Question

In long paragraphs answer the questions below:

Discuss the key components (where, when, what) and causes (internal and external) of industrialization in Western Europe.

Discuss the main characteristics of the new imperialism, along with the means and motives that drove it forward.

Answer 1

1. Undergrounding the growth of modern Europe between the 1780s and 1849 was an unparalleled economic transition that embraced the first stages of the Great Industrial Revolution, and an even more general expansion of industry. Initially, Articulate Europeans were more fascinated by the screaming political news created by the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars, but in retrospect the economic upheaval, which in any event relates to political and diplomatic trends, has proved more fundamental.

Craft work in the cities began to move to remote-market development, enabling artisan-owners to view their travelers less as fellow workers and more as wage-workers. The social structure of Europe moved toward a simple division, rural as well as industrial, between the owners and the non-owners. Demand grew, contributing to a first wave of consumerism by the end of the 18th century when rural wage earners started purchasing different kinds of commercially made clothes, whereas urban middle-class families began to indulge in different tastes, such as uplifting children's books and educational toys. Technological progress soon spread from welding to other fields. Raised production raised pressures on the transport network to move raw materials and finished goods. One response was major road and canal building programs but steam engines were also introduced directly as a result of developments in Britain and the United States.

The pace of an Industrial Revolution in Western Europe should not be underestimated. By 1850 the leader still lived in Britain, far and away, about half of the total population lived in towns, and there were as many manufacturers of urban art as there were hands on factories. In other words, relatively conventional economic sectors have not vanished, and have also grown in response to new housing or food production needs. Nevertheless, the new economic sectors grew faster, and even other branches displayed significant new features as part of the overall commercialization process.

2. Imperial regimes, and/or under those regimes, private corporations, found ways to increase profits. Economic expansion required cheap labor, market access or control for the selling or purchase of goods, and natural resources such as precious metals and soil; governments met these demands by hook (tribute) or crook (plunder). After the Industrial Revolution, dependent colonies also supplied European factories and commercialized the raw materials they needed to manufacture goods

Imperial nations or their people wanted to conquer territories foreign to them. They also did it for medical or scientific research purposes. They did it at other occasions for the feeling of adventure. Imperial explorers invariably tried to discover, map, and claim territories prior to their imperial rivalry, partly for national and personal glory and partly to serve the imperialist expansionary purpose.

Patriotism and rising colonial influence motivated nations to fight for hegemony with others. It is about national pride, reputation and health. Empires pursued strategic territories around the world to guarantee protection for their navies and armies. This is important to protect and, better yet, extend the empire. Political interests were also activated as reactions to perceived threats to colonial power or its citizens' welfare or reputation abroad.