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Economic effect of the industrial revolution
Economic effect of the industrial revolution
Economic effect of the industrial revolution
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The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy by Kenneth Pomeranz, a professor of History at the University of Chicago, is a book about the Western part of the world’s rise to dominance. Pomeranz’s book is considered a very important piece of literature in History, as “the rise of the west” is a widely discussed topic in the field. Many scholars reviewed the book and they all had their own praises and criticisms of it. Three reviews in particular, written by various professors from around the country, all seemed to appreciate the book and its’ well-structured arguments and analysis of the causes of the Great Divergence.
Edward R. Slack, from Indiana State University, wrote one of the reviews mentioned above. In the review, Slack mentioned that Pomeranz’s main argument was that England escaped Malthusianism because of “coercion, disease, luck, a bounty of resources from the colonization of the New World, feudal institutions and the partnership between state and entrepreneur in Europe (p. 495)” and these factors plus industrial revolution, which occurred a little later, is what caused the Great Divergence. Regarding Pomeranz’s methodology, Slack appreciated that he avoided distortions of scale by focusing on regions of similar population, size, and economic vitality and used a
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Slack even went as far as referring to The Great Divergence as “undoubtedly
China’s trade with the world grew substantially in the first three decades of the 20th century, marking a historic time for the country. In the 1840s, the Chinese economy was strongly closed; however, when Great Britain and other powerful countries pressured their economy, China was willing to open international trade within their own economy. Over the next 60 years, China experienced a small opening of trade amongst other foreign powers, allowing transactions amongst foreigners allowed. The funded railroad aroused industrialization, as well as publicity and overseas shipping (Yan, 2014). The main reason for moderation in China is because they are so much more focused on production rather than consumption. Last year, China’s consumption accounted for 35 percent of their economy; a little over 10 years ago, it was rated that 50 percent accounted for their overall consumption (Reich, 2010). Foreign exports and imports arose dramatically, increasing the yearly expansion rate of trade to about 7.4 percent. The Chinese economies share in world trade grew a little under 2 percent from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s. By the early 20th century, comparative advantage was presented all throughout their economy (Yan, 2014).
The Chinese porcelain bowl was a symbolic representation of the growing trade with China; these decorations where becoming more common as the trade grew and the prices where able to drop – allowing the possibility for more commoners to afford it.2 Brook continues with his discussion on China and says that they where prohibited from traveling by the Europeans.2 Hence he thought them to be unintelligent and lacking technologically and linguistically, as the remainder of the exploring world developed. However, China later on began to reject the trading posts in their country and began wanting full control of their trade so they did begin to travel as encouraged by the government.2 Globalization is still a current event with all the trade agreements and contracts between countries for imports and support. Countries are all significantly interdependent as globalization has kept growing. Nevertheless, globalization has its risks and consequences as recourses in those exporting lands are not unlimited and there will be an demand that will not be able to be satisfied. As well, cross country wars are more possible as disagreements may happen between trade partners. Brook touched upon when talking about China and their change in mind.2 Globalization is complicated since there are multiple partners from different cultural and beliefs which will clash and will want what is best for their country just as the Chinese government wanted the best for them when the Europeans where taking over.2 Likewise, further proving that globalization connects countries
middle of paper ... ... These three are a great answer to how was the process of industrialization and subsequent urbanization that began in England in the 18th Century a problem, progress, AND promise? After reading this Historical Analysis, I hope you have learned why the Water Frame, Steam Engine and the Sewing Machine were great inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Works Cited http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVomz8TXrqE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVomz8TXrqE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFo_FnozIM8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML8CMNzW6Tg
The Great Divergence is term used to portray the gradual shift of dominance that Europe gained by establishing itself as the most powerful world civilization by the 19th century. While a case could be made that the Great Divergence occurred because of the pre-eminence of Europe and Britain, as well as their supposed superiority in invention and innovation above anywhere else in the world, this argument is flawed. A more compelling argument would be to state that it was rather through the geographical advantages that Europe obtained that lead it into eventually becoming the most powerful civilization after 1500 A.D., as this essay will strive to demonstrate.
In 1700, small farms covered England’s territory. Wealthy landowners started to buy the land that the village farmers had once worked on. These landowners improved the farming methods they were used to which soon led to an agricultural revolution. After buying up most of the land of the village farmers, their increase of landholdings enabled them to cultivate more crops on larger fields. Enclosures were inside of these larger fields. Enclosures were the areas that landowners could experiment with more productive harvesting methods and seeding in order to determine if these experiments boosted crop yield. The Enclosure movement had two important results. First, landowners tried new agricultural methods. Second, large landowners forced small farmers to become tenant farmers or to give up farming and move to the cities. Jethro Tull was one of the first scientific farmers. He created an invention that dug deep seed sized holes, which helped more seeds take root and boosted crop yields. He made this in 1701 and called it the Seed Drill. Why did the industrial Revolution begin England, and what inventions spurred industrialization?
The question of European dominance in the 21st century is a topic of interest among many scholars, each with v...
O'Brien, Patrick, and Roland Quinault, eds. The Industrial Revolution and British Society. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1993. Print.
Analysing The West: Unique, Not Universal. Throughout history, Western civilization has been an emerging force behind change in foreign societies. This is the concept that is discussed in the article, the West Unique, Not Universal, written by Samuel Huntington. The author makes a very clear thesis statement and uses a variety of evidence to support it. This article has a very convincing point.
A major cause for the Industrial Revolution was the enormous spurt of population growth in England. The increase in population meant that there were more people in surplus from agricultural jobs, and they had to find work in industrial factories. Enclosure brought forth a great increase in farming production and profits. Farming was improved through the use of crop rotation, enclosures, and the division on farms across England. Crops that were grown consisted of turnips, barley, clover, wheat. This improvement in farming caused a population explosion, which soon led to a higher demand for goods. The new means of production demanded new kinds of skills, new regulation in work, and a large labor force. The goods produced met immediate consumer demand and also created new demands. In the long run, industrialization raised the standard of living and overcame the poverty that most Europeans, who lived d...
P. Deane. (1969). Structural change. In: Carlo M.Cipolla The Fontana Economic History of Europe The industrial revolution in England 1700-1914. London: p.Deane. 41-43
One of the most vigorous debates focuses on the current status of the United States hegemony and whether or not it is in decline. This begs the question, if the United States is indeed declining in status, will it still be an influential player or not? I argue that the United States is losing its prominent position as the hegemonic leader of the world, but will still remain an influential player in global politics in the following decades to come. Its decline is an imminent result of their domestic issues, the violation of international laws and economic deficit, which have posed a grave and serious challenge for the United States. On the other hand, I propose that the United States will remain a dominant force due to its innovation, cultural influences around the world, and military prowess. In their articles, “How Americans Can Survive the rise of the Rest”, by Fareed Zakaria and “America and Europe in the Asian Century”, by Kishore Mahbubani, provides two distinctive and thought provoking arguments from a declinist perspective. However, both articles are susceptible to criticism and will be further examined in order to understand the United States prominent role.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, both societal and economic conditions were largely determined by agriculture. Growth was slow, and people relied on traditional means to get by. The majority of the society were farmers and raised other animals. In the eighteenth century, however, the population exploded at an unprecedented pace. There are four primary reasons that may be cited for this growth: a decline in the death rate, an increase in the birth rate, the virtual elimination of plagues, and an increase in the availability of food [1]. This population growth created a surplus of labor. The need for workers in agriculture decreased due to the technological advances in techniques and tools. The surplus of people, as well as other would-be farmers, had to find jobs elsewhere. This is one important factor in the shift of the popul...
In this paper, I will argue that the current system is hegemonial. My explanation to hegemony will then be centered on the sources of the United States as a hegemonial power. Furthermore, I will state the different primary implications associated with the rise of China and what the Roman Empire offers for understanding the United Sta...
The beginning of the West’s development occurred in the early nineteenth century, when countries from all over the world were attempting to claim a stake in the rapidly evolving continent. As is described by Carol Merchant in Major Problems in Environmental
The rise in China from a poor, stagnant country to a major economic power within a time span of twenty-eight years is often described by analysts as one of the greatest success stories in these present times. With China receiving an increase in the amount of trade business from many countries around the world, they may soon be a major competitor to surpass the U.S. China became the second largest economy, last year, overtaking Japan which had held that position since 1968 (Gallup). China could become the world’s largest economy in decades.