• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 1433 0

These empires, especially the English, brought Europe’s technological advancements to all parts of the globe. This in turn brought goods and raw materials from the world to Europe, leading to a general prosperity having a worldwide positive impact. The citizens of the mother countries did not run the empires as a whole. A few government administrators in powerful positions made decisions affecting the daily lives of millions of common folks across the planet. In general, a handful of men positioned at the top of their nation’s officialdom governed the colonies of each imperial power. One order could send out lesser administrators to alter lives across the globe.

One must comprehend the worldwide reach of the empires to understand the world of 1700 and beyond. These empires made England, France, Holland, Portugal, and other European states the center of the world in financial, military, political, and cultural power for more than three hundred years. As such, the political machinations of Europe hit the entire globe. The boundaries of the empires really displayed political considerations in Europe, and they were placed to assist Europeans in governing their empires. As such, the lines drawn by the European Empires were not a fit solution for the situation existing on the ground. Nonetheless, as the empires toppled, the lines established in Europe became the boundaries of modern-day states. The inappropriateness of these boundaries is obvious as vicious wars over the frontiers continue even today.

As the empires flourished, so did the world. Extensive trade, the adoption of the gold standard to ease the payment problems between nations, and increasing prosperity led to more inventions and more infrastructure development in Europe and their empires. England ruled the world because of her powerful navy and extensive empire. Raw materials from the world over hurried to England’s factories for transformation into finished goods ranging from ships to tea. With Britain’s extensive coalfields, energy to fuel its expansion into an industrial giant was easy to find. The United Kingdom became the world’s richest nation, and its wealth was growing constantly during the Age of Empires. The rest of Europe was doing fine as well, and after the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna, growth and prosperity were commonplace in the Western world.

(See Figures 19, 20 and 43 for maps of the colonial empires)

The Industrial Revolution

1750 (approximate beginning)

Before the French Revolution, another revolution had started which would have considerably more impact on the world. The Industrial Revolution started about 1750, when water was first used to power new mills for cutting wood, weaving cloth on new kinds of looms, and otherwise putting something other than human or horse muscle to work making products for growing worldwide commercial markets.[114] Since the end of the fourteenth century the population of Europe had been growing, increasing the demand for goods and services.[115]

Numerous inventions marked the new age. The flying shuttle loom was invented in 1733, improving the production of finished cloth goods; by 1740, the processing of cast iron and steel progressed markedly; 1779 saw the first iron bridge constructed in Britain; in1782, James Watt developed the double-acting steam engine; in 1785, the power loom was invented in Britain, and in 1793, Whitney invented the cotton gin in the United States. By 1807 the first commercial steam boat was operating in America; by 1814, the first steam locomotive was running in Britain and by 1825, Britain opened its first railroad. 1837 saw the invention of the steel plow in the US, while in 1839 France photography developed with the daguerreotype. Goodyear vulcanized rubber in America that same year. Moreover, these are only a few of the achievements that occurred during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Something invented in England during the Age of Discovery would have an unprecedented impact on the Industrial Revolution—the corporate form of enterprise. Originally, these