Minst 1

Minst, Daryn
Bennett- 5th
Humanities 2 GT
6 March 2016
Argument 1
The development of new technology in countries around the
world had many positive effects. Industrialization in the years between
1750-1914, allowed for Europe to dominate long distance trade, many
countries around the world to have political revolutions, and created
the separation between have and have not countries. All of these
developments shaped the world and allowed it to move into a more
modernized era.
European influence on long distance trade grew in strength when
Europeans set up colonies in the Americas. It was the first time in world
history the western and eastern hemispheres were in constant contact
with one another. Through the invention of faster ships and railroads,
long distance travel and trade allowed Europe to gain power over
countries that required their goods. Europe also began colonizing lessdeveloped lands and using mercantilism to profit from it. Europes
economy shifted from imperialism to colonization as Europeans looked
at the expansion as a way to surpass their competitors. In the
nineteenth century, Western Europe was the economic powerhouse of
the world. Its productive power was unmatched. Europeans have (or had)
a way of engaging with the world that was better suited to economic growth,
conquest and dynamism. (Birdzell 1) Through Europes development of

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ships, land travel and communication, they surpassed all other
industrializing countries.
Political revolutions during this time period were inspired by
other democracies and a desire for independence among the
suppressed peoples. These revolutions continue to the present, but
"seed" revolutions that put new democratic forms of government in
place occurred during this era. The "nation" emerged as a new type of
political organization and new countries were formed around the world.
A few forces behind the political revolutions were The Enlightenment,
and the wealthy middle class not wanting to be under aristocratic
powers. The Enlightenment, and the new political and philosophical
ideas that came with it, caused people to begin to question the power
of the absolute governments. It created the idea that people can come
up with their own ideas and methods to solving things, which led to the
idea that they could also come up with a better government and
society. Equally important was the contract theory: government rests
on the consent of the governed. Sovereignty belongs to the people, not
the king. The natural corollary of this idea is that any government
which flouts the will of the people, may be abolished. (Richards 1)
The Industrial Revolution gave huge economic and political
advantages to countries where technology was advanced over
countries that remained primarily agricultural. By larger countries
creating newer and more modernized tools, and new machinery that

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allowed for the mass production of goods. Western Europeans learned
to exploit coal and steam energy to mass produce goods and sell
them globally. The Industrial Revolution began with production of
textiles and eventually spread to other areas of manufacturing.
Once begun, it could not be stopped. The Industrial Revolution
greatly altered the distribution of wealth and poverty around the
world, creating differences in economic growth and overall societal
development. Thus, the nicknames haves, the countries that were
the most modern and developed technologically, and the havenots, countries that still relied mainly on agriculture and smaller
production of goods, were born.
The Industrial Revolution created new opportunities for people
around the world. It allowed for countries to gain freedom from
tyranny, new technology and riches, and to become more powerful
than the rest of the world. These developments allowed for new ideas
and creations to be brought to life and slowly help to modernize the
world into what it is today.