Global Economic Development from 1750 to 1900

Global Economic Development from 1750 to 1900: AP World History Study Guide

Step right up, ladies and gents, and prepare for an exciting journey through the bustling bazaars of the 18th and 19th centuries! 🚂🌍 Get ready to witness the dizzying changes brought about by industrialization, trade, and technological advancements as we unravel the tale of global economic development from 1750 to 1900.

In the late 18th century, Britain decided it was tired of hand-knitting and horse-and-buggy days. Boom! The Industrial Revolution kicked off, introducing snazzy new technologies and manufacturing industries. This period was like hitting a jackpot, as factories flourished and production skyrocketed. Industrialization wasn’t contagious but pretty close! Other countries, particularly in Europe and North America, joined the bandwagon, ensuring the revolution was anything but British-only.

With industry came an upgrade in the standard of living for many. Imagine middle-class folk suddenly upping their game to high tea with scones rather than just plain bread. 🍰☕ However, this newfound prosperity wasn’t distributed equally. While some parts of the world were busy enjoying their industrial cake, others were left scraping crumbs, especially regions under colonial rule.

Railroads were the transport superstars of the era, like the Uber and Amazon Prime of their day but with way more soot and steam. 🛤️ In countries like the US and Canada, transcontinental railroads turned vast frontiers into trade hubs. This made hauling goods faster, cheaper, and a whole lot less bumpy. Suddenly, moving raw materials to factories and finished goods to ports was smoother than a jazz record, and new markets sprang up like daisies in spring.

Communication went from “letter, please” to “beam me up, telegraph!” The telegraph sped up communication like a caffeine shot in a turtle race. 📜⚡ With this marvel of technology, people could coordinate trade and investment with the efficiency of mid-90s internet memes. Telegraph networks spread their cables all over the globe, knitting economies tighter than Grandma’s favorite scarf.

Speaking of speeding things up, enter the steamships! 🛳️ These water wonders made international trade a breeze by crossing oceans in record time. Faster and cheaper transport meant goods got from point A to point B without missing a beat, opening up new trade routes and propelling economic growth faster than you could say “bon voyage!”

While industries were getting steamier, agriculture was cranking its gears, too. With mechanization – that’s a fancy word for "bringing in the machines" – farms started producing more than ever. Threshing machines and reaping tools were the hot new gadgets, making farming more efficient and productive. Imagine a farm app that updates your plow settings; it was that kind of upgrade! 🌽🚜

The Enclosure Movement turned fragmented plots into big, cohesive farms. It was like swapping a mess of puzzle pieces for a pristinely finished jigsaw. This meant more efficient use of resources and boosted commercial agriculture, leading to a rise in the export of agricultural goods.

To keep the industrial wheels turning, raw materials were a must. Think of these as the juiciest ingredients in the global economic pie:

• Cotton: Thanks to inventions like the power loom and the spinning jenny, cotton production spun out faster than a cat chasing a ball of yarn. The US and India were the major cotton growers, exporting this fluffy gold to feed textile industries worldwide. 🧵🏭

• Rubber: Essential for the pneumatic tire (and let's face it, what’s a car without tires?), rubber production kept the wheels literally spinning. This gooey treasure was primarily sourced from South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

• Palm Oil: Used in soaps, candles, and lubricants, palm oil was the industrial cosmos’s Piccolo. Grown in West Africa and Southeast Asia, it was a go-to for many manufacturers.

• Copper and Tin: Copper was the metal-head’s dream, vital for wires, pipes, and electrics. Tin was equally shiny in its uses, from tinplate to cans. Both metals were mined intensively, sparking growth but also raising issues of environmental degradation and labor exploitation.

• Ivory, Minerals, and Diamonds: Like the rock stars of the mineral world, ivory, gold, and diamonds were sought after for their beauty and industrial uses. However, their extraction often led to exploitation and added ugly blots like colonization, environmental harm, and cultural loss. 🦏💎

Industrialization was a mixed bag of awesome tech and grim downsides. Economies boomed with the rise of export economies, thanks to the mass production of goods and increased efficiency. However, this period also left some burning questions and more burning forests due to overexploitation. Environmental degradation, from deforestation to soil erosion, became rampant as the demand for raw materials soared.

Colonialism was another dark cloud, as European powers exploited colonies for resources, leading to the underdevelopment of regions in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The displacement and harsh treatment of local communities were glaring marks on this era's otherwise glittering progress report.

• Agricultural Developments: Innovations in farming techniques that increased crop yields and efficiency. Imagine farms on protein shakes.

• Apartheid in South Africa: A system of racial segregation that was law in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. Think of it as massively unfair social distancing.

• Colonialism: The practice of powerful countries flexing their muscles over weaker regions, often setting up colonies and milking them for resources. Not exactly neighborly.

• Deforestation: Chopping down forests faster than lumberjacks on energy drinks, leading to loss of trees and biodiversity.

• Enclosure Movement: Consolidating small land plots into big farms, thus boosting agricultural efficiency. It was the monopoly board of farms.

• Green Revolution Crops: High-yield crop varieties developed during the mid-20th century to combat hunger. Food production with a turbo boost.

• Industrial Revolution: The shift to mechanized production that began in the UK and then spread globally, changing the face of industry forever.

• Telegraph: Early tech that allowed for long-distance communication using coded signals. Basically, the 19th-century WhatsApp.

From the clanking factories of the Industrial Revolution to the sprawling plantations of the Enclosure Movement, the period from 1750 to 1900 was like the world on a treadmill set to sprint. Some regions enjoyed the ride, while others felt the burn, particularly those under colonial exploitation. 🏭📞

As you conquer your AP World History exam, remember the key players and the rollercoaster of changes that marked this transformative era. Equip yourself with the knowledge of both progress and pitfalls, and you'll be set to ace it!