Why did European countries hold colonies?

Answer 1

Colonies were necessary because the basic unit of transportation was the ship. This held a lot of material but the time of arrival could not be guaranteed. Therefore a warehouse was needed and someone to guard the warehouse and houses and so on, until you had a colony. Where camels or mules were the units of transportation you required less infrastructure and there was no need to colonise. Most European colonies arose from private traders trying to protect their warehouses from indigenous peoples and traders from other nations. At the Amboina Massacre 1623AD Dutch traders in Indonesia executed 10 English traders and a number of Japanese. Later as recompense the Dutch surrendered the trading post New Amsterdam to England. This is the origin of New York City.

Answer 2

The powerful European nations sought to establish colonies around the world to take advantage of the raw materials that nations such as India possessed. Another important motive was to increase their military power by establishing garrisoned military bases.

Answer 3

Money, power, goods all came with colonies. The items that were Natural Resources in other places were needed by the colonizers. People wanted things too that they couldn't get in home countries and then there was gaining power in the world. If a colonizer could obtain and hold lands it gained power against another nation. That meant they could control water routes and stop invasion into the lands they colonized and not allowing access to resources.

Answer 4

For trade, influence, regional power, bases of operation, and footholds in the new world.

Answer 5

Europeans wished to establish colonies in the New World because they were hoping to get rich. They wanted the land, power, resources, and money.

Answer 6

Their was more land needed for production and farming and the land they already had was to small the overseas land also might have had minerals

Answer 7

2 expand and get more power