Trade Routes Lead to the Growth of Western Economic and Political Power After 1750 - Essay Example

Trade routes lead to the growth of western economic and political power after 1750 al affiliation Trade routes lead to thegrowth of western economic and political power after 1750 The Western world has grown to become the dominant force in global economy and politics today. However, this has not always been the case, considering that by the tenth century, the Western world was still recovering from the consequences of the fall of the Roman Empire (Hall 1990, pp. 134). The Western world struggled to attain stability both economically and politically, while countries such as China and Japan enjoyed good economies. Nonetheless, by 1500 the Western world had managed to revive itself and achieved economic and political progress at a relatively equal pace with other countries in the world. For instance, by 1500, people in Europe, the Mediterranean region, and Asia practiced agriculture and had excellent transportation methods to ensure the dispersal of the agricultural produce. However, change came after 1750, when the Western world started to distance itself from the rest of the world in terms of economic and political growth. Although there are several factors that can be attributed to this distinction, the emergence of complex trading routes was the most important reason for the growth of Western economies and politics during this period. Accordingly, this essay seeks to discuss why and how trading routes became the chief reason for the growth of Western economic and political power after 1750. Western countries were always lured by the prospects of trade opportunities in other parts of the world. Consequently, the Westerners engaged in a series of trade routes expansions to cover regions such as Asia, America, and Africa. By around 1500, trade routes mainly comprised of the Asian, African and European regions. The trade was mostly conducted across the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. However, after 1750, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic became some of the most important trade routes in world history that opened up a whole new level of international trade. For instance, the Europeans colonized the Americas and Africa, established their own political systems in these areas and were using the resources in these regions to fuel the economies of the Western countries. Westerners established trade routes within Asia, across the Atlantic Ocean, and even the Pacific Ocean to cover areas such as Peru. The role of the railroads in opening up markets for the Western countries cannot be overemphasized. Findlay & O’Rourke (2007, pp. 405) state that these railroads were crucial for integrating markets by linking peasants in the interior areas to overseas consumers. The nineteenth century was especially crucial for the growth of Western economies and international trade as Europe exported materials to the rest of the world. According to Goldstone, (2000, pp. 186) the western world was able to open up trade routes to the rest of the world through improved railroads and steamships that eased transportation of bulky goods. More specifically, railroads led to the opening up of new territorial markets for agricultural produce, while steamboats opened up the interior of China, Africa and Brazil for trade to the Western countries (Goldstone, 2000 pp.187). The increased trade routes led to trade augmentation that resulted in more wealth creation among the Western countries. As a result, the Western countries were able to increase their military power, eventually leading to the colonization period. Market orientation on the part of the Western countries saw these countries widen their territorial markets and open up more trade routes around the globe. There were many entrepreneurs who were protected by their governments to venture into vast territories to conduct trade. For example, according to (Clark, 2007 pp. 257), the British East India Company was able to gain control over Bengal India. This enabled the British to infiltrate India and establish commerce centers in the country. As Jones (2003, pp. 191) notes, the period after 1750 saw Western traders take advantage of the fall of the Mughal Empire in India and several Western countries took advantage of the cotton trade in India. The British became the official administrators of the India and imposed their rule on the weakened Mughal Empire. After the 1750s, most Western countries started adopting liberal trade policies that allowed them to open up markets in other parts of the world and to lift the many prohibitions on imports (Findlay & O’RouRke, 2007, pp. 396). Countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Norway, and Denmark lowered their trade tariffs beginning 1797 to the late 1800s. This was achievable during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries because of the relative calm in the international arena, both economically and politically. The emergence of capitalism made it impossible for European nations to practice despotism, since the capitalists were against tyranny (Hall, 1990 pp. 159). Landes (2006, pp. 6) gives the example of china, which was unable to attain economic superiority because of the totalitarian government that opposed overseas trade. According to Jones (2003, pp. 83), the people from the Western world were able to achieve economic progress due to favorable geographies and environmental factors that facilitated trade and the creation of trade routes. Similarly, since people had started to take much interest in literature, there was a booming trade for books in the eighteenth century. For example, the eighteenth century saw the establishment of such institutions as the American Philosophical Society that saw Americans make philosophical contributions to the British Royal Society. According to Jones (2003, pp. 61) Europe also opened up more trade routes for commerce involving the trading of Latin books which were still read by scholars. The sale of these books and the international trade routes network gave the Western countries the much needed currency to build their economies. The developments in the Western world meant that other regions such as China were left behind in terms of economic and political development. However, Elvin (1984, pp. 384) states that China was left behind due to stagnation in science caused by cultural differences. The authoritarian government in China was very reluctant to international trade, a position that infuriated the Western world. The latter wanted to open up more international trade routes; an ambition which was being blocked by China (Landes 2006, pp.18). In response, the British sent delegations to China in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, seeking to improve the trade relations between the two countries. According to Landes (2006, pp.18), Chinese ports were opened to British ships, Hong Kong ceded to the British, and the Chinese reduced tariffs on British goods in 1842, in the Treaty of Nanjing. This move further opened up more trade routes between the Western world and the Asian region, thus accelerating the economic growth of the Western world. The Americas also made contact with China, whereby, American entrepreneurs sent their ships to China to collect artifacts and tea in exchange for medicine (Landes 1998, pp. 69). Therefore, it is evident that were it not for the increase in trade and more trading routes, Western countries would have achieved neither political nor economic superiority. According to Landes (1998, pp. 112) Western governments allowed their citizens to explore their commercial interests and guaranteed the right to won property, in addition to no oppressive taxes. A combination of all these aspects led to economic growth and political stability in the western world after 1750. However, Western countries were not always in agreement over the monopoly of international markets. Very often, the Westerners were engaged in rivalries over who controlled which trade centers and routes. A case in point is the British-French rivalry, commonly known as the Seven Years War that was fought in three continents in search of supremacy. The French provoked the British by seizing Madras, an English trading post in India, an action that led to the 1756-1763 war fought in Asia, Europe and America (Findlay & O’Rourke, 2007, pp. 267). In general, the increased expansion of world trade meant more profits for the western countries, thus more commercial dominance over world trade. The Western countries were not only able to control world trade but also world politics since the additional taxes from trading were use to enhance military operations all over the globe (Clark, 2007, pp. 303). For example, the British became the envy of many foreign governments in the nineteenth century, as Britain gained economic, military, and political power (ibid). In conclusion, it is manifest that the most important reason for the growth of Western political and economic power after 1750 was increased trading routes. The preceding discussion has demonstrated that the Western world was able to break away from the rest of the world and establish trade routes in areas that had rarely been considered as economically viable. By use of the Atlantic Ocean, the Europeans were able to establish trade posts in Africa and America, thus augmenting European commerce. The Europeans also continued trading with the Asians, particularly the Indians, via the Indian Ocean. The monopoly over trade in these areas led to the political colonization of the inhabitants, considering that the Westerners were better equipped in terms of military power. The profits from the numerous trade activities led to better military equipment that made it easier for the Westerners to subdue local resistances. This phenomenon was best illustrated during the colonization of Africa and Asia in the nineteenth century. Today, the Western world still controls international trade and most Western countries consider their political systems better than those of other countries in the world. References Clark, G., 2007. A Farewell to Alms: a brief economic history of the world. Oxfordshire: Princeton UP. Elvin, M., 1984. ‘Why China Failed to Create an Endogenous Industrial Capitalism: A Critique of Max Webers Explanation’, Theory and Society, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 379-391. Findlay, R, & O’Rourke, K.., 2007. Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium. Oxfordshire: Princeton U.P. Goldstone, J., 2009. ‘The Rise of the West-Or Not? A Revision to Socio-Economic History’, Sociological Theory, July 2000, Vol. 18, No. 2. Hall, J., 1990. Powers and Liberties: The Causes and Consequences of the Rise of the West. Los Angeles: University of California. Jones, E., 2003. The European Miracle: Environments, Economies, and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia. Cambridge University Press. Landes, D., 1998. Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some are so Rich and Some are so Poor. New York: Norton & Comp. --------------. ‘Why Europe and the West? Why Not China?’ The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 20, No. 2. Read More