Industrialization: Government Role, Economics, and Reactions

This flashcard set covers the government's role in industrialization (Ottoman, Egypt, Japan, China), new economic structures like corporations and monopolies, and the social and intellectual reactions to the industrial economy including Marxism and reform movements.

Muhammad Ali

An Albanian Ottoman officer who rose to prominence in Egypt, became governor in $1801$, and initiated state-sponsored industrialization including textile factories and armaments.

Meiji Restoration

The event in $1868$ in which Japanese reformers overthrew the shogun and restored power to the emperor to adopt Western technology and methods while protecting traditional culture.

Charter Oath

A document issued in $1868$ that formally abolished feudalism in Japan.

Zaibatsu

Powerful Japanese family business organizations, similar to conglomerates in the United States, that often purchased flourishing industries from the government.

Adam Smith

Author of The Wealth of Nations ($1776$) who argued that humans are naturally transactional and provided a foundational text in support of capitalism.

Laissez-faire

A French term meaning 'leave alone' that describes an economic policy promoting minimal governmental involvement in commerce.

Corporation

A business chartered by a government as a legal entity owned by stockholders who buy partial ownership and are protected by limited liability.

Monopoly

The control of a specific business and the elimination of all competition within a market.

Bessemer process

A more efficient method for producing steel, famously used by Alfred Krupp to gain a monopoly in the German steel industry.

Transnational Companies

Businesses that operate across national boundaries, such as the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) or the Unilever Corporation.

Sadler Report

An $1833$ study by Britain's Parliament that described dangerous and unsanitary working conditions, helping lead to labor reforms.

Labor Unions

Organizations of workers that advocate for the right to bargain with employers for higher pay, safer conditions, and shorter hours.

Utilitarianism

A philosophy championed by John Stuart Mill seeking 'the greatest good for the greatest number of people' through moderate, rational reform.

Karl Marx

A German scholar and author who argued for 'scientific socialism' and co-published the Communist Manifesto in $1848$.

Proletariat

The working class in Karl Marx's theory, who performed dangerous physical labor in factories and mines for little compensation.

Bourgeoisie

The class identified by Karl Marx that included investors who owned the means of production and the middle class.

Means of Production

The physical assets used to produce goods, such as machines, factories, mines, and land.

Tanzimat

A period of Ottoman reorganization from $1839$ to $1876$ characterized by secular education, legal codification, and anti-corruption efforts.

Hatt-i Humayun

An $1856$ Ottoman Reform Edict that updated the legal system, declaring equality for all men in education and justice regardless of religion or ethnicity.

Self-Strengthening Movement

China's late $19th$-century reform effort aiming to modernize military technology and readiness by training artisans and building shipyards.

Hundred Days of Reform

A set of sweeping changes supported by Emperor Guangxu, including the abolition of the civil service exam and the establishment of Western-style systems.

Empress Dowager Cixi

A conservative Chinese political figure who opposed the Hundred Days of Reform, imprisoned the emperor, and initially resisted foreign technology.

Genros

Elder statesmen in Japan, a role adopted by some former samurai to serve the government after their traditional position was dissolved in $1871$.