The Contrast of the Commercial Revolution with the Industrial Revolution - Coursework Example

The Commercial Revolution vs. the Industrial Revolution The Commercial Revolution refers to a time in history when European countries were expanding their boundaries through the processes of trade. Explorers following the ships of Christopher Columbus found, on their own planet, a new land mass inhabited by humans. Of all mankind’s explorations, this period of discovery had the most impact on the future of the world’s collective societies. It caused the questioning of Christian religious dogma which encouraged the further use of critical thought on a widespread scale thus allowing society to advance both in knowledge and in the concept of human thought (Kreis, 2002). Until it was proved differently, church officials deemed it heresy to suggest the Earth was round because the Bible refers to the ‘four corners of the world.’ In addition, if God flooded the world and only Noah’s family survived, where did these people come from? The scientific boom that began in the 1600’s and continues to this day owes much to this period. The church was no longer able to stifle scientific knowledge following the events of this era. Additionally, the economy of Portugal, then Spain, Europe and Asia among others experienced a revival due to the increasing slave trade and the lifestyle and cultural traditions of the native people of the ‘new world’ were forever altered. Portugal and then soon afterward Spain embarked on the greatest adventure in human history during the late 15th century. Portugal was interested in the new avenues and forms of trade that the discovery of the Americas offered while Spain’s intent in the New World was occupation and subjugation of the native people (Kreis, 2002). The treasures the land provided and the labor of slaves captured in the Americas greatly built-up the Spanish economy and allowed its entire empire to flourish. The benefits of discovering the New World was enormous. Europe, particularly Spain, was inundated with silver, gold and free labor which greatly improved a sagging economy and fragmented political situations. “If the Age of Discovery did anything, it restored the self-confidence of Europe, and in turn, Europe rediscovered itself” (Kreis, 2002). Exploring the New World was a good investment. The cost was relatively low compared to the potential reward. The risk for sailors was high, however. When Europeans first met the natives, they were a long way from home and outnumbered so the strategy was to befriend them (Kreis, 2002). The friendly pretense soon faded when vast quantities of gold and silver were discovered soon after the first meetings and the mass exploitation started. The Europeans’ initial first motive in the new lands was probably an eagerness to observe and understand the newfound cultures. The conquest mentality in the Age of Discovery could have had religious origins, a deep-seated connection with the Crusades of a few centuries earlier (Kreis, 2002). A third motivation for exploring the New World was purely economic in nature while others encompassed cultural enlightenment and expansion, political ambitions and religious recruitment concerns. During the 1500’s, “Western Christendom felt itself to be shrinking and decaying at a time when Islam seemed to be enlarging its domain” (Kreis, 2002). When historians refer to imperialism, they are generally describing one nation conquering and dominating another group of peoples. The actions of 15th century Europeans in the Americas certainly fit this definition. The New World was discovered at about the same time the navies and merchant shipping of European nations were at their apex. Therefore, this was an opportunistic time to colonize other lands, especially those whose inhabitants were less technologically advanced. This is what the Romans did and the Greeks before them, it was the Europeans turn for imperialistic conquest. The New World conquest yielded new lands, riches and slave labor which set-off an imperialistic hunger that spread to Africa. It was closer, larger and the natives from that continent were preferred as slaves over the natives of the Americas. The Europeans quickly claimed jurisdiction over most regions of Africa and Turkey as well. The British conquered India and did modernize its economy but it was to their own benefit. European nations also claimed mass regions of Southeast Asia (McDougal-Littell, 1999). By the early 19th century, the New World wealth had been well plundered and it was widely feared that the slaves emanating from there could spread new diseases in Europe or contract European diseases and die themselves. Africa was an attractive target to quench the Europeans’ new thirst to create far-away empires and control territories that held the raw materials needed to maintain and grow their prosperous economies which were built upon imperialistic tactics. New territories also meant the opportunity to trade with new markets. By the mid 19th century, the conquest for Africa was well underway. Gaining and controlling new territories outside the original country was justified by many explanations. A certain amount of national pride fueled the desire for an expansionist agenda. Obtaining new colonies was widely viewed as a gauge of a nation’s global prominence. Another justification was based on the prevalent racist attitude. “Europeans thought that they were better than Africans” (McDougal-Littell, 1999). Church officials and missionaries encouraged imperialism because the natives of conquered territories could be more easily coerced to convert to Christianity. The British East India Company owned vast tracts of land and was the most powerful economic power in 1700’s India (McDougal-Littell, 1999). British laws required industries in India to furnish dyes, coffee, cotton and most importantly, tea to British companies. Other trade laws that favored British interests ultimately caused the closure of many Indian businesses. Because British regulation dictated which crops were to be grown, many villages and individual farmers were not able to supply themselves with enough food. India did enjoy some benefit as a result of British rule. The country’s infrastructure was greatly modernized with new telegraph lines, bridges, dams and the third largest railway system in the world (McDougal-Littell, 1999). Schools were built raising the literacy rate and enhanced sanitation systems improved the general health of the population (McDougal-Littell, 1999). European countries also annexed large portions of Southeast Asia because of its close proximity to China and to obtain new sources for raw materials and resources such as coffee, sugar, fruits, rubber and cocoa (McDougal-Littell, 1999). As the amount of trade increased in this region of the world, European nations increased their conquered territories. Indonesia was controlled by the Dutch; Malaysia, Burma and Singapore were British owned. France took what is now Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Though local Asian farmers were growing much more rice under European rule, much of it was being exported which caused a shortage of food in these areas (McDougal-Littell, 1999). Colonialism did bring some favorable features of modern technology such as higher quality schools and methods of sanitation but the economic changes were to the Europeans’ benefit. In addition, large-scale plantation-style farming techniques merged together different people from all areas of Asia and this mixture of various religions and cultures caused conflicts. Some of the current conflicts between peoples of this region had its origins during this period of mass imperialism (McDougal-Littell, 1999). This period of discovery followed by expansion, exploitation and encroachment was itself followed by an equally influential period known as the Industrial Revolution. This period is identified generally as a time of nostalgic perfection as well as rigid oppression. It is the age of change and social advances as well as the age of strict social structure and a severe regard for the customs of the past. Under the reign of Queen Victoria, the Industrial Revolution came of age, blossomed and brought sweeping change across the country and the world. Life switched from being primarily dictated by the land one owned to a social structure based on commerce and manufacturing (Greenblatt, 2005). In this switch, there was a great deal of social upheaval as people living in these changing times began to question the status quo. Social class structures were beginning to break down as common men were able to make fortunes in industry and landowners found it more and more difficult to keep the idyllic life they’d constructed alive. The Industrial Revolution provoked a number of innovations, a progressive trend of thought, cultural movements toward mass consumerism, new forms of art using new materials, new literary styles, architectural approaches and other changes to the daily life of all individuals living in the modern world. Detail of expression such as that expressed in the Arts and Crafts movement was difficult to achieve by machine which had the unintended effect of ‘modernizing’ them into less ornate figures. The progression of thought can be traced as the arts of this period were developed in defiance of these technological changes yet were then refined to incorporate the new forms and materials available through industrial production and the greater demand of the emerging consumer culture. “Not only art but also everyday objects, buildings, décor, everything lacked a face, and it was the realization of its lack in this particular respect which began to make the period so cruelly conscious of its anonymity” (Cassau, 1962). Women, too, were beginning to question their allotted place in society as more and more opportunities opened for them in the urban centers of the country, providing them with a means of supporting themselves and freeing themselves from the yoke of male domination. However, at the same time, these positions were not the equal rights positions of modern times, so it was often difficult to determine whether one wanted to sacrifice freedom for comfort or comfort for freedom. Rarely was it possible to attain both. While both of these periods, the Commercial Revolution and the Industrial Revolution had a profound effect on how today’s humans live their lives, at least in the so-called developed countries, the way they did this was completely different. Both periods changed the way we understood the world around us and challenged the traditional ideas of the past. They introduced new technologies that enabled us to reach further and attain more comfortable lifestyles. However, they are different in that the primary driver of change during the Commercial Revolution was the process of voyage and discovery followed by a similar period of exploitation of less developed peoples and the resources of their lands. This is contrasted against the processes of the Industrial Revolution in which the primary drivers were the development of new technologies that made it possible for corporations to form through the development of the factory in which the common people of the home country could be exploited as a means of creating greater wealth for the upper levels of society. Works Cited Cassou, Jean, Emil Langui and Nikolaus Pevsner. Gateway to the Twentieth Century: Art and Culture in a Changing World. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962. Greenblatt, Stephen (Ed.). “Introduction: The Victorian Age.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 8. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Kreis, Steven. “The Age of Discovery.” The History Guide. (2002). July 29, 2009 McDougal-Littell. “Telescoping the Times: The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914.” (1999). July 29, 2009 Read More