Empire-building

Empire-building

Empire-building is a process that has been experienced by many different cultures in history. Usually, the motives for expanding an empire are to have an increase in power and prosperity. The Spanish empire colonized the Americas, and the Russian empire expanded in Eurasia. Similarities and differences in the building of the Russian and Spanish empires can be examined politically (influential leaders, the rule in the new territories), socially (treatment of the original population, religions brought), and economically (benefits from the new territory, motives to expand).
      Politics was one of the factors that influenced the empires of Spain and Russia. Distance from the central government site was also an important factor. When it came to settling the land, Spain set up colonies in the Americas and then sent resources back to Europe, while Siberia and the Eastern frontier in Russia were annexed into a large Russian empire because of the distance from the original country. The colonies of Spain were across a large body of water, the Atlantic Ocean, making it harder to communicate between the colonies and the mainland and transport people and supplies there and back. Russia’s whole empire was the opposite; it was a connected mass of land, making communication and transportation a lot easier, yet still difficult because of the vast size of the empire until railroads were built. Spain governed the new land with viceroys that had a lot of power, while Russia controlled their territory through the central government, also because of the distance from the original countries. The most influential Russian leaders were Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. Peter wanted to reduce Russian isolation and increase their size and power; he also wanted to westernize Russia. Catherine the Great expanded Russia to its largest borders it had ever had. Spain’s rulers during colonization were Ferdinand and Isabella; they granted money and ships to Christopher Columbus, the...