APW Sophomore Midterm
Industrial Revolution
Background: Before the late 1700s, most things were handmade. Temperatures were rising, leading to new crops, which lead to an increasing population in Europe and China. Industrial countries dominated the economy and overpowered lands with natural resources.
-Industrial countries strengthened their economy and military.
-Industrial countries sought raw materials from Africa, Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe and the Americas.
-However, in places that did not have a government, industrialization was unsuccessful.
Industrialization: transforms handicraft/agrarian based economies into economies based on machine manufacturing. Industrialization started in early 1800s Europe. There are two arguments as to why Europe has an Industrial Revoluation as opposed to China/India: The Material Argument and the Cultural Argument.
Material Argument:
-Both Europe and China had access to coal, but China’s arid locations made it difficult to mine. China’s coal was in the northwest, which is far from the profitable region of the Yangzi river.
-Europe, unlike China, had access to new world resources such as lumber, cotton, timber, iron and steel, which were needed to fuel the Industrial Revolution. Europe also had access to sugar.
Cultural Argument:
-European culture was more business-friendly than Chinese culture. Europe profited from the Americas and from slave products.
-China frowned upon merchants and foreign trade.
Cotton: Cotton became in high demand, leading the British to create the cotton textile industry. They needed much faster ways to produce cotton so they created machines (flying shuttle, mule and power loom). The cotton industry became the leading corporation, and cotton gin was invented.
Steam Engine: The steam engine was one of the most important inventions because it was a way to power devices without using too much fuel. They were cheaper yet more productive so they became very prominent. Steamships lowered transportation costs and were very versatile. The British both benefitted from and promoted industrialization.
Other inventions:
-Telegraph
-Steel Production
-Railroads/Trains (Trains increased travel because they were an alternative to boats.)
-Powerlooms (Weaving machines.)
Factory System Overview: The factory system replaced the putting-out and the protoindustrial systems. It emerged in the 1700s, and machines were too big for homes so they were instead used in factories. There was increased standardization (products became more uniform.) Owners owned the factory and profits, but the workers only owned their labor, which was not very valuable because it was only one task.
-Most cotton was produced in factories.
-Luddites (anti-machinery and factory) protested the factory system but failed.
-Workers were treated better, but it was still dehumanizing and boring.
Assembly Line: The factories lead to the assembly line, where each person focused on one small task. This is also known as Division of Labor. Since each worker is a small part of a larger process, less skill is necessary.
Working Conditions:
-Work by hour/production rate
-Iron Law of Wages: Wages dropped to the lowest rate that people were willing to work for
Social Effects:
-Industrialization makes products cheaper so people have more things
-Food became cheaper, leading to population growth
-People began congregating in urban centers (urbanization)
-The wealthiest people shifted from land holders to business aristocrats
-Pollution became a problem
-Government began to regulate child labor
-Everything became related to time (efficiency.)
Economic Systems
Capitalism Overview: An Economic system where production, distribution and exchange of wealth are controlled by individuals. Supply and demand, as well as competition, create fairness. Capitalism is competition between businessed owned by capitalists who employ wage workers for cheap labor.
-Capitalists tried to further their gap from the working class, and it was believed that the working class would rebel.
-The Wealth of Nations established Free Market Capitalism as an ideology.
-Individual.
Socialism Overview: Ownership and wealth are controlled by the community. Industrialization led to socialism because people were opposed to the exploitation of the working class. Socialists led revolutions against monarchies.
-Community.
Goals/Beliefs: Socialists wanted to eliminate economic inequality due to capitalism. They believed in corporate control of industry and better education. Socialism wasn’t always effective because people disagreed on how it should be implemented.
Revolutionary vs Evolutionary Socialism: Revolutionary socialists wanted people to overtake the state and its production, and redistribute wealth. Evolutionary socialists wanted to be represented in the government and elect leaders who believed in socialism.
Reform: Socialists forced the government to reform, leading to a restriction on the amount of hours women and children could work for but they did not restrict how long men could work for. The government became in control of the people’s welfare.
-Women had limited economic opportunities.
Karl Marx: Marx was a revolutionary socialist who believed that discontentment, and therefore rebellions, would lead to change. He wanted peopleto be free to do as they wanted.
-Marx was Jewish Prussian.
-Able to spread his ideas due to the French Revolution.
Other figures:
-Robert Owen was a utopian socialist. He created 8 hour work days and better working conditions.
-Engels was a revolutionary socialist.
European Imperialism
Imperialism Background: Imperialism is the forceful extension of a nation’s authority through territorial conquest or fominance. Peak imperialism lasted from 1850-1914.
-Economic and political domination.
Colonialism: Study of structures that allowed Europeans to dominate mass amounts of people.
Causes of Imperialism:
-Markets for manufactured goods!!
-Access to material resources/raw materials (tea, rubber, tin, copper.)
-Access to cheap labor
-Strategic geography (military bases.)
-High demand products
-Status (to look powerful among competitors.)
-Diffuse internal political tensions (not primary cause.)
-Spreading Christianity (this was a way to portray themselves as good and it was not a primary cause.)
Factors that allowed for Imperialism:
-Technological Advancements (Guns: Faster reloading, Steam Engine, Medicines: Quinine, Telegraphs: Instant communication)
-Nationalism (Centers wealth and manpower)
Effects:
-Deforestation (Burning down Sri Lankan forests for tea. This led the value of tea to drastically decrease.)
-Migration (Europeans moved to similar climates: Australia, Kenya, South Africa, America. Asians/Africans moved to Guyana, Peru, Trinidad, Figi and South Africa to become indentured servants.)
-Racism (Europeans twisted Darwinian principles to justify their domination.)
-Population changes (Hunter-gatherer populations decreased and European populations increased.)