UNIT 5: Revolutions from c. 1750 to c. 1900

Understand the Context

Between 1750 and 1900, people continued becoming more integrated into a global trade network. New technology, from machinery for spinning thread to locomotives to telegraphs to steel mills, fostered closer integration. The increased use of machinery in producing goods, a shift known as the Industrial Revolution, caused manufacturing output to skyrocket. It began in Great Britain and affected all of the world by 2000. The Industrial Revolution set the stage for dramatic changes in international relations, politics, and demography.

Foreign Power As global trade increased, industrializing countries protected the access of their businesses to resources for manufacturing and to markets for selling goods by establishing control over overseas lands. However, these lands often rebelled against foreign domination. Among the first to rebel were the United States and Haiti in the 18th century.

A New Type of Country Industrialization provided the background for reorganizing states. Before the 1800s, most people lived in large multi-ethnic empires or small homogenous kingdoms. After 1800, people increasingly lived in nation-states, a country in which everyone shared the same culture, and everyone who shared a culture lived in the same country. Breaking up empires and combining kingdoms to create nation-states frequently led to war.

Movements of People Industrialization was also the context for massive human migrations. As demand for labor shifted, millions moved in search of work. For example, many Europeans voluntarily resettled in the Americas and Australia. South Asians were coerced into taking jobs in southern Africa. Millions of Africans were enslaved and taken forcibly to the Americas. These movements diversified communities across the world.