'super power' status was barren, a somewhat isolated country from the rest of Europe. So how did it come to be one of the world's first superpowers? Kamen, in his book, Empire: How Spain Became a World Power, 1492-1763, attempts to answer this question.

Spain in the Middle Ages was quite a sophisticated land with both magnificent Islamic culture and the biggest Jewish population in all of Europe. The Iberian Peninsula (now home to Spain and Portugal) was divided between Christian and Muslim states, but there were moments of peace and thus a time when people could exchange in traditions and cultural differences, and they did exactly this.

In his book, Kamen recreates the amazing world of imperial Spain, from the beginning with the capture of Moorish Granada to its huge expansion into Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and finally all the way into the frontiers of Texas and California in the United States.

THESIS STATEMENT ABOUT BOOK:

Kamen's book comes across as a bit derogatory in its collection of essays. Without a very stable argument one way or another, Kamen argues that the Spanish empire was more of a random collection of territories that were passed down from generations -- as opposed to being a strong political unit. Because of this, the empire was not as threatening or as strong as the world once thought. Kamen proves that Spain wasn't responsible for running their own empire, but rather it was the foreigners who did. It would have been impossible for Spain to run their own empire in Kamen's view because of the fact that Spain was quite poor and behind the times in more than a few ways.

STRUCTURE REVIEW WILL TAKE

This paper will first summarize Kamen's book, which will include the author's purpose, themes, ideas, and sources, and will end with a conclusion.

SUMMARY of BOOK UNDER REVIEW: AUTHOR'S PURPOSE, THEMES, IDEAS, SOURCES, and CONCLUSIONS?

Kamen suggests in his book the great importance of globalization, even going as far back in history as the Spanish Empire of the 16th and the 17th centuries. Kamen looks at this Golden Age in Spain's history as he recounts how the empire spread from Europe, to Asia, to Africa, to North America. He is able to show, with ease in fact, that Spain was something special because of the way it was able to be multinational. While there have been other similar empires, the Spanish Empire was rather special and it gives new meaning to the word 'globalization' today.

AUTHOR'S GOALS:

The author's goals seem to be to educate the scholar or student about these great centuries in European history, what it meant for Spain, the world, and what it means today in the context of globalization. Kamen tries to show that Spain was not entirely responsible for its own greatness in regards to its empire. While it may have been considered to be a world power, Spain relied on the help of other nations in taking care of its conquests. It needed the help and the resources of the very places that it controlled (like Italy, for example, as well as places in North America). In this way, Kamen shows that Spain's empire was not something that was completely unoriginal or great, for that matter (which has not looked good in the eyes of Spanish scholars). Kamen's goal is to show that whether Spain was at peace with its territories or whether it was at war, it so desperately need help from others.

WHAT PERIOD IS UNDER STUDY?

The Golden Age of Spain is under study -- specifically the 16th and 17th centuries in Spain beginning with the great Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabella).

AUTHOR ACCOMPLISHES GOALS?

Kamen is able to accomplish his goal. He is able to show -- quite well, in fact -- how the Spanish Empire was a multinational venture for the country. He is able to illustrate how forces worked to effectively help Spain get to where it wanted to be as 'superpower.' For example, with the Muslim activity in the South, Granada would not have fallen; or, without certain bankers, expanding into the Canary Islands would not have been achieved. He effectively shows how Spain relied on its allies as well as other agencies in order to maintain its status of 'superpower.'

WHAT QUESTIONS ARE ASKED?

Kamen seems curious about how Spanish patriotism played a part in all of its workings. He asks questions regarding the role of black people as well as the role of the indigenous people in the America and how they helped to create a colonial society.

WHAT STRUCTURE DOES the BOOK FOLLOW (CHAPTERS, SECTIONS)?

The book is divided into chapters which includes foundations for setting the world stage, how Spain went about creating their new superpower status, the business related to being an empire, and how the kept their place as a superpower -- among other chapters. The book begins with maps in order to give a sense of the expansion.

AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS?

Kamen shows us what a great empire Spain was during its heyday and he concludes that it is important to understand it in order to make sense of other empires as well as how globalization affects us today. Kamen does not that it is strange that so many scholars in talking about global powers tend to forget about the Spanish Empire (or they choose to ignore it). He effectively concludes that Spain's power had not so much to do with coerciveness and war, but it had more to do with the changes going on in the world -- which includes changes in technology, demography and the economies of the territories it was gaining.