HL European History
2002-09-17
Power and Principles:
The rise of industrialism and ideology
Notes Page 2-6a
The Industrialism of the West
- Starting in Britain industrialism spread into Europe and north America
- Germany and the US quickly became rivals to Britain but the west was the powerhouse
- Steam, textiles, oil, electricity, steel and chemicals were great new innovations
Britain and the Age of Steam
- Though it was the age of industrialism, Britain retained its strong working middle class
- flexibility of the working class allowed Britain’s business to prosper
- The bank of England was a solid support for industry and provided the stability that convinced many middle class Brits to invest in business.
- American and British consumerism provided a large market for cheap, mass-produced goods
Industrialism Spreads to Europe and the Americas
- The IR quickly spread from Britain across the world, each country adapted their own version of the British model, unique to themselves.
- Importing machines and skilled labours from Britain, Europe was able to skip whole stages of development
- Immense capitalism was required and the government and banks funded the operations more substantially than in Britain
- Railroad and trade innovations allowed for the easy transport of goods
- Latin America developed much slower, initially trading raw materials for manu. Goods
Power Sources, Transportation, Communication
- The electric generator and internal combustion engine were invented providing power
- Electricity, gas and oil were put to common use in everyday life
- Steel became the material of choice for construction spurred by the need for transportation, such as train bridges
- The emergence of the chemical industry produced things like plastics and dynamite
- Railroads crisscrossed much of the landscape in less than 30 years
- The telegraph allowed for instant communication between states and overseas
