Advanced Placement (AP) European History Practice Exam

The correct choice highlights that European colonization significantly disrupted local economies and established new trade patterns. This is evident in historical context, where colonization often involved the extraction of resources and the implementation of colonial trade systems that marginalized pre-existing local economic structures.

Colonizers typically prioritized the export of raw materials to fuel their home countries' industrial needs while imposing taxes and trade regulations that undermined local markets. Furthermore, colonization frequently redirected trade routes, linking colonies to the metropole in new, exploitative ways that benefited European powers at the expense of local economies. Traditional practices and local industries were often dismantled or transformed to align with colonial economic goals, leading to dependency rather than independence.

Consequently, the emphasis on the disruption of local economies and the establishment of new trade patterns marks the profound and often detrimental impact of European colonization across various regions globally.