Chapter 25: 3, 2, 1 Summary

3 Things I Have Learned

Africa was taken over by the Europeans. I hadn't known previously much about the governing system of Africa. It surprised me when I discovered that Africa was basically just an extension of Europe for some time.

The Berlin Conference excluded all African rulers. You would think that the European powers would at least give one or two of the African rulers a say in how their continent would be split up. But no, they actually had the gall to just split it among themselves.

Opium was a major issue in China. I had no idea of the significance of Opium consumption and trade had on China. It significantly impacted quite a bit of anti-drug laws and trade in that area for a very long time, I wonder if it's still an issue today.

2 Things That Interested Me

People are showing no signs in removing racism from their lives. I guess I'll have to wait until after the second world war, but I truly thought that by now we would begin to see some of the discrimination that has haunted the world for so long begin to melt away. But no, racism is worse than ever in this time period.

There was another population boom. This surprised me immensely, I thought the only population boom we had left was the baby boom. But instead, with the rise of industrialization, another population boom took place until the early 20th century. 

1 Question I Still Have

What's the deal with world war one? When will we start to see that rearing its ugly head? Will Africa have anything to do with the war? I don't know very much about the first world war. 

Chapter 25: Suez Canal

Spotlight On: Suez Canal

 The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows ship transport between Europe and eastern Asia without navigation around Africa. Today, the Suez Canal is operated by the Suez Canal Authority. It begins at the Mediterranean Sea at Point Said flows through Ismailia in Egypt, and ends at Suez on the Gulf of Suez. It also has a railroad running its entire length parallel to its west bank. In addition to dramatically reducing transit time for trade worldwide, the Suez Canal is one of the world's most significant waterways as it supports 8% of the world's shipping traffic and almost 50 ships pass through the canal daily. Because of its narrow width, the canal is also considered a significant geographic choke point as it could easily be blocked and disrupt this flow of trade. Future plans for the Suez Canal include a project to widen and deepen the canal to accommodate the passage of larger and more ships at one time.

Chapter 25: Current Uprising

2014 Ukrainian Revolution (18–23 February 2014)

The Revolution began with a series of violent episodes of civil unrest in Kiev, Ukraine, as part of Ukraine's ongoing Euromaidan protest movement against the government. The conflict escalated rapidly, leading to the downfall of the government of President Viktor Yanukovych and the setting up of a new government to replace it within a few days. Yanukovych fled to Russia, and is wanted in Ukraine for the killing of protesters.The conflict continued with the 2014 Crimean crisis when Pro-Russian forces seized control of the Crimea region. Most of the world treated the events as a revolution, but Russia and Yanukovych denounced it as a coup d’état. A compromise deal was agreed to and signed by both opposition leaders and the president after overnight negotiations. The deal agreed to: a restoration of the Constitution as it was between 2004 and 2010; constitutional reform to be completed by September; early presidential elections no later than December 2014. Aftermaths of this issue include the Russian Invasion that has recently taken place, as the old President Yanukovych is trying to reinstate himself with the help of the Russians.

Chapter 25: Imperialist Uprising

Boer Wars

The Boer Wars were two wars that were fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal. The first war took place between 1880 to 1881 and it was a rebellion of Boers against British rule in the Transvaal while the second war took place from 1899 to 1902 which ended with the switch of the Boer republics into British colonies. It arose from disputes over British rule and eventually led to marginal independence for the Boers. The first Boer War was marginally successful, ending with the British quietly conducting a settlement that gave the Boers independence with only nominal lip service paid to the authority of the Crown in an effort to allow the British to withdraw "with minimum embarrassment". The second Boer War appeared to have erupted from more British control issues over Transvaal. The Boers would settle for more negotiations this time, but the second phase was most notable for the Boer's desperate use of guerrilla tactics to fend off their enemies. A notable individual would be Herbert Kitchener, the leader of the British army during the second war who pushed the Boers toward negotiations. 

Chapter 25: US Events

Civil War

The Civil War of the United States was a battle between the northern Union and the southern Confederates over a multitude of economic and social issues, most notably that of slavery. The war would be won by the Union and slavery would end up becoming abolished. This war is comparable to the growing discontent of Africa during this time period. Africa suffered from many uprising such as this when the Europeans attempted to take complete control. Most notably the Boer War, which would challenge European superiority. While many of these uprisings wouldn't change much in Africa, it is easy to see the comparison between the two areas. 

Industrialization

The Industrialization of the US marks an important time for the nation. With it will come economic benefits and riches that had previously been untapped. Interestingly enough population increases would also come with the Industrialization of the US. With overcrowding and less and less work becoming available in Europe, many of the native citizens will emigrate to the United States in search of work. This will form a large part of the US population and also speaks to the living conditions of Europe. Things aren't as great in good ol' imperialist Europe as many nationalists seem to think. Perhaps they should consider leaving the Africans alone and deal with their own issues.

Chapter 25: Political Cartoons

This cartoon showcases how the whole of Europe longed for the riches of Africa, showcase by the captions of 'Gold Fields'. The whole of Europe believed that Africa was an untapped gold mine and wanted its hands on every inch possible. The Artist's opinion could be that this land-grabbing was greedy, but this is an unlikely opinion of the time. Most likely the artist is simply making a statement about how the ever-present influence of the European governments is bearing down on Africa, as showcased by the deep shadow that man's hands are leaving. Another important aspect is the wealthy suit that the man is wearing, showing the already large amounts of wealth that Europe had as it bore its greedy fingers down on Africa. If this is indeed his opinion, I completely agree with it. Europe definitely overdid their colonization of Africa both by ruining indigenous people and by enforcing their way of life on those who didn't want it.

This political cartoon showcases the struggles that pervaded Africa especially the aspect of governing it. Here we see multiple personifications of Death all arguing about how the continent should be governed. The artist's opinion is probably that Africa, left to its own devices, is doomed to die a multitude of horrible deaths. Therefore European intervention is necessary to keep these people from killing themselves out of ignorance. This idea exemplifies European nationalism and even the notion of the "White man's burden" to make Africa a suitable place to live. I think that the artist is making a large miscalculation on the continent, and that Africa should be left to its own devices. After all it survived this long without intervention, why would it need intervention now?

Chapter 25: US Imperialism Cartoon/Question

This cartoon is talking about imperialist motives of the US behind the war in Iraq. The artist is using the example of oil being the reason behind our nation's imperialistic attitude. The artist clearly thinks that the government only wanted to go to war in Iraq for economic gains, a motive of an imperialist nation. The artist apparently thinks that the administration at the time is almost lying to the people on this motive, and is freely showing it in this cartoon. I'm not sure how to respond to this cartoon; some think that we really do/did have a responsibility to go to Iraq but the ulterior motives shown here are interesting to say the least.

Question: Do you think the United States is/has been imperialistic? 

There are multiple reasons that I believe the United States has been imperialistic and, at the same time, hasn't been. A lot of people bash the US for it's money grubbing attitude toward countries with oil. Part of me agrees with this assertion. I think that the oil played a big part in the war in Iraq. However I also believe that the US has a very important role in defending itself from people trying to hurt it. So while the oil part could be considered imperialistic, I don't think self-defense counts as imperialism. I do think that for certain the US has been imperialistic in the past though. The state of Hawaii is a testament to this, we did to those people exactly what Europe did to Africa. Another case of the US being Imperialistic is its very founding. We did, after all, take land from innocent natives and basically remove them from it after all. On some aspects the US hasn't been imperialistic though. For instance, a lot of recent wars have been in our own self interest yes, but also a lot of it had to do with self defense. A country that is a threat should be neutralized so it no longer is one. Another defense of the US not being Imperialistic is the aid we give countries. We actually do give quite a lot of aid oversees and this is not in any way what an imperialistic nation would do. 

Chapter 25: Introduction

The West and the World (Chapter 25)

During this time period of 1815-1914, Europe began expanding in a variety of ways. New products and ideas were flowing from Europe and barely any part of the world was left untouched. Fueled by Industrialization and Nationalism, Europeans would seek to extend their reaches to colonies that had previously been unavailable to them. "New Imperialism" emerged as people began searching for new places to colonize, and with it grew a steady increase of racism and nationalism far worse than has been seen so far. My objective with this chapter will be to discover how New Imperialism will differ and change the world in comparison to the Old Imperialism. 

Essential Question: How Did Racism Shape New Colonization?

One of the key aspects of New Imperialism and the founding of all these new colonies, in Africa especially, was the racism that came about with their formation. People of the time saw these African tribes as inferior to their industrialized society, and went forth to change and "civilize" them. This became known as 'the white man's burden', which would allow these Europeans to conquer these less advanced societies free of moral problems. After all, they were"inferior". 

Chapter 22: 3, 2, 1 Summary

3 Things I Have Learned

Karl Marx is responsible for the development of Socialism and Communism. I had heard of the term Marxism before but I've never really looked into it. Now I know that Marx is responsible for the creation of these two systems of governing.

The famine in Ireland was caused by the "blight" disease. I had previously been aware that Ireland had a famine that was pretty devastating, but had no clue as to the true impact of this disease. The Irish depended on the potato for everything and I don't think I truly grasped that until now.

More revolutions in France! Wow, this country sure loves to revolt! The Revolution of 1830 in particular interested me. It's good though that, through many revolts, they finally managed to get a Democratic Republic in 1848.

2 Things That Interested Me

Romanticism came along during this time period! I learned about the Romantic Movement in English last year, but I never really pieced together the timeline. I'm not sure yet if I think it's odd that Romanticism came about in the middle of the industrial revolution, or if it makes perfect sense. On one hand the rebellion against industries makes a bit of sense, but it really feels like this idealistic idea should have been held in a different time period.

Beethoven was the first great romantic composer. I love Beethoven's pieces and now that I know he is a romantic I can totally see the tenants played out in his works. Very interesting stuff.

1 Question I Still Have

How do the events from this chapter and chapter 23 lead to the modern world we have today? When are things that are societal norms today going to show up in the culture of the past? I'm starting to put the tapestry of this time period together, but I want to know where it connects to today.

Chapter 22: Picturing the Past

Picturing the Past

The Discovery of the Potato Blight, Daniel McDonald

This painting, painted in a Romantic style, showcases the devastation of an Irish family who have just discovered that their potato crops have the blight. The blight, a fungus that completely ruins this essential crop, is literally a death sentence to this family who depend on the potato to survive. Ireland's recent population explosion due to the cultivation of the potato turns out to be a death sentence when this horrible disease shows up. An Irishman would live almost entirely from this crop and its failure was a sentence worse than death; it lead the family to slowly starve and be taken by the many epidemics sweeping the country. The countries greatest gift turned on them without a second thought, and an entire nation nearly starved to death. 

Chapter 22: US Events

Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise was the first precedent for the congressional exclusion of slavery from public territory acquired since the adoption of the Constitution. It was also a clear recognition that Congress has no right to impose upon a state asking for admission into the Union conditions which do not apply to those states already in the Union. This was important for a number of reasons, but most of them were confined to the United States. While slavery was a vital part of the world economy at this point of time (The US being the lead cotton export), this compromise affected countries overseas very little. Europe was thriving under the Industrial Revolution, and the petty arguments over in the US about which states could own people must have been seen as barbaric. This compromise would ultimately lead to a civil war, a war which will set the US back while other countries flourish under industrialized regimes. 

Battle of the Alamo

The Battle of the Alamo is used as a symbol of not quitting. It occurred during the Texas Revolution with Mexico. 236 men held off an army of 3000 Mexicans for two weeks until they were wiped out. In April an army of Texans led by Sam Houston beat the Mexican army and the Republic of Texas was formed. Texas then went on to become a part of the US. The Battle of the Alamo is a good example of American Patriotism, and a lot of this old "against the odds" spirit is still with us today. This event didn't make great waves throughout the world however. Really the only other country affected was Mexico. However the spirit that is represented here is very reminiscent of the revolts and revolutions being held in Europe. They are fighting for freedom, just like the French or the Italians, against a superior opponent. 

Chapter 22: Significant People

Karl Marx

In 1848 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published The Communist Manifesto, which would become the 'bible of socialism'. Marxism, or Socialism, was a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. Marx believed that throughout history, one class was always being exploited by another. So he proposed that a sort of equal playing field was the way to go, and that society as a whole would be better off if people worked together instead of against each other. His writing introduced communism to the world, and that would be a huge influence to Lenin and Stalin. Without him, the concept of communism might never have been developed and the world would be a completely different place.

Giuseppe Mazzini

Mazzini wrote "Duties Towards Your Country", a Nationalistic piece that encouraged ideas that would work under a politically independent nation-state. His works would ultimately lead to the unification of Italy. Mazzini believed that Italian unification could only be achieved through a popular uprising. He relentlessly agitated the Italian populace to revolt, and encouraged, initiated, and organized numerous small and large revolts from his exile in England.

Prince Klemens von Metternich

Klemens von Metternich was an Austrian politician, perhaps the most important diplomat of his era. He was a major figure in the negotiations leading to the Congress and Treaty of Vienna and is considered a major figure on the development of diplomacy. Metternich favored traditional, even autocratic, institutions over democratic systems. He believed that liberalism was responsible for a generation of war with untold bloodshed and suffering, and blamed liberal middle-class revolutionaries for stirring up the lower classes which he believed desired nothing more than peace and quite.

Chapter 22: Introduction

Ideologies and Upheavals (Chapter 22)

As the Industrial Revolution began to take Europe by storm, a lot of new reforms and ideas were being developed all over Europe. Among them is the Romantic Movement, a movement that was seen as a direct counter to that of Enlightenment and encouraged emotional exuberance. Liberal reform was taking place in Great Britain through things such as the Reform Bill of 1832 and the Corn Laws. Ireland would suffer a Great Famine due to the failure of the potato crop, and a Democratic Republic would develop in France. My objective for this chapter will be to understand why Romanticism became so popular in a world full of machinery and factories.

Essential Question: What sort of beliefs did Romantics have?

Romantics had very simple, but fairly strict beliefs. Of them were the "5 I's of Romanticism": Imagination, Intuition, Inspiration, Idealism, and Individuality. They strove for a more emotional world to combat the world of cold, industrial logic around them. Instead of finding beauty in cities they looked to the forests and nature to find beauty. They strove to be emotional in a time where emotion wasn't encouraged, and a lot of romantics would end up committing suicide, partaking in duels to the death or even madness.

Chapter 21: 3, 2, 1 Summary

3 Things I Have Learned

The development of the locomotive began in Europe. I was always under the impression that the Locomotive had been developed in the United States. Perhaps this is because I always associated railroads with the western development of the US, but it was nevertheless a surprise to discover that railroads were initially in Europe.

Child Labor laws started with the Factory Act of 1833. I thought that child labor had been abused far later in time than it appears it was. I didn't expect to see any child labor laws until at least the 1900s, but I guess I misjudged time here.

The Mines act of 1842 was put in place to keep woman and young boys protected in mines. This was probably a very serious problem that I never really considered, but the fact that laws had to be put in place to save these people is terrifying to me.

2 Things That Interested Me

Life took such a dramatic shift for these people. One minute half the world was starving and the next factories and jobs are abundant. It's amazing what an industry can do to form both bring a country, or even a continent, together. This also marks the first chapter where living conditions are significantly different.

Cotton was an extremely important crop at this time. If the spinning jenny and water frame hadn't been invented this crop may have never taken off. But the importance of cotton really puts into perspective why things like slavery in the US was so big. Cotton was king.

1 Question I Still Have

Why didn't these changes come along sooner? Is there any particular reason it took so long for this shift in focus to industry in Europe? Surely it didn't have to be delayed this long.

Chapter 21: Picturing the Past

Picturing the Past

Stephenson's Rocket

The invention of the Steam Engine was arguably the most significant invention of the Industrial Revolution, and George Stephenson's locomotive Rocket is one of the first effective examples of this new technology being brought together with a railroad system. Traveling down the track at a whopping sixteen miles per hour, Rocket traveled from Liverpool to Manchester on the newly build railway. This railway would quickly become the heart of industrial England, and as locomotives became faster and more efficient so would the rich trading and transportation system of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Within twenty years of the Rocket's first voyage, the main trunk lines of Great Britain would be established. The rich coal and iron deposits would be able to travel all throughout England on these new truck lines, and the increased power of locomotives would also help.

Chapter 21: US Events

War of 1812

The War of 1812 is one of the forgotten wars of the United States. The war lasted for over two years, and while it ended much like it started; in stalemate; it was in fact a war that once and for all confirmed American Independence. The offensive actions of the United States failed in every attempt to capture Canada. On the other hand, the British army was successfully stopped when it attempted to capture Baltimore and New Orleans. There were a number of American naval victories in which American vessels proved themselves superior to similarly sized British vessels. One of the main reasons that President James Madison declared war on Great Britain was because the British were stopping American ships at sea, searching them, and sometimes imprisoning American sailors. So a mainly this war was fought to free the US once and for all from Europe's control over the ironclad grip on trade they had acquired. This war, while by no stretch of the imagination a major victory, would basically assert that the United States was here to stay.

Morse Key (1837)

Samuel Morse and his assistant, developed Morse Code in the United States. While electrical telegraph systems were beginning to emerge in Europe, Morse is considered to have perfected the system with his simple code and reliable system of communication. In Europe William Fothergil Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented a telegraph system almost at the same time as Morse. Their system used a number of needles on a board that could be moved to point to letters of the alphabet. The five-needle system saw great commercial success until the cables laid out for the system began to fail as a result of deteriorating insulation. Once Morse's system became known around the world, Europeans began to adopt the system rather than deal with the complex five-needle system by Cooke and Wheatstone. It became the European telegraphy standard in 1851.

Chapter 21: Significant People

James Hargreaves

Hargreaves is responsible for the invention of the spinning jenny, a simple, inexpensive hand powered tool that would modernize the textile industry. Cotton goods became much cheaper, and they were bought and treasured by all classes. This brought about dramatic change from the past, where only the wealthy could afford the comfort of underwear and other textile "luxuries". Now millions were able to afford undergarments and this substantially increased the quality of life for all the classes.

Richard Arkwright

Arkwright would invent the water frame, a machine similar to the spinning jenny but with one key difference; the water frame had a capacity of several hundred spindles and used waterpower. Because of the need for waterpower, the water frame required a highly specialized mill and as many as a thousand workers to operate it properly. These mills would end up being the first factories, and this would be another factor in the rapid industrialization of Europe.

Josiah Wedgwood

Wedgwood was the perfecter of jasperware, a fine-grained pottery usually made in "Wedgwood blue" with white decorations. He is also well known for his development of the factory system. He worked tremendously hard to have his workers strive for perfection in their work, and he would often fine his workers for things like drinking on the job or wasting material. This would go on to be a template for many other factories of the time.

Chapter 21: Introduction

The Revolution in Energy and Industry (Chapter 21)

A dramatic change in lifestyles was about to take place in Europe as the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the 1780s. This revolution would change almost everything about how life was lived in Europe, and its roots would soon be spread to the rest of the world. Everything from the way people worked to the social structure of the time would be dramatically overhauled, and a standard of living would develop that had not previously been available. Rapid population growth would also be a factor of the time however, and many would become impoverished by the lack of production. My objective for this chapter is to decipher how the Industrial Revolution would change the world not only in this time period, but how it would effect the world in the further future. 

Essential Question: How did rapid Industrialization affect the quality of people's lives?

Industrialization changed a great many things in regards the the quality of life. Working in factories was vastly different from working on farms; instead of working for your own survival people were now working to earn money. With the development of the steam engine, a lot of goods that had been previously unavailable to a family were now in abundance, thanks to the ability to trade long distances. The middle class became much larger and much wealthier as jobs available from factories became abundant, and even the women and children would work to keep the family happy and alive.