Which Was More Important in the Rise of Global Inequality Between 1750 and 1900, the Industrial Revolution or European Overseas Empires?

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The Big Picture: History Which was more important in the rise of global inequality between 1750 and 1900, the Industrial Revolution or European overseas empires? It is impossible to discern with any certainty which historical event contributed more significantly to the rise of inequality, as there is no standard method by which inequality can be measured. Inequality itself manifests in two distinct forms; socially and economically, however there is a third way in which inequality can be measured, and that is in the severity of its impact. To state that European overseas Empires were of the greatest importance in the rise of global inequality would be to disregard the significance of the Industrial revolution, and suggest that the chauvinistic tendencies of the Europeans had a greater lasting impact on the world than the underdevelopment of disadvantaged nations. Indeed it is impossible to completely separate the analysis of one event from the other as their instigation and consequences are self-perpetuating and intertwined. As such the discussion of their individual importance in history is irrelevant, whether viewed economically, socially or through hindsight, it is only as a whole that true rise of global inequality can be ascertained. Industrialisation and Imperialism play a particularly circular role in the creation of global inequality, as the success or failure of one event is reliant upon the success or failure of the other. However, what can be clearly determined by historical accounts today is that Industrial Revolution was the most significant contributor to the rise of global economic inequality. Prior to 1757, India held the monopoly on global textile trade, but as Britain became capable of mass-producing and selling textiles cheaper than their Asian counterparts, India faced severe economic and developmental decline. Karl Marx states that
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