How did imperialism change in the nineteenth century? How did industrialization bring about the shift in focus of imperialist power and control?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary but correct responses should include: The rise of the West to commercial superiority over China—and of some Western powers to economic dominance within China—was one of the major reversals of history. In the nineteenth century, the historical initiative—the capacity for some groups in the world to influence others—has been concentrated in the West. The change occurred in the context of a new feature of global history in the nineteenth century: the rise—beginning, like industrialization, in Western Europe and rapidly coming to include Russia, the United States, and Japan—of enormous empires that spread across the globe and virtually carved up the world among them. Previously, most of the really big empire-building initiatives in the world had originated in Asia, and the empires expanded by land into territories that bordered on those of the conquerors. Such were the empires of the Persians, Arabs, Chinese, Indians, and steppelanders such as the Mongols. Smaller imperial ventures had set out to control trade rather than production, to dominate sea lanes and harbors rather than large stretches of land. Most European imperialism had been of this character. Until the eighteenth century, no empire except Spain's had been able to combine these roles on a large scale. Europeans overseas had generally depended on the goodwill of local collaborators in existing economic systems. Now, instead, they deployed industrially equipped armies and navies to control production of key commodities. The combination of land and sea empires became commonplace. Even with a relatively big population, Europe did not have enough manpower to dominate the world. Industrial technology, however, made up much of the shortfall. New steelmaking technology enhanced guns of European manufacture. Steam power, meanwhile, made European workers more productive and improved the precision, adaptability, and reliability of European armies in hostile environments. Victim-peoples of Western imperialism found it hard to resist invaders borne on steamboats, fortified by quinine, and armed with steel guns.