1. How did Spain and Portugal compete for colonial territories and resources during the 15th and 16th centuries?

2. What caused the shift in maritime rivalry from England versus the Dutch Republic to Britain versus France by the 18th century?

3. How did the union of the Dutch and English crowns under William III affect their colonial competition?

1. What combination of military and economic factors drove commercial rivalries in the 18th century?

2. How did the growth of mercantilism and industrial power influence European competition for overseas markets?

3. Why did the naval dominance of Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands decline during this period?

1. How did Portugal establish and maintain control over European trade with India and the East Indies in the early 16th century?

2. What factors led to Portugal's loss of dominance in the East Indies after more than a century of control?

1. What was the purpose of King Louis XIV's authorization of the French East India Company in 1664?

2. How did competition with the British East India Company affect French progress in India, and what was the outcome?

3. Why did the French East India Company decline in the late 18th century?

1. What made the Dutch East India Company (VOC) significant as a commercial enterprise and how did it establish its power?

2. How did the VOC's principle of freedom of the seas for trade challenge existing maritime practices?

3. What caused the collapse of the VOC by 1799 despite Dutch continued rule of the East Indies?

1. How did the British East India Company shift its focus from competing with the Portuguese to establishing dominance in India?

2. What circumstances allowed the British East India Company to gain nearly total control of India by 1763?

3. How did Parliament's intervention in 1773 and 1784 change the governance of British India?

4. What methods did Britain use to support its industrial growth through control of India, and what were the consequences for India?