Expansion in the Industrial Age - Introduction

EXPANSION IN THE INDUSTRIAL AGE HIST 1301 | History Introduction A wave of fast industrialization swept across various Western countries in the second part of the nineteenth century, drastically altering their economies and society. Leading the way into what is commonly referred to as the Second Industrial Revolution were the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, Britain, and a few other nations. The use of new energy sources, including steel, oil, and electricity, as well as a notable advancement in industrial productivity and technical innovation, defined this century. An unparalleled level of mass manufacturing of items was made possible by the proliferation of factories and the rise in mechanised production. These countries had tremendous wealth growth and economic expansion, which gave rise to a growing middle class and an urban labour force. Nevertheless, this economic prosperity also sparked a fierce nationalistic drive for power and wealth. The industrialised countries looked for new markets to sell their wide range of manufactured goods in their ceaseless quest of economic development. When home marketplaces grew crowded, they needed locations to dump excess inventory. In addition, these countries needed cheap and plentiful supplies of raw materials to run their manufacturing. Various minerals, oil, tin, rubber, and other natural resources were necessary to keep the industrial expansion pace going. The race for these riches sparked a surge of territorial expansion that resulted in the forceful takeover of colonies. The natural resource-rich but politically and militarily weaker countries of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific caught the attention of industrial powers. The sovereignty and rights of the indigenous communities were flagrantly disregarded in the rush for imperial expansion. The pretence of advancing culture and development to "backward" countries was frequently used to justify colonisation, although the true reasons were mostly geopolitical and economic. Acquisition strategies ranged from overt military conquest to more covert tactics of political and economic subterfuge. Local leaders were regularly subjugated or removed to further colonial goals, and treaties were routinely forced or disregarded. As a result, enormous empires were built, with the United States and European nations ruling over substantial swaths of the globe. The colonised areas suffered greatly as a result of this colonial expansion. The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, in which European countries partitioned the continent among themselves without taking into account pre-existing ethnic, cultural, or political differences, embodied the arbitrary character of colonial boundary-making in Africa. This frequently fostered the seeds of strife that lingered long after colonial rule ended. Resources and labour were brutally exploited. For example, King Leopold II of Belgium instituted a terror regime in the Congo Free State to collect ivory and rubber, which led to mass crimes and millions of fatalities. Similar practices that caused great suffering and fatalities among people were prevalent in various regions of Africa and Asia and included forced labour, punitive expeditions, and severe taxing regimes. In order to guarantee a consistent supply of cash crops for export, colonial powers sometimes enforced monoculture methods in the agricultural sector, where economic exploitation also took place. This worsened the situation of the local populace by upsetting customary agriculture techniques and causing food shortages and famines. The ecosystems of the colonised regions were severely disrupted by massive deforestation, mining, and other extractive industries, resulting in a catastrophic environmental effect. China, a sizable and well-established country, was not exempt from the industrial powers' rapacious goals. The Opium Wars, fought between Britain and China in 1839–1842, then again in 1856–1860, served as a prime example of the forceful measures employed to create markets for Western commodities. The Treaty of Nanking and other accords obliged China to give up land, pay substantial reparations, and grant foreign countries extraterritorial rights after its defeat. China was essentially divided by these treaties into areas under the dominance of Japan, Britain, France, Germany, and Russia. Every power ruled over certain areas, taking use of resources and influencing local government. As a result, Chinese sovereignty and economic stability were severely undermined, which fueled internal discontent and ultimately led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty. India's socioeconomic structure was significantly impacted by British colonial control. After the Revolt of 1857, the British Crown acquired full control, although the British East India Company had first gained authority via commerce and military might. Maximising economic extraction was the driving force behind the establishment of vast railway networks, the imposition of British legal and educational systems, and the reorientation of agriculture towards cash crops like cotton and tea. Because export crops were prioritised above subsistence farming, this resulted in the depletion of local industries, such as the renowned Indian textile industry, and recurrent famines. Countries like the United States adopted expansionist tactics in the Pacific. American sugar planters' financial interests and geopolitical goals motivated the annexation of Hawaii in 1898. The Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico were acquired by the United States in the same year that the Spanish-American War took place. In an effort to quell Filipino ambitions for independence, American soldiers in the Philippines had to put up with a deadly and lengthy insurgency that left many civilian fatalities and extensive damage in its wake. This violent era of imperialism left behind a complicated and varied legacy. The colonial powers were the main winners, even if it helped certain colonies build new infrastructure and implement contemporary healthcare and education systems. The imperial centres' continued industrial expansion and technical improvement were propelled by the wealth collected from these territories. Nevertheless, the colonised countries frequently suffered grave long-term effects. Ethnic and political disputes are a remnant of the artificial borders set by colonial rulers. Many former colonies had economies that were unfit for independent growth because of the extraction-and-export-oriented economic systems that were put in place under colonial rule. The globe was drastically altered by the Second Industrial Revolution and the era of empire that followed. Large areas were subjugated and exploited as a result of industrialised nations' search for resources and markets, with long-lasting effects that are being felt today. With millions of lives sacrificed and several communities upended, the human cost was enormous. Many of the geopolitical issues and conflicts of the contemporary era were caused by the imperialist practices of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.