Development of the Western Countries - Essay Example

Development of the Western Countries The great transformation The great transformation was characterized bynumerous features that were geared towards developing the world’s political, social and economic platforms. According to Polanyi (2001), civilisation was among the basic transformation tools. People required knowledge and an understanding of the various changes taking place in all sectors. In the 19th century, four institutions formed the basis for civilisation. The institutions were; the balance of power system, international gold standard, self-regulating market and the liberal state. The balance of power system was designed to be a crucial pillar for civilisation and to prevent any possible war among the Great Powers. In essence, the system was to provide a calm political environment and peaceful conflict resolution forum. The international gold standard was also an important institution for civilisation in that it denoted a unified world economy. In this regard, all nations could contribute to the development of the world economy as a single unit. Essentially, the international gold standard was tailored to aid in averting economic conquest in the world economy. In addition, the institution offered the Great Powers an opportunity to support each other in achieving economic stability. Self-regulating market was yet another important institution for civilisation. The institution was strategized to ensure fair distribution of the available resources. The last civilisation institution was the liberal state. The role of this institution was to promote substantial development through independent frameworks of the Great Powers. Transformation is a gradual process that is affected by a variety of factors. Peace is among the most fundamental tools for transformation. In fact, without peace, there cannot be transformation since the parties involved in the development process will always be at war. During the great transformation, the world nations established various strategies to avoid or avert any possible war. The nations realised that war was the main cause of peace instability and that there was need to avoid it. For instance, the great powers signed peace treaties and vowed to eliminate any causes that would precipitate war. The signing of peace agreements was an important undertaking since it brought about social, political and economic gains for the Great Powers. Actually, the Great Powers were able to suppress any peace disturbance caused by small nations. The signing of peace treaties led to the formation of two rival alliances. The parties to each alliance promised to adopt a protectionist policy towards the enemy. This meant that in an event where one party was attacked, the other parties to the alliance would come in and help. The alliance system resulted in poor relations between the two alliances. The alliance system called for a revolution in the world economy and every nation was determined to prove its political and economic power. The relations among the core economic powers were strained further by the fact that different nations were experiencing different stages of technological development. The world nations had stayed for a long period without engaging in war. For this reason, the world nations felt the urge to test their military power and prove their superiority. Role of complementaries between the core and periphery in the rise of the West The economic progress of the nations in the West can be viewed at from diverse points. The core nations were able to source raw materials and other resources from the periphery nations at very low cost. A critical analysis of the world economic patterns depicts that the periphery nations consist of poor countries. The Western nations colonized the periphery nation in order to obtain enormous economic benefits (Parthasarathi, 2011). The colonies were endowed with a variety of resources ranging from minerals to forest products. The Western Powers used their imperial power to acquire free resources and manpower from the periphery nations. The industrial revolution in Europe called for more raw materials due to the increased production and demand for goods. The intellectual development and technological advancement in Europe resulted in increased production. The periphery nations provided the market for the increased production and also provided the required industrial raw materials for production. The goods produced in the core nations were channeled to the periphery nations for market. In essence, the production in the core nation during the industrial revolution was targeted for the periphery nations. The economy of the core nations can be described as dynamic, which means that the sources of livelihood are diverse. In addition, the core nations have stable political structure that facilitate continued development through innovation and creativity. In this regard, the West nations were able to manipulate the periphery’s economy and reap enormous returns. In other words, the West could acquire labour and raw materials at low cost and exploit the periphery by charging high prices for the products and services. The economic achievement of the West can linked to the interdependence between the Western nations and the less developed countries. For instance, the less developed countries such as Asia and Africa provide cheap labour and large markets for the European goods due to the large population and low level of production. The use of technology in production as not fully taken root in the periphery and therefore they have to primary depend on the West. The Western economies have fully adopted the new technology in the production of goods and delivery of services. Use of technology in production results in huge returns since the production cost is maintained low and the goods or services produced are of high quality. In this regard, the economic benefit of the use of technology and advanced knowledge cannot be underrated as far as a country’s development is concerned. In fact, for a country to achieve full development, enormous investment has to be made in education, research and technological advancement. Development in the West The Western countries had had a gradual development progress since the mid-17th century. Before the industrial revolution, the West relied largely on manpower. The output per head was little and, therefore, there was need for a huge workforce. In this regard, the West opted for slaves since they provided cheap labour and they were easily available. British used imperialism to expand its territory across the world. Every British territory was expected to contribute to the economic and political development of Britain. Actually, British adopted the imperialism policy to expand the market for its products and expand its rule in different regions of the word. For instance, in the mid 1800 Britain acquired numerous territories including Hong Kong, Gold Coast and New Zealand. The acquired territories were rich in natural resources and fertile lands. Essentially, the territories provided raw materials for industries in Europe. In addition, acquisition of territories was used by the Great Powers to demonstrate their political superiority and military power. The more the territories a country had, the more powerful it was. Imperialism was used to enforce policies in territories that resisted the colonial rule (Louis, 2006). There has been a lot of controversy about the effectiveness of imperialism and its impacts on the social welfare of people in the territories. For instance, the rulers in the territories used imperial power for personal benefit. The revenue collected from the territories misused by the commissioners and only a small portion went to the British government. In addition, the commissioners and other rules in the territories acquired land and other natural resources to enrich themselves. A critical analysis of imperialism depicts many flaws that led to its failure. However, after the industrial revolution, the Western countries developed effective production techniques that were capital based. As a result, the need for slaves was eliminated and production increased. For this reason, slavery and the slave trade were abolished since they proved to be uneconomical and they were against the human rights. The industrial revolution led to mechanization of agriculture in Europe. Mechanization of agriculture resulted in increased production of industrial raw materials. This is because huge tracks of land would be cultivated with minimal human labour. New industries were established due to the increased production of raw materials. The transport system was developed and upgrade to facilitate the movement of raw materials to the industries. For instance, the construction of railways and good roads facilitated timely delivery of raw materials to the industries as well as the finished products to the market. The industrial revolution was accompanied by advancement in the level of technology and increased innovation. People developed unique production systems and incorporated technology in the production, processing and marketing of products. As a result, the scope of the market expanded and therefore, the profits were boosted. In addition, the industrial revolution opened many employment opportunities that led to improved living standards of the residents. The economic growth of the Western countries received a major boost from the industrial revolution. For instance, better transport means were developed, the gross domestic product improved and the social welfare of the residents was boosted. In summary, the British expansionist policy aided in the acquisition of territories and new markets for its products. The colonial era was characterized by numerous human injustices that were not healthy for smooth economic and political development. Reference list: Louis, W. R. (2006). End of British imperialism: The scramble for Empire, Suez and decolonialism : collected essays. London: I.B. Tauris. Parthasarathi, P. (2011). Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not: Global Economic Divergence, 1600– 1850. Cambridge University Press Polanyi, K. (2001). The Great Transformation. The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time. Beacon Press. Read More