World History. The age of discovery and industrialization - Essay Example

History and Political Science World History The age of discovery refers to the period between 15th and 17th century when European countries rose to conquer and trade with other nations in an effort to expand their empire. Evolution of the west started with spice trade which forced Europeans to explore new territories in search of spices and valuable goods. The resultant of this exploration was the Columbian exchange which was characterized by exchange of animals, cultural integration and the slave trade between Americans and Afro-Eurasians. As the Europeans explored the coastal shores of Africa and Asia, they took Africans as slave servants in their country. In brief, the discovery age, was a period that the Western countries venture into new territories which led to the discovery of new lands, cultures and economic activities. Another phase of western development was marked by a period of cultural development I the European culture. One of the features of this period was the invention of the printing press, which formed a transition from the early age of script writing to printing. The impact of this transition was that a new avenue to edit and author new books including the bible was developed. Protestant churches came into being after splitting of Catholicism and the people now had an option to form new denominations without being restricted into a single religious domain. With the availability of printing media, scientific facts were documented and the 17th century became an era of scientific revolution in World History. Another turning point of the world history is the establishment of political set ups that started in the 17th century in western countries. During this period, absolute monarchies ruled by kings came into existence in France and this culture became widespread in the German and in the central Europe. This kind of culture accorded a lot of power to the king and he became the absolute ruler with the responsibility of guarding the welfare of the people. In the eighteenth century, the Russian empire came into being after the Peter 1 introduced autocracy and later adopted the European governing system. The spread of well-defined political structures of European countries to other countries marked a new beginning in the history of the world. Early Modern Period as a period of great economic exchange but not great cultural change The early modern period is perceived more of a period of economic exchange rather than a time of cultural integration. Economic exchange refers to the exchange of valuables and goods across the territory that was common during the middle of the discovery age. During the discovery period, the western countries set out to find new markets where they could obtain spice goods such as coffee and tea and in the long run discovered productive lands and rich coastal shores where business was suitable. In addition, they engaged in the slave trade to acquire a free source of labor in their field in the effort of maximizing their profits. The period of cultural exchange refers to the post-discovery age when the western countries had already started to settle in foreign lands and there was need to learn new cultures to enhance business and communication. The start of the monarch was the beginning of cultural integration in which most countries decided started the culture of kingship that originated in the central Europe. In the better part of the discovery age, the communities engaged with little exchange of cultural values, but later cultural influence was impacted due to the enhanced interaction as the business grew stronger in these foreign lands. For instance, the formation of the Kiswahili language in Kenya coasts was meant to facilitate business between the Bantu and Arabs and Portuguese. There is a significant difference between cultural exchange and economic exchange as relates to the historical development of the world. While economic exchange refers to the material trade between different cultures, cultural exchange refers to the integration of different beliefs and social set ups in which different countries acquired new traditions from a foreign country. Economic exchange was characterized by trade of spice goods, slaves, valuables such as gold in which each country acquired goods that were not dominant in their country. In cultural exchange, societies acquired new traditions and formation of new languages and dialects was a common feature. However, culture integration facilitated the economic exchange by facilitating communication between foreigners and the locals. Why Industrial Revolution is considered Revolutionary The industrial revolution started in the 18th century and began in Europe where political structure was grounded and the economic stability had already been attained. By this time, Europe was well governed and had acquired a lot of wealth from foreign trade and its colonial territories. The country was also rich in natural resources such as iron and coal and the business was already beginning to take a corporate shape, rather than family business. This provided the country with the incentive to industrialize as a way of increasing business efficiency and effective product mobilization. Key features of the industrialization era were transport, communication facilities, urban set ups, education and differentiated standards of living in these countries. The developments experienced during the period of the industrial revolution were transformative and provided a new face to trade and communication. The evolution of transport was a key invention that pushed business to new heights, allowing transportation of bulk goods and accessibility of more remote regions. In this way, the distance barrier that existed during this period was eliminated and economic activities were facilitated with even better means of communication. During this period, civilization was also evident with the majority of the population trying to gain access to formal education after schools, though few were established in these countries. In Europe where civilization started, the population had migrated to urban locations and only 50% of this country’s population was still in the rural backgrounds, which in turn resulted to an increase in cost of living standards. The reason why this period is regarded as revolutionary is because, industrialization brought about many cultural changes in the world that up to now can be evidenced. The spread of industrialization to other countries transformed these countries and increased their efficiency in trade and civilization. Africans, for instance, became civilized and acquired basic knowledge that was essential in modernizing their trade and economic activities. The fight for freedom is regarded as a consequence of civilization in the colonized states, as the colonized countries gained knowledge of their fundamental rights of freedom. Consequently, this period also saw the end of slavery and colonized countries such as those in Africa adopted the technology they had acquired from their colonizers. For instance, they maintained the rail transport system and became one of the most efficient means of transporting their products. In brief, through industrialization, many countries in the world experienced a transition from the traditional methods into new efficient methods that are evident up to date. Works Cited Sammis, K. Focus on World History: The First Global Age and the Age of Revolution. New York: Walsh Publishing. 2002. Print Read More