Many countries expanded the borders of their countries during this period with colonial expansion. During this period, significant geographical discoveries occurred. The first colonial empires were Portugal and Spain. The governments of these countries financed these expeditions to seize natural and mineral resources after the development of new areas.
Colonial politics will be led by other European countries, among which Britain will be the leader.During this period, another vast empire, the Ottoman Empire, expanded. The wars broadened the borders of their empire, primarily at the expense of the Balkan countries.
These land based empires included the Ottomans and the Mughals. Expansion increased because of gunpowder, cannons, and armed trade. (When looking to expand, groups often targeted the weak.) The Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul, and Istanbul became the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire also practiced religious tolerance, this made controlling different territories easier. The Mughal Empire practiced religious tolerance and welcomed different cultures as well. The Mughal Empire’s religious tolerance made fewer enemies just like the Ottomans. (The Mughal Empire also got rid of the non-Muslim taxes.)
Lincoln's blueprint for Reconstruction included the Ten-Percent Plan, which specified that a southern state could be readmitted into the Union once 10 percent of its voters (from the voter rolls for the election of 1860) swore an oath of allegiance to the Union.
