Chapter 17 Responses

Chapter 17 Responses:

In what ways did the roots of the Industrial Revolution lie within Europe? In what ways did that transformation have global roots?

Some of the reasons that it first occurred in Europe include certain patterns in Europe's internal development which favored innovation.  This is because its many small, highly competitive states provided an insurance against economic and technological stagnation which the larger Chinese, Mughal, and Ottoman empires lacked.  In addition, the relative newness of these European states caused their rulers to ally with the merchant class, which made technological innovation in the best interests of the governments.  However, the transformation also had global roots in the sense that the Europeans had, by that time, established the largest and most varied network of exchange in history, thus allowing the technology to spread far more quickly than it could have before.  In addition, other regions of the world, especially the Middle East, India, and China had also experienced times of great technological and scientific flourishing.

What was distinctive about Britain that may help explain its status as the breakthrough point of the Industrial Revolution?

Britain was the most commercialized of Europe's larger countries, its landlords having long ago enclosed much agricultural land, while a series of agricultural developments, such as crop rotation, selective breeding of animals, lighter plows, and higher-yielding seeds, increasing agricultural output, keeping food prices low, and freeing up labor from the countryside.  In addition, employers were able to run their manufacturing enterprises as they saw fit, with a ready supply of industrial workers.  Unlike most European aristocrats, those in Britain were greatly interested in business, some taking part in mining and manufacturing enterprises.  Meanwhile, political life encouraged commercialization and economic innovation, thanks to Britain's policy of religious toleration, welcoming anyone with technical skills regardless of their faith, and to its checks on royal prerogative, allowing for a freer arena for private enterprise than elsewhere in Europe.  Finally, science in Britain was much more concerned with observation, experiment, precise measurements, mechanical devices, and practical commercial applications.

Why did Marxist socialism not take root in the United States?

While the often poor working conditions generated much protest from workers in the United States, like in most of the world, and class conflict certainly was an issue in the U.S. during this time, unlike in many European countries, no major political party emerged during this time that represented the interests of the working class.  In addition, socialist ideas, especially Marxist ideals, did not particularly appeal to American workers as much as they did to European workers.  As a reference, the Socialist Party of America only garnered 6 percent of the vote in the 1912 Presidential election, at the height of its popularity.  This stood in sharp contrast to countries such as Germany, where socialists held the most seats in the Parliament.  One reason for this lack of popularity is that American union organizations, particularly the American Federation of Labor, were relatively conservative, focusing on skilled workers and excluding the more radical unskilled laborers, in addition to its refusal to align with any political party, thus limiting its influence in the American political sphere.  In addition, the country's remarkable economic growth generated a higher average standard of living for American workers than those in Europe, with land being cheaper and home ownership being more affordable.