Columbus was able to accomplish all of these, except finding a new route to the East. This is ironic as finding a new route to the East was his main goal. With the support of the Catholic Kings of Spain, Columbus sailed West hoping to find a route to India. However, he was not aware of America, and this made his journey impossible. Although his discovery was perhaps more significant than what he initially dreamed of doing, he nonetheless was unable to accomplish his initial mission.
With respect to its colonies, British mercantilism meant that the government and the merchants became partners with the goal of increasing political power and private wealth, to the exclusion of other empires.
