Answer:
A political reason that led to the European exploration of the New World was the development of mercantilism as the prevailing economic system in Europe in the 1500s.
A common feature of mercantilist economic policy was the striving for the greatest possible promotion of productive forces at home and the generation of surpluses in foreign trade. Governments supported these goals by actively promoting exports of finished goods and inhibiting imports of finished goods. The economic policy recommendations also included the dismantling of guild privileges and the creation of an internal market by abolishing internal tariffs.
For this reason, European nations began to seek to acquire new territories and add their productions and natural assets to their national heritage, with the aim of accumulating wealth.
