Difference between revisions of "World History Homework Ten Answers - Student Twelve"

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World History Homework Ten

DuncanB

1. The Industrial Revolution, which was an immense expansion of the number of industrialized businesses and factories, occurred in the 1700’s in England and France, but later in the United States.

2. James Clerk Maxwell was a talented physicist and a devout Christian, who determined the nature of a light wave and why it could pass through a vacuum, unlike sound waves. He explained many other topics relating to electricity and magnetism during his brilliant career, often making references to God. Sir Isaac Newton is considered by many to be the finest physicist of all time (perhaps excluding Einstein); he discovered the theory of gravity and is credited with the invention of calculus.

3. The Industrial Revolution was good in one huge way: it allowed goods to be made far better and more cheaply with machines than would have been possible by hand. However, it also dealt a grievous blow to individualism, in that fewer people were self-reliant on farms and more depended on factories for their living.

4. The best example of nationalism is Germany, which in 1848 was a mere collection of states. In 1862, Otto van Bismarck became the prime minister of Prussia, the most powerful of the states, and quickly annexed most of northern Germany. He then tricked France into declaring war on Prussia in 1871; Prussia defeated France and southern Germany joined northern Germany under the rule of Prussia.

5. Imperialism is the gain or attempt to gain political or economic control over certain nations or territories. There were four basic types of imperialism: the establishment of colonies which were ruled by the mother country, such as England with Australia and the establishment of protectorates which were self-governed but the establishing country had an agreement to protect it. Then there were “spheres of influence,” meaning that a certain nation had special trading rights in that area, and “economic imperialism,” where a private business held sway over the region.

6. Although Africa is a huge nation, the tribes which occupied it were constantly fighting among themselves, which made the job for European slave traders easier. They could align themselves with one tribe or village, promising to help them defeat their enemies if they would acquire a lot of prisoners to sell for slaves. Occasionally chiefs would even sell their own people.

7. From 1637 to 1853, Japan’s attitude towards Christians was hostile. Christian missionaries and converts were persecuted, as the military powers which ruled Japan felt that Christians would not worship the emperor (who was considered divine) nor would they be as patriotic—the Japanese state religion, Shinto, promotes fanatic nationalism and intense loyalty to the emperor.

H2. Imperialism can have both positive and negative aspects. On the one hand, the natives of the governed country can gain better jobs, schools, hospitals, and the like. On the other, the government can exploit them, forcing them to work at low-paying jobs or fight in their armies; their culture can be drastically altered for good or bad by government education.

H3. Nationalism is generally an anti-Christian idea, as it promotes loyalty to the state over morals or any personal fidelity. Rather than regarding society as a conglomeration of different individuals, it sees society as a machine composed of many parts, all working towards the glory of their nation.

H4. The state religion of Japan, Shintoism, promotes fanatic devotion to the emperor, but until the 1850’s, Japan was a “backward” nation, not opening itself to outside ideas. In 1868, an emperor named Mutsuhito began to rule; he industrialized Japan, building railroads, increasing military power, and public education. By 1890, they were beginning to expand, and captured part of Manchuria, as well as Taiwan, in 1895. In 1905, Japan humiliated the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War.