Final answer:
European countries expanded and explored due to motives such as religious zeal (God), aspiration for national prestige (glory), and the pursuit of wealth (gold). The Industrial Revolution provided advanced technology for navigation and weaponry, facilitating the rapid expansion into global territories for raw materials and new markets.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, European nations embarked on a path of global exploration and expansion, driven by several compelling motives. The primary motivations can be summarized as God, glory, and gold. Strong religious zeal, especially in Catholic countries like Spain and Portugal, spurred efforts to spread Christianity and retake lands occupied by Muslims. The pursuit of national prestige and the desire to gain a competitive edge in wealth and power prompted these nations to establish colonies and seek treasured resources. Europeans were also driven toward new territories by a desire to find new trade routes and markets for their burgeoning manufactured goods, a direct result of the Industrial Revolution.
Rapid Imperial Expansion into Africa, the Middle East, and Asia was facilitated by advanced technology, both in weaponry and navigation, which arose from the Industrial Revolution. The British conquest of the Zulu Nation in South Africa, prompted by the discovery of diamonds and gold, exemplifies the use of superior technology for imperial expansion.
The need for raw materials and new markets for the finished goods produced by European factories further fueled imperial ambitions. Establishing colonies overseas served the dual purpose of providing a source for cheap raw materials and a market for the manufactured goods, fulfilling the demands of the industrialized economy back home. The discovery of the Americas and the consequent competition to colonize these new lands added to the urgency of these explorations, leading to an intense period of European imperialism.