America had the resources to solely rely on agricultural, but the incoming of new inventions made it harder to pass up a great opportunity and America had to use these innovations to their advantage. The Industrial Revolution brought many settlers to America to work in the growing factories. More workers meant more production, thus creating an economic boom in America. This economic boom was also the start of prosperity for the people in America. The fact that people would travel West and have a new way of life using the new technology and at the same time being able to have land that was all their own.
As demand rose for British goods, merchants needed more cost effective methods of production, which led to the rise of mechanics and factory systems. A number of mechanical inventions made production faster and jobs easier. One of the biggest inventions of the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine that went on to power
Companies fought the government and the courts for the right to become incorporated and to reap its many benefits. Capitalism has adapted in order to continue making profits. Capitalism was the primary reason for the shift from Fordism to Post-Fordism, as Post-Fordism was a more efficient model of production meaning greater profits. Capitalism requires ever expanding markets and constantly evolving methods of production, lest it cease to exist (Marx & Engels, 1848). In order to achieve this a production revolution of sorts took place in many advanced economies, countries shifted from Fordism to Post-Fordism.
Imports and exports rose greatly according to Source A- Imports and Exports 1700-1900. Source D shows a new railway in India 1880s if Britain didn’t take over these countries they wouldn’t have new technologies such as the railway spreading British ideas and inventions. Overall the British Empire improved Britain by spreading its values, keeping the economy going, showing off how modern and advanced Britain was, creating jobs and increasing trade, money and power. On the other hand it could be said that having an empire didn’t make Britain great because of Britons attitude. They considered non white people to be lower than them.
A Time of Socioeconomic Change The Industrial Revolution was a period during the late 18th to early 19th centuries where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transportation had major impact on socioeconomic, cultural, and everyday life starting in Britain but eventually spreading to the rest of the world. The Industrial Revolution was sparked from the change from a manual labor economy to a machine based manufacturing process. Because of this change there was a great increase in the amount of goods produced as well as a higher demand for materials. With the demand for materials on the rise as well as nationalist pride European powers were setting up colonies across the globe to establish more trade and goods. The idea of this time was to build a capitalistic society and generate money and power through cheap and quick production and distribution.
The primary motivation for European invasion was economic. The Europeans were seeking to create a profitable trading environment and make money. They were also looking to further industrialize their country. This desire for industrialization, which included the need for raw materials, markets, and convenient trading outlets, was a driving force in the imperialistic conquest and colonization of Africa. Africa contained a great number of natural rescources valuable to Europe such as: cotton, palm oil, rubber, ivory, gum, peanuts, bananas, coffee, cocoa, zinc, lead, coal, and copper.
Much of this investment came from already industrialized countries like Germany, Great Britain, and France whose business owners looked for new investment opportunities in the United States. These investors put money into the work of mechanics and engineers with the expertise to develop new, more efficient ways of mass-producing goods. Machines benefited the United States by allowing business owners to specialize in the production of goods and manufacture them in large quantities to distribute throughout the nation or export. As a result, the cost of mass-produced goods went down as their quantity went up causing industrial profits to rise. With the creation of transcontinental railroads and telephones, marketing nationally was available to distribute these goods.
Essentially, every country not only wanted to better themselves economically but also strongly desired expansion. Hobsbawm’s point becomes clear when colonies began to fight for possession of land in Africa. Colonizing in Africa was ideal in order to harvest new raw materials and have ownership of another piece of land. The Moroccan Crisis is also an important event in which demonstrates industrial capitalism and how it led to WWI. Britain and France had recently signed a treaty called the Entente Cordiale, which initiated an alliance between the countries.
The monarchs analyzed that by expanding their empire they would become more wealthy and potent. Colonies not only contributed to a bigger empire, but they also provided minerals and goods. Merchants realized that by paying for the equipment of the voyages they would receive part of the riches and supplies found on the conquered lands. One of the explorers who decided to travel because of this reason was Francis Drake. The third
While imperialism showcased European strength, it also revealed a basic dependency. Each country's prosperity hinged on its ability to maintain and expand its colonial empire. This created competition among various imperialist powers for control of foreign territory. The British felt endangered by Germany's fast economic growth. Very quickly, Germany's new, modern factories vastly out produced Britain's older ones.