Spain Became a World Power Book Review

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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.

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RECEPTIONS:

Kamen's book has been under scrutiny, as are other books similar to Kamen's that have the purpose of other books that try to analyze "empires" of the past because many believe that the existence of long-term empires has to do with rulers limiting their transformative power while extending their power at the same time (Cooper 2004a). There seems to be quite a recent interest in empires of the world, which could perhaps be viewed as an imminent result of the empire to nation movement, which is more characteristic of the modern era. The modern era is, of course, giving way to an entirely different way of global connections and thus it is important to study the empires of the past as well as the present (Cooper 2004b).

CONCLUSION:

The Spanish Empire is important to remember when discussing world powers, even though it tends to get ignored today. The Spanish Empire was invincible in its day and this is what Kamen sets out to show us. Spain was able to effectively take territories in Europe but in North America and Asia as well, which is a testament to their power.

REFERENCES:

Cooper, F. (2004a). Comparative studies in society and history. Society for comparative study of society and history,46: 247-272.

Cooper, F. (2004b). Empire multiplies. A review essay. Comparative studies in society and history.

Kamen, H. (2004). Empire: How Spain Became a World Power, 1492-1763, New York:….....

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