Help me with this history question Pllllllease?

Question

What is the relationship between industrialization and the creation of global empires in the ninteenth century?

I have examples to support 1 and 3 except for # 2. Is there another relationship that I can use and expand on by using example? (It has to be in the 19th century.)

1)Industrializations increased demand of raw material in Europe which led to the conquest and conquering of other lands.

2)Industrialization also provided European countries with the powerful weapons needed to imperialize many countries and to create global empires.

3)The creations of global empires were made possible by new communication methods resulting from industrialization.

I'm already using steamships and telegraphs for the communication reason.

I can't decide who to choose Umlando or Johnny. Both gave excellent answers.

Answer 1

I disagree with your assertions about the development of weapons technology being a critical element in the development of empire in the nineteenth century. The political control Europe gained over their overseas empires coercively was much less about weapons technolgy than it was about logistics (which ties in a lot more with your third argument) The European empires could get their men there quicker, keep them disciplined, fed, housed etc far more effectively than any force that opposed them could. This made them consistently victorious. When it came to the actual fighting however, these colonial forces were almost without fail entirely dependant upon small arms fighting (rifles, pistols, blades etc) with some support with small artillery. The only real technological revolutions you can talk about is the introduction of the cartridge firearm which was invented in 1830s but not in widespread military use until the end of the Civil War in the US (1860s) and LATER for other industrial powers. Even with that said it's worth noting that the majority of the overseas empires were sown up by then. It's only when the industrial powers starting facing off with each other (1890s) that you really begin to see the technological differences kick in. It's when the US goes to war with Spain, or the British fight the Boers, or the Russians fight the Japanese, that you begin to see the Dreadnought/iron clad ship race heat up, you begin to see the machine gun, and barb wire, and explosive ordinance being used and as you've stated that is really out of your time frame.

Let me suggest something that you'll get more milage out of and in a way it's just an extension of one, but it has a different bent.

The move off the land and into the cities began to give everyone, working to bourgeois more cash to spend than when they farmed and made everything at home. So as the factories began to increase the urban population's wealth, the demand for the high value products these empires were meant to produce was increased immensely. Nineteenth century empires were not about an economy like today where all the cheap, plentiful stuff came over the seas. In the nineteenth century and earlier it was the expensive stuff. India produced spices, cotton, and tea. Africa produced peanuts and ivory. The Carribean produced vanilla, sugar, and rum. The US was still exploiting tobbacco and cotton. All this stuff could be shipped in small quantities for big returns. Even when you went to lower value stuff, you still saw the premium material moving. Canada grew out looking for gold, beaver and seal pelts etc. Sure the new industrial economy was pushing more demand on lower value stuff like lumber and industrial metals, but they could do that in the established parts of the their empires. They couldn't get the high value stuff there though.

Answer 2

Firearms changed a lot in the nineteenth century, and the Industrial Revolution and imperialism had a lot to do with that.

Lord Kitchener is supposed to have observed after the bloody suppression of a rebellion in East Africa, "The difference is that we have got the Maxim Gun, and they have not."

In 1800, the more advanced firearms were muzzle-loading guns that ran the risk of not firing, misfiring, or taking too long. Oddly enough, there were few European colonies in Africa in 1800.

As the century progressed, Europeans developed better metals (steel manufacturing was good for guns - kept them from blowing up) and better guns.

One new technology was the breech-loader, which saved time by allowing the user to continue holding the gun by the safer end and inserting a ball or bullet into the gun, then discharging it with a hammer-like device that was part of the gun. This was improved with bullets that had their own gunpowder, and there went the powder horn!

Rifles were only possible with bullets and steel. The long musket barrel allowed bullets to bounce and jostle as they left the muzzle, and fly in various directions. But the rifling was a spiral groove that spun the bullet around like a football, which increased accuracy dramatically, and also range.

It still took a good chunk of a minute to reload.

Revolvers were one solution, but they jam a lot. Many Russian Roulette players have that to thank for their ability to play again tomorrow.

Repeating rifles like the famous Maxim Gun and the American Gatling Gun required a lot of people to operate, but could hurl roughly a hundred bullets in a minute (check this yourself) for one or two hundred yards. This was a decisive advantage.

These were a step short of the machine gun, which used the energy of the first bullet leaving the barrel to advance the next into the chamber. Maxim and Gatling guns required manual cranking to advance the bullets.

Answer 3

Do you people really like history?! I absolutely hate it. The only thing I like about history is our teacher because he's really funny but we're getting a new teacher soon anyway. I just find it insanely boring. And yes, I prefer maths to history. All my friends are doing history for their exams, I seem to be the only one who isn't. I know some people might find it interesting, but I'm definitely not one of those people :)

Answer 4

For #2 you might want to expand on it with. Ships as an example. Industrialization made possible better (larger & faster) ships capable of sailing longer distances in rough seas (more sea worthy). Ships which were also more heavily armed with cannon and could carry more troops. Cargo ships which were capable of carrying more cargo.
Hope that helps, you can expand on that with such things as imrpoved cannon, and rifles such as the flintlock vs. the older match lock..

Answer 5

#4 Industialization made for a Socialized Union of workers as well. With the need of these new weapons and vehicles skilled labor became associated with the Karl Marx theories and formed the order, of Socialism.

Answer 6

DO your own Homework!