Changes

===Where, When and Why===

===Where, When and Why===

The industrial revolution began in England in the cotton textile industry, with new machines for spinning and weaving fabrics.  England obtained much of its cotton from the South in the United States, picked by slaves on plantations.  When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in America, production of cotton soared and England’s factories bought up as much as the South could produce.  England also imported cotton from Egypt and India, however; India is famous for its brightly colored fabrics and it exported a colored cotton known as calico.  (The South overestimated England’s reliance on the South’s cotton when it made the decision to secede from the North in the Civil War; the South miscalculated that England would be economically required to help the South.)

The industrial revolution began in England in the cotton textile industry, with new machines for spinning and weaving fabrics.  England obtained much of its cotton from the South in the United States, where it was picked and separated into fibers by slaves on plantations.  The process of separating the good cotton from sticky seeds was difficult and time consuming when done my hand.  When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in America, production of cotton soared and England’s factories bought up as much as the South could produce.  England also imported cotton from Egypt and India, however; India is famous for its brightly colored fabrics and it exported colored cotton known as calico.  (The South overestimated England’s reliance on the South’s cotton when it made the decision to secede from the North in the Civil War; the South mistakenly thought that England would be economically forced to help the South.)

England and the United States built canals to connect waterways and transport goods, and in 1807 American Robert Fulton started the first commercial steamboat service.  Macadam (smoothly paved) roads and turnpikes helped distribute newly manufactured goods.  In the early 1800s, the railroad emerged as a powerful form of transportation also.

England and the United States built canals to connect waterways and transport goods, and in 1807 American Robert Fulton started the first commercial steamboat service.  Macadam (smoothly paved) roads and turnpikes helped distribute newly manufactured goods.  In the early 1800s, the railroad emerged as a powerful form of transportation also.

The United States, particularly in the North, industrialized its economy almost as quickly as England had, although the real manufacturing might of the United States was not seen until after it resolved its internal conflicts in the Civil War.  England attempted to hide and conceal the secrets of its industrial revolution from continental Europe.  The first European nation to follow England was Belgium in 1807, then France in 1848, and then Germany in 1870.  The industrial revolution did not reach eastern Europe until the early 1900s, and China and India did not undergo the conversion until the mid-1900s.

The United States, particularly in the North, industrialized its economy almost as quickly as England had, although the real manufacturing power of the United States did not emerge until after it resolved its internal conflicts with the Civil War.  England attempted to hide and conceal the secrets of its industrial revolution from continental Europe, but the revolution spread anyway.  The first European nation to follow England was Belgium in 1807, then France in 1848, and then Germany in 1870.  The industrial revolution did not reach eastern Europe until the early 1900s, and China and India did not undergo the conversion until the mid-1900s.

In Egypt, modernization was attempted by Ottoman ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha (1769-1849) and his grandson Ismail.  Muhammad Ali Pasha forced farmers to leave their farms and work on commercial plantations he established to export cotton and other crops to Europe.  But in the end, his “reforms” resulted in a huge Egyptian debt to European countries, especially England.  In Russia, industrialization was encouraged by the completion of the trans-Siberian railroad in 1904, connecting Russian to China and Japan.  Japan was the only Asian country to successfully industrialize.  Under Meiji rule, the government invited foreigners to teach industrialization principles.  Businesses were sponsored and controlled by the government, and, when established, were then sold to private individuals.

In Egypt, modernization was attempted by Ottoman ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha (1769-1849) and his grandson Ismail.  Muhammad Ali Pasha forced farmers to leave their farms and work on commercial plantations he established to export cotton and other crops to Europe.  But in the end, his “reforms” resulted in a huge Egyptian debt to European countries, especially England.  In Russia, industrialization was encouraged by the completion of the trans-Siberian railroad in 1904, connecting Russian to China and Japan.  Japan was the only Asian country to successfully industrialize.  Under Meiji rule, the government invited foreigners to teach industrialization principles.  Businesses were sponsored and controlled by the government, and, when established, were then sold to private individuals.