Comparing the Industrialization of Britain and Japan Essay

Comparing the industrialization of Britain and Japan Two ships can arrive at the same destination; however that does not necessarily mean that they used the same route on their journey. Such is the same with the industrialization of Britain and Japan. Both rose to become the two great pioneers of the modern world; however the paths they took to success were different. This paper will compare Japan and Britain, exploring the causes of its industrialization, and how the countries drastically changed because of it. What sets Britain’s industrialization process apart from Japans is that it did not have a role model to base its development on; it was the first industrial nation. Therefore the cause of its industrialization must have much†¦show more content†¦However the biggest advantage Britain had that spurred their modern thinking into industrial factories was its geography. England had fast flowing rivers that were effective to power water mills for machinery, and provided transportation routes for industrial goods. The weak point about rivers was that in winter they froze, stopping the water powered machinery and blocking routes (Little, n.d.). This leads to the true geographical advantage of Britain, one that wasn’t stop by the effects of seasons: high deposits of coal and iron ore. Coal was able to power the newly invented steam engine, which was a breakthrough leading to large scale industries (Little, n.d.). The idea of using steam as a force to power machinery was not new during the seventeen hundreds; it had already been mentioned by ancient Greek scholars. It was scientist such as James watt that refined that idea to create the steam engine (Live science, 2012). The concept is simple, water is heated by coal and the resulting steam acts as a driving force for the machines, similar to how the rivers flow powered the mills (Live science, 2012). Water power meant that factories were limited to certain locations, however steam powered factories could did not have such constraint (Live sc ience, 2012). The steam engine expanded industries all over Britain. First, it improved the coal industry by pumping water out of coal mines, making it safe from flooding (Live science, 2012). Secondly, theShow MoreRelatedThe Great Divergence : China, Europe And The Making Of The Modern World Economy Essay1726 Words   |  7 PagesCalifornia School. He thinks that the reason for the appearance of the Industrial Revolution should be attributed to Britain’s luck in geography, especially the coals and colonies. And it is a sharp rapture instead of a gradual transition. Despite comparing the past and present, Pomeranz does a horizontal comparison between relatively small units, the wealthiest parts of the Europe and Asia before the eighteenth century. And he found that the economies of these places were far more similar than non-ChinaRead MoreWorld Economy from 1850 Until Today3262 Words   |  14 Pagesglobalization from 1975 onwards. Britain was the first country to ever experience what history has sometimes called the most important development in economics and one of the most decisive revolutions ever: the Industrial Revolution. An amazing jump forward in the story of civilization, the Industrial Revolution has formed the world, as we know it today for better or for worse. To be able to achieve such greatness and climb to the top of the economic ladder, Britain had to have the talent, the desireRead MoreThe Relationship Between Japan And Japan During The Modern Era2253 Words   |  10 Pages Pavin Kaler 211347747 April 16th, 2015 Professor Joe Kispal-Kovacs Transportations in Political Structures in China and Japan during the Modern Era Comparative Essay 1 While Japan and China both had to go through transformations in political structures in order for them to experience revolutions as a reaction to colonization attempts during the Modern Era, both nations alsoRead MoreThe Importance Of A Family On Cultural Diversity1515 Words   |  7 Pages‘traditional family’, which makes it hard to define the term. (Allan, G. and Crow, G. 2001). Over the past 40 years there have been dramatic changes in family patterns. One common change is stepfamilies in modernized western societies such as Britain. In census data from 2011, there were 544,00 stepfamilies with dependent edchildren. Overall 11% of couple families with dependent children are stepfamilies in England and wales (ONS, 2011) A stepfamily is seen as a family consisting of a â€Å"naturalRead MoreThe Fundamental Causes of the Russian Revolution Essay1299 Words   |  6 Pagesthe leader in automated technology in the late 1800s and human rights quickly became a concern in places of employment. This gave stimulation to industrial development in Russia. 1890 was the beginning of the great leap forward in Russian industrialization. Huge factories were constructed, implementing the most modern technologies available, which were imported from England, Germany and the USA. Along with the most up to date technology brought in from the West, came the most current and a dvancedRead MoreRealism: a Greater Explanation for World War I Essay2058 Words   |  9 Pagesnationalism, or attitude toward their country, also increased. According to Northedge and Grieve this was because the media was a greater influence then, than it was now. This was due to the fact that there was lack of education and no means of comparing different sources. In that period people believe virtually everything they read (Northedge and Grieve 71). There are many different methods of obtaining power and controlling it within realism; hegemonic stability theory, imperialism, and balanceRead MoreEssay on Asian Business1844 Words   |  8 Pagesafter the Meiji restoration brought an end to the Tokugawa shogun ate and installed a new Japanese government. It was issued in the name of the Emperor Meiji, the text was written by a group of the young samurai, mainly from domains in southwestern Japan, who had led the overthrow of the Tokugawa and the â€Å"restoration† of imperia l rule (Hasegawa and Noronha). The Charter Oath appeared at a time of considerable uncertainty in Japanese society, as people throughout the country were unsure of the intentionsRead MoreUnited States Announced War On Spain1910 Words   |  8 Pageswestern hemisphere contributed immensely to this war (Mosse 167). After the war, the economy of the U.S improved significantly due to the expansion of the western parts such as Cuba and Philippines, ever-growing systems of railroads and massive industrialization. In fact, by 1900, the value of exports was three times greater than it was before the emergence of the Spanish- American war. After the war, American investors moved to Latin America, Eastern Asia and Philippines where they invested billionsRead MorePaul Samuelson s Erroneous Prediction Of Soviet Growth3265 Words   |  14 Pagestextbook and educational industry. This great success was not without some blunders, however. Starting in his 1961 edition of Economics, Samuelson first published a graph and accompanying text predicting the future growth of the Soviet Union, and comparing it to that of the United states. At the time, he gauged that the economic output of the USSR was at half that of the US, and though for this first, and several following editions, he suggested higher growth rate s in the USSR, the ratio of economicRead MoreSecret Intelligence Service and Espionage4647 Words   |  19 Pagesunits. To protect the country against foreign agents, the U.S. Congress passed the Espionage Statute of 1917.  Mata Hari, who obtained information for Germany by seducing French officials, was the most noted espionage agent of World War I. Germany and Japan established elaborate espionage nets in the years preceding World War II. In 1942 the Office of Strategic Services was founded by Gen. William J.  Donovan. However, the British system was the keystone of Allied intelligence. Since World War II, espionage