Lecture 5: 1750-1850 Flashcards
First industrial Revolution: Where does it start? Was does it include? When does it spread through Europe?
1760 begins in Great Britain:
1 Connected to an Agricultural Revolution (more production through private land)
2 Demographic Revolution (live longer)
3 Transport Revolution, Medical Revolution, Steam engine
Spread through Europe around 1820
Along with: Political revolutions: From absolutist monarchs to repres. govs + creation of nation states
What do we mean by modern industry?
- Mechanically powered machines with inanimate sources of energy and power
- Increased use of produced materials (metallurgy, chemicals), larger production facilities
Why Britain? (Sarahs five split)
Land: Easy access to coal and iron, sea transports and overseas resources
Labour: Population growth, urbanization, higher human capital
Capital: London as the commercial and financial centre of Europe (18th century)
Technology: Efficient/commercial agriculture; strong metal, mining and textile production
Institutions: Strong parliament, middle class, strong market economy
Why Western Europe next?
Land: Access to coal and iron
Labour: Population growth, urbanization, higher human capital (also knowledge from GB)
Capital: Larger economies with large domestic capital, smaller once with access to it
Technology: Efficient/commercial agriculture; some metal, mining and textile production
Institutions: growing middle class, strong market economy
What were the (first) two industrial revolutions
1750-1850: steam power (and water power), basic mechanisation/machines, the factory → Steam trains spread from UK throughout the world in first half of 1800s
1850-1950: Electricity, petrol engines, chemicals, mass-production/assembly lines → along with Transport and communications: telephone/telegraph, railroads, roads
Imperialism in the early 19th century: Why wanted Europeans colonies? Why this time Africa?
Colonies as art of European nationalism, conquered through war, taxes made a proper army possible → reason: to control the means of production
African colonization in the second half of the 19th century
→ possible Immunity to smallpox, local diseases (Malaria by Tonic Water)
Pommeranz’ great diversion: Why did Europe grow ahead? (five split)
Land: European oversea-expansion with better land quality
Labour: Same population growth but stronger human capital growth in Europe
Capital: Trade expanding faster, lower rents in Europe
Technology: Scientific revolution and entrepreneurial tinkering
Institutions: competition between early modern states, market economy
What is the recipe for becoming an industrial economy in the 19th Century
- Increased productivity in agriculture: More machines, demand for energy;
- Dynamic market system
- Good institutional framework (liberal property rights and equal rights)
- institutions accepted by majority → democracy not required
Meaning and relevance of: The Steam Engine
Invented in 1705, needed a lot of coal, spread quickly to manufacturing, lead to more demand
Meaning and relevance of: Adam Smith and the Wealth of Nations
First to describe explicitly the invisible hand and gains through devision of labour
Difference between: Colonialism and Imperialism
Imperialism: country policy to take over lands using diplomacy or force
Colonialism: the physical act of setting up colonies or territories in another country
Meaning and relevance of: Triangular Trade (Opium)
Opium wars (1839–1842, 1856–1860): China produced a lot self and was a net-exporter, collecting a lot of silver, so Britain used the addiction of opium to force them to trade (free trade through war)
British-Indian opium to China in exchange for Chinese tea (and silver) to Britain
Meaning of: Terra nullius
Literally meaning “nobody’s land”.
A principle sometimes used in international law to justify claims that territory may be acquired by a state’s occupation of it. → especially for Americas and Australia
