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Western Civilization Research Paper

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“What do I think of western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea.” This quote was said by Mahatma Gandhi. Little did he know the effect that the rise of the West would have on the rest of the world. Maritime achievement, industrialization, and imperialism helped the West to rise in power and ultimately changed the second half of the millennia.
Between the 16th and 17th centuries, European sailors traveled the seas in search of treasures, fame and new trade. Before Christopher Columbus came over, there were no cattle and horses in America. They introduced the animals to the natives which changed the way they hunted (Schiffman’s Captain’s blog). Maritime travel also changed the European mind of wealth and paved the way for …show more content…

America and Europe became industrialized and urbanized during the 18th and 19th centuries (history.com). Before the Industrial revolution, manufacturing was often done in people's homes using tools or basic machines (history.com). Life for the average person was poor and typically unhealthy. Industrialization and creativity marked a shift to powered machinery, mass production, and factories (history.com). The development of steam engines played a role in the Industrial Revolution. It manufactured goods and improved the standard of living. Britain’s, Spinning Jenny, which allowed in increase in spooled thread production helped decrease the workload of people and increased production. Industrialization spread to many European countries. It helped speed up manufacturing and building on a wide scale. More goods can be produced by industrialized countries. The telegraph was invented in 1837 which increased communication. Industrial financiers and banks also increased as the New York Stock Exchange was founded in the 1790’s (history.com). Industrialization made an economy run more efficiently, allowing more goods to be produced and more labor freed up to improve the economy further. Industrialization helped give rise to the Western culture through innovation, transportation and communication …show more content…

This changed the shape of the world. One of the motives were to explore unknown territory in order to conduct scientific experiments and medical research (effects of imperialism). Weak countries that were colonized benefited by improvements in education and sanitation (Jessie). The mother nations built roads, canals, and railways causing improved infrastructure. Africa and India benefited greatly from imperialism (Jessie). Unemployment went down when factories were built and life expectancy went up. Products were sold on the international market and made colonies wealthy. Colonization provided the colonizers with a new labor force a new supply of raw materials. There were new crops, tools and farming methods which boosted the gather rate in harvesting crops. Imperialism helped other countries in many ways and helped the West rise to

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