European
expansionism
Yet European
forces have projected their power impressively in other parts of
the world. Small Spanish armies toppled the massive Aztec and Inca
empires early in the 1500's, and a Spanish naval expedition more
recently extended Spains authority to the Philippines. Meanwhile,
Portuguese forces have seized Goa, Melaka, Hormuz, and other sites
in the Indian Ocean, from which they hope to control trade between
Asian markets and Europe. |