The Phenomenon of Eurocentrism - Essay Example

One of the primary causes of interaction between the Europeans, Africans and the American continent is the trans-Atlantic trade and the Columbian exchange. The trans-Atlantic trade was based on the need for raw materials in Europe, the ability of Africans to provide slaves and the productivity of the American continents (Gunn, 102). Through the trading contacts between America and Europe, settlers gained a stronghold of the American continent and consequently became the primary producers. When they eventually sought independence, they relied on European technology to establish themselves (Gunn, 113). In addition, since they came from Europe, they spread European culture and introduced European religion. Therefore, Europe played a key role in determining the course of American history, hence the validity of the propositions of Eurocentrism.

With the emergence of the Age of Enlightenment, there was a shift in human values and the slave trade was no longer acceptable in Europe. However, slave labor was a primary source of income in other places such as in sugar cane plantations in America. However, Columbian Exchange implied that Americans relied on European values (Brown, 26). Therefore, the slave trade was increasingly banned in many places. The relevance of the European values was so great that the plight for abolishment was a leading reason for the outbreak of the American civil war. This shows the dominance of European values in the rest of the world, despite the existence of differences (Brown, 35). Therefore, the concepts of Eurocentrism are valid because changes in Europe produced changes in the rest of the world. The implication is that Europeans determined, and continue to determine, the course of history.

World history from the 18th century is indeed centred on the impact of the Europeans on the rest of the world. From the 18th century, Europeans became colonialists and spread European culture and values to the rest of the world (Vanhaute, 76). In many parts of the world, there is no preexisting written account of activities before the European arrival. Therefore, world history is defined by the impacts of the interactions between the local people and the Europeans. The rise of European nations to power is also an important element in history because the struggle between these powers produced the conflicts that were to shape the course of history in later years (Vanhaute, 87). Therefore, the powerful position and apparent economic and social advancement of the Europeans are the main reason for the central position of the European nations in world history.