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- With the decline of feudalism and a decrease in the power of theCatholic Church, nation-states began to emerge in Western Europe.- A new middle class (bourgeoisie) was emerging, in large part due tothe increase in trade between the East and the West following the Crusades.- Increased trade brought a rise in towns as centers of commerce; these towns became bigger and more powerful, and a shift was occurring: wealth was traditionally equated to land, but now a new class could gain wealth through trade. This shift led to a decrease in the power of feudal lords.- The Treaty of Westphalia, which brought an end to the Thirty Years' War(1618-1648), also established the principle that a state has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs. This principle of national sovereignty led to single, powerful monarchs ruling over a state.

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