The Rise of Atlantic Trade - Essay Example

That is, European countries on the Westside had a number of ports along the Atlantic Ocean, and these ports facilitated substantial trade with the New World, Africa, and Asia. This trade aided the merchant groups and the monarchy to become strong forces, gaining not only financial resources but importantly political clout. As Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson (551) point out the trade opportunities made the monarchy ally with the merchant groups, and both were the “main beneficiaries of the early profits from Atlantic trade and plunder,” and no anti-establishment groups favouring changes in political institutions could become powerful enough to challenge them.

In addition, due to this heightened trade in the Atlantic Ocean, ports cities underwent urbanization, thereby even changing the ‘physical outlook’ (infrastructures) of Western Europe. Although anti-establishment groups could not do anything, the merchant groups started becoming a strong force due to the economic clout they had and even started dictating terms to the Monarchy. “Atlantic trade strengthened merchant groups by constraining the power of the monarchy and helped merchants obtain changes in institutions to protect property rights. ” (Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson 546). These changes mainly led to subsequent positive economic growth that was particularly witnessed in Western Europe.