The year is 1750, and European power has spread to every remote corner of the world. The English and French occupy most of the territories of Hudson Bay and the North Atlantic, while the Spanish and Portuguese have created huge sugar plantations and mining companies throughout South America and the Caribbean. The Dutch Republic also began to expand its imperial, nationalistic and economic borders towards the new world. How did Europeans make their way to global influence and world domination? The answer lies in the early 14th century, when Europe emerged from the darkness of the Middle Ages. European states began to prosper thanks to the development of the global economy, population growth, the collapse of religious unity, and dramatic competition between regional states. Not only did Europe begin to expand its political sphere, but it also increased its knowledge through the reintroduction of the Hellenistic and rationalistic ideologies of the ancient Roman and Greek civilizations. These ideas pushed Europe towards the Enlightenment and scientific revolution causing greater separation from previous religious beliefs. All these factors caused an enormous influence on European economies, religious beliefs, modern scientific and mathematical discoveries, and fierce competition between powerful nation states. Despite being individual aspects in European history, they all play a huge role in the formation of the early modern world. We must also keep in mind that all these aspects of European development occur simultaneously throughout history. The initial factor of European domination was the creation of a powerful state building. European states were the hub of the rest of the E...... middle of paper...... of our times. This period of time will lay the foundation for the modern industrial world in the near future. The importance of state building, the growth of capital and economic vision, the age of exploration and the scientific revolution all play a vital role in the development of the world. One aspect could not work without the other and it is with these great historical events that the Middle Ages ends. There are major differences between the dark, religion-based medieval era and the more science, politics, and economics-based early modern era. The early modern era was the creator of powerful centralized states with strong capital and a connection to the global economy. The age of exploration and the reintroduction of scientific questions have brought the world to a more advanced stage. This time period is how our civilizations grew into the modern forms we see them today.