Sun Jan 04 18:30:00 UTC 2026: Summary:
A documentary explores the Spanish Empire’s rise to global dominance through a combination of military conquest, religious conversion, and resource extraction. The film highlights the intertwined relationship between the Spanish crown, the Catholic Church, and military campaigns, demonstrating how converting indigenous populations to Christianity was used as both a justification and a tool for control. The exploitation of resources, particularly gold and silver, and the use of indigenous and enslaved labor further fueled the empire’s expansion. The documentary argues that this fusion of faith, force, and wealth shaped global capitalism, religious power, and imperial governance, leaving lasting legacies of inequality and cultural impact.
News Article:
Documentary Exposes Dark Roots of Spanish Empire’s Global Power: Faith, Force, and Fortune
A new documentary sheds light on the brutal realities behind the Spanish Empire’s ascent to global dominance, revealing a calculated strategy that fused military conquest, religious conversion, and the systematic extraction of wealth. The film, produced by Al Jazeera, argues that the Empire’s power was built on a triad of faith, force, and fortune, where the Spanish Crown, the Catholic Church, and military expeditions worked in close alliance.
Conversion to Christianity was not merely a spiritual mission but a justification for empire and a powerful tool for control. Military campaigns were intertwined with missionary efforts, with Indigenous populations forced to convert under threat of violence. The film highlights the conquests of the Aztec and Incan empires as prime examples of Spanish power established through brutal violence, strategic alliances, and the imposition of religious authority.
The documentary also delves into the economic engine that drove the Spanish Empire: the vast quantities of gold and silver plundered from the Americas, alongside the exploitation of Indigenous and enslaved labor. These resources fueled European economies, financed global trade, and integrated the Americas into a world system built on extraction and inequality.
According to the film, the consequences of Spanish colonialism are still felt today in social inequality, cultural identity, and economic structures. The documentary suggests that current global superpowers are using the same model to grow, while cultural artefacts keep on being erased with the rise of “algorithmic colonisation”.
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