由于异常激烈的生存竞争和有利于革新的思想文化背景,当世界其它地区军事上还在缓慢发展时,欧洲在14—17世纪发生了一系列军事革命,其军队在陆地和海上的作战能力得到了稳步提高。这使欧洲人在与世界其它地区的对抗中逐渐取得了越来越明显的军事优势。尽管欧洲的堀起是由政治、经济、军事、文化及社会等各个领域的许多复杂因素相互作用共同促成的,但在多数情况下军事优势是其征服过程中必不可少的条件。During the late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, there were a lot of political entities in Europe. The competition for subsistence between them urged the Europeans to improve the efficiency of their armies and navies. At other regions of the world, there were stable centers of power, so the rulers had not enthusiasm as much as the European for enhancing their military power. After the 16th century, Europe gradually obtained the military superiority to other regions. Though the rise of Europe was realized by the interaction of many complicated factors, the military superiority is the direct reason of the Europe's rising in the world
