Historical Globalization and Imperialism

Historical Globalization and Imperialism  By 1750, European consumers were demanding more goods and industrial entrepreneurs had to meet these demands by building larger machines and factories to produce these goods.  Industrialization: the shift of a country’s major economic activity from agriculture to manufacturing.  The economic and social changes in society were so dramatic, this period is known as the Industrial Revolution.  How does capitalism encourage this?  Britain was the first country to experience many of these changes.  However, industrialization quickly expanded into other European countries like France, Spain, and Belgium.  The invention of the steam engine provided the fuel needed for the industrial process.  However, with each new invention, the lives of the people/workers changed forever.  The cottage industry was no longer needed, as larger machines increased productivity and needed to be moved into factories.  How does capitalism connect here?  Skilled workers migrated to cities, and working/living conditions for workers quickly deteriorated with little government intervention. International trade + mercantilism + capitalism + industrialization = imperialism  The policy of one country extending political, economic, or military influence over another.  Ethnocentrism: a way of thinking that centers one’s own race and culture.  Ethnocentric people believe that the only valid worldview is their own and they judge other people according to their own beliefs.  By 1770, the British, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese had built large colonial empires.  These European imperial powers believed that their customs, culture, and beliefs were superior to those of the Indigenous peoples they met.  Eurocentrism: a belief that the European world view is superior to all others (a specific form of ethnocentrism).  This was a key justification of imperialism.  By 1815, most European countries were industrialized.  As a result, these countries needed two things:  Raw materials: to continue making goods.  Markets: to sell those goods to.  Europe was running out of both and began to look elsewhere.  The competition between European nations intensified for “Gold, Glory, and God”  The Negative Side of Imperialism  Trade was crucial to the success of imperialism.  Through trade, a European power could increase its wealth, which in turn increased its prestige.  European entrepreneurs exploited the people and natural resources of others.  European countries did not want their colonies to industrialize. Why?  Impacts of Imperialism  Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples were greatly impacted by imperialism.  Indigenous peoples were displaced by European settlement and many were forced to adapt to European economic systems (assimilate or die).  Europeans believed their way of life, languages, customs, attitudes, and behaviors were superior to all others.