What was the extent to which railroads affected the process of empire building in Afro

Evaluate the extent to which railroads affected the process of empire building in afro eurasiabetween 1860 and 1918ContextWhat happened that lead to railroads1.Helped empires expand and control africa and china2.Created nationalismEuropean imperialism caused a rise of the western above most places such as the Eastand West. They used governing tactics like slavery, as well as people's allegiance to Europe, toobtain more power before the industrial revolution and other major advances. The industrialrevolution, which lasted from 1860 to 1918, revealed new ways to improve productivity. Thedevelopment of quick land travel was supported by several innovations, such as the steamdriven ships. As countries industrialized, there was an increase in the need of new territory forraw materials. Soon after, many countries sought out Afro-Eurasia to begin colonization. Thisled to the creation of the railroads which had a significant effect on the process ofempire-building.Railroads significantly affected the process of empire building. In Document #2, withoutanother technological advancement, China would not continue to prosper. China's empire couldonly be extended by the use of railroads. While Document #2 was written by a Qing dynastyofficial, it is probable that he is biased in favor of establishing a railroad system, undermining thesource's credibility. Document 3 discusses the Ottoman Empire's problems and how a proposedrailroad system could fix them. The Ottomans will strengthen their power within their own landwithout relying on foreign powers for transportation throughout Mecca. Since Document 3 waswritten by the Ottoman government, it is possible that it is biased in favor of the construction of arailroad system, undermining the document's credibility. In Document # 4, it reveals a map thatshows the benefits of a proposed railway. This railway system perfectly goes over the major

PROMPT: Evaluate the extent to which railroads affected the process of empire-building in Afro-Eurasia between 1860 and 1918.

MY ESSAY:

In the period 1750-1900, many parts of the world were rapidly advancing technologically, in an event known as the Industrial Revolution. James Watt developed the steam engine in 1765, which would prove to be useful in the next century. With empires expanding their reach and colonising much of the world, transportation became more important. The first steam-powered locomotive was created by George Stevenson, which quickly reduced the price and time it took to transport between far away places. Railroads mpacted empire-building from 1860-1918, and two ways it did was by making it easier for governments to consolidate power in places far from where the empire originated, and by increasing patriotism and nationalism in conquered lands.

Railroads made it easier for governments to consolidate power in far-away conquered lands. For example, South Africa is geographically distant from England, but the British Empire centered in England owned South Africa as part of the empire. In Document 4, a map is shown of a railroad proposed by British imperialist Cecil Rhodes, that would strech acrossBritains territory in Africa from Cape Town to Cairo. SEeing as the railroad was proposed by Cecil Rhodes, a British imperialist who is known for wanting Britain to take over the whole world, it can be assumed that the railroad's purpose would have been to facilitate the British Empire's consolidation of power throughout its African territory. This shows that Britain used railroads to consolidate power in far-away lands such as Africa. Another government that can be seen using this technique is Russia, whose territory had rapidly grown in the eighteenth century. They needed away to consolidate power in Siberian land thousands of miles away. To do this, the Trans-Siberan railroad was proposed, as shown by Document 5. Document 5 is a British editorial disussing the railroad in 1901, and it predicts that the Trans-Siberian railroad will successfully allow Russia to consolidate their power in the Far East, where they haven't been able to as effectively before. Given the historical context of the age of imperialism, and the context that Russia had gotten the vast majority of its land fairly recently, it makes sence that Russia would feel the need to legitimize its government presence in, as well as protect, its newly acquired land. Using railroads to consolidate power was also used in the United States, where railroads were built as the United States expanded to the West. These three examples show that railroads greatly impacted empire-building in the imperial age by letting governments consolidate their power in distant territory when they would not have been able to otherwise.

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