#3

One of the many reasons that the Spanish empire started to decline was due to the Spanish Armada which had been a sad and complete failure. With their butts handed to them by the English, the Spanish retreated from the open seas which allowed the English and Dutch more access. This caused for the English and Dutch East India Companies to be founded. These companies improved their economies by providing both countries with more than just the domestic raw materials they could produce themselves, like all good trade does. The opening of the seas also enabled colonies to be established at Virginia by the English and New York by the Dutch.