- Describe how the population growth in Europe from 1800 on fit conveniently' with the spread of early industrialization in that same period.
The significant growth in Europe was mainly due to improvement in medical services, which reduced the havoc caused by diseases. Famine was also reduced due to the availability of food like potatoes for the poor. The combination of these factors meant there was reduced death rates hence increase in population. Early industrialization was mainly characterized by horse-drawn equipment, proper drainage project, and scientific breeding of agricultural products. This was fueled by the fact that the population was growing at a tremendous pace, and pressure on social amenities and basic needs meant that people had to look for better sources. The increase in population meant that there was enough labor to work in these early industries and at the same time, there was a market for the produce from the industries .
- Explain what the interests of the workers in the industry and the owners of the industry were, and why these two groups were generally at odds with one another, causing violence between them. How did these confrontations generally end?
Industry owners were on strict terms to make sure that their businesses made maximum profits. On the other hand, workers were desperate for jobs in the industries so that they can afford the basic needs. The increase in population meant that there were many workers, which made their wage, go down. This is what the industry owners wanted: cheap labor to save on their costs. The working conditions in the industries were very poor for the workers that some got ill, and others even died. The wage was low and unfair treatment by the industry owners meant that some workers worked for long periods without rest e.g. 16 hours daily. There were no labor unions to forward the workers grievances, which led to more suffering among the workers and benefits to industry owners .
- How did the westward settlement of the "wild west" compare to what European countries were doing overseas in creating empires? Mention at least two ways in which they were similar and two ways in which they were different.
European countries rushed to established empires in other parts of the world in an effort to gather more raw materials for their industries. These empires were mainly in Africa and America. In America specifically, early settlers from Europe settled along the coastline because of the supplies they relied upon from Europe. In both westward settlement in America and settlement in other countries, the native population resisted the settlement, and it was only possible to settle after the wars. The other similarity is that in both cases, they were driven by the availability of raw materials for the industries or by the availability of precious minerals such as gold.
The main differences were that in the west, there was an established legislative structure that controlled the way settlement was done. New settlers were required to obey the rules of the land unlike in other parts of the world where the settlers were largely unopposed. The other difference is that, there was rapid industrialization as compared to other parts of the world where empires were established. Railway systems, urban centers, and industries were quickly developed which was not the case with other parts of the world that developed later .
- Explain what Europe and Americas meant when they talked about "Manifest Destiny" in the second half of the nineteenth century. How did this shape their perceptions of the possibilities inherent in the new lands they hungrily gazed upon?
In America, “Manifest Destiny” was the idea that America was destined to expand to cover the entire content of America. The idea was used by the Democrats to sell their policies but came under serious opposition from leaders such as Abraham Lincoln who argued that developing the economy would be better than expansion of the territory. The idea was used to just war with neighboring countries such as Mexico and division of Oregon with Britain.
The same idea also prevailed in Europe, where countries believed that they were destined to expand their territories beyond their continents and were divinely not wrong. Great Britain was among those countries that managed to establish a large number of empires in various parts of the world .
- How did the Russo-Japanese war 1904-5 serve as a springboard for escalating political, social, and economic demands in Russia, inadvertently setting the stage for 1917? This war had great consequences in Russia, Japan and neighboring countries like Korea. In Russia, the Czar ended the monarchy system and absolutism, which eventually led to the revolution of 1917. The war was a wake-up call for the Russian people after the many years of bad governing, and it was now time for changes in social, economic, and political affairs of the country.
- Western Front
The western front was in Belgium, Luxembourg and the industrial complex of France. There was serious fighting going on in this front between the Germans and France in 1915-17. There was no much advancement from any of the opponents due to the deep trenches, machine guns and barbed wires that resulted in many casualties each time they made contact .
- Eastern Front
This was in the central and western part of Europe. Fighting here took a longer time than in the western front and was not as organized. While in the western front trenches were used, in the eastern the trenches were not so much developed. The main players in this front were Germans and Russians. The rugged terrain made it tough for each opponent to defend their line, which led to increased counteroffensive maneuvers .
- Home Front
This refers to the social, economic, and political elements in Britain during World War 1. There was an increase in the role of women in the war and a show of patriotism by the citizens from the beginning of the war. For instance, more people volunteered to go fight the Germans than the government had anticipated .
- Japan and China both faced powerful reformist elements in their lands, but responded to them in two different ways, with two very different results. Briefly outline how each met the challenges from the West/Outside and the outcomes of these encounters. Japan is governed by a monarchy government that is involved in shaping some of policies in the country. The strong influence from western powers like United States and Britain has had a profound impact to her social, political, and economic establishment. Japan fought against the United States in 1945, which led to a total demolition to its political and economic infrastructure. However, this was quickly changed two decades later as it rapidly developed economic pillars to make it stand out among the most developed countries in Asia. China on the other hand, had an advanced economy before the nineteenth century. However, this changed as the years went by to the extent that it stagnated. Capitalist reforms from the west were not encouraged in China, but this has slowly been changing from 1978. China is currently competing with its western counterparts in areas such as military, economy, and development .
- How World War 1 changed the very nature of the war.
World War 1 brought a new range of techniques on how battles are fought. There was a wide use of trenches and open field fighting. Soldiers would usually dig trenches and mount machines ready for their opponents. The opponents used barbed wires to guard counter offensive moves. For a while, this formed a tough measure that was nearly impenetrable. However, this was changed after the Germans invented the tanks that could be able to penetrate these defenses and attack the men hiding there.
People’s perception and roles changed during and after the war. Women got a more active role in the military activities. They could now be used as spies and planning of raids and bombings. The society took a more active role in military activities especially after cases of civilian bombing were reported. For instance, soon after the declaration of war by Britain, people took to the streets to celebrate
References
Bentley, J., & Ziegler, H. (2010). Traditions and Encounters; A Global Perspective on the Past (6th ed., Vol. 2). McGraw-Hill.
