Explain three ways in which the new sea routes found by European explorers changed the world's trade and people's lives.

1. 1 · Open with the cause. Voyages driven by 'God, Glory and Gold' opened direct sea routes to Asia and America.
2. 2 · Colonies. Europeans set up trading posts and colonial empires in Asia, Africa and America.
3. 3 · New trade. Trade shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; tobacco, potato and molasses entered trade.
4. 4 · Slave trade. Africans were captured and shipped across the Atlantic to work on American plantations.
5. 5 · Wealth for Europe. Merchants' profits were invested in machines, which led to the Industrial Revolution.
6. 6 · Real life. Potatoes and chillies reached Indian kitchens through this new sea trade.
7. 7 · Close in one line. Europe grew rich and powerful, while the colonies were exploited.

Scoring tip: Three marks need three clear changes. Colonies, the Atlantic trade and the slave trade are the safest three.