DQ #1
Napoleon's overall effect on Europe and how Europe’s political structure changed after his defeat
Arguably, Napoleon impacted positively on various aspects in Europe. The greatest impact is the fact that Napoleon brought military and political change in Europe. Similarly, Napoleon impacted positively on social systems in Europe as evident by the fact that he developed various structures that ensured equal treatment of men. Napoleon abolished serfdom and relinquished power from the nobility and this enhanced the lives of people all across Europe. Napoleons rule also led to a significant improvement of the European economic systems. This can be attributed to the fact that Napoleon expanded trade across various states in Europe by building new roads and canals (Bowen & Alvarez, 2007), which facilitated flow of goods across various European nations and this had a positive economic impact.
After Napoleons defeat, the political structure changed in a number of ways. To begin with, aggressive policies that were developed during Napoleons era were restructured. In addition, the balance of power between military and political force that had been established by Napoleon was discouraged and changed (Bowen & Alvarez, 2007). On another note, the political structures of Europe changed in the European states were compensated for the aggression they had with France by being given colonies.
DQ #2
Causes of the Industrial Revolution and how did it change the economic and political structure of Europe
Notably, the industrial revolution culminated as a result of various factors. Above all, the need for technological innovations, the availability of efficient power sources aligned with coal power, and the development of emergence of rail roads and industries led to the industrial revolution. In addition, population growth enhanced the availability of cheap labour for the industrials. Overall, various assets needed by the industries such as production assets such as machines and factories, and raw materials for the industries encouraged industrial revolution (Snooks, 2012). There was also a high demand for industrial goods and this favoured industrial revolution.
The impact of industrial revolution on the economic structure of Europe aligns with the fact that it changed the standards of living of the populations. After the industrial revolution, the income levels of the European populations increased. On the other hand, industrial revolution resulted in the rise in industrial capitalism, which was not economically favourable for the workers (Zanden, 2009). The industrial revolution had an impact on the political structure of Europe in that during the period of industrial revolution, the government was prompted to initiate a number if policy changes aimed at providing ample platforms for the industrial revolution. As such various laws and acts were enacted during this period, and this changed the political structure of Europe in a significant manner.
References
Bowen, W. H., & Alvarez, J. E. (2007). A military history of modern Spain: From the Napoleonic era to the international war on terror. Westport, Conn: Praeger Security International.
Snooks, G. (2012). Was the Industrial Revolution Necessary? New York: Routledge.
Zanden, J. L. (2009). The long road to the Industrial Revolution: The European economy in a global perspective, 1000-1800. Leiden: Brill.
