The Tools of Empire Essay - 717 Words

Looking back over the millennium now ending, one question in particular stands out: how did the inhabitants of Western Europe, a backwater in the year 1000AD, manage to gain economic and military dominance over much of the globe? Not so long ago, the answers to this question seemed obvious: Europeans were racially superior, and besides, God wanted them to win. As historians have shed race-driven and providential views of human history, new explanations have had to be formulated. Some of these new explanations are surprising; most of them conflict at some point with each other. Imperialism has been linked to multiple theories of the actual origins of the imperialistic Headrick uses the argument that technology made the creation of empire a†¦show more content†¦One of the most important tools in this phase was the steamer. These were ships that were equipped with a low pressure steam engine that drove a paddle wheel by converting the steam energy into kinetic energy, the energy of motion. The first steamers into India were two ships known as the Diana and the Pluto. These ships were brought in to be used as pleasure steamers for Nawab of Oudh (Hedrick 19). This ship was then commandeered by the British during their war with the Burmese in 1824. The Diana was the greatest investment the British could have acquired, it used its engines to pull sailing ships into lines and its loud cannons and fiery engines struck fear into the heart of their enemies. During this time the Select Committee on Steam Navigation to India was formed. The purpose of this committee was to recommend plans to British investors. The committee questioned three people, T homas Love Peacock, Francis Rawdon Chesney, and Macgregor Laird. The committee asked each experienced witness to share with them the fastest and most economical route to India. It was decided that the British would back both the Egyptian and Mesopotamian overland routes. The British then had another need to call on the power of the steamboat during the first Opium War in 1839. This war was started when the British kept smuggling Opium to China. The East India Company, who had had power over there for years felt, threatened when theShow MoreRelatedHan and Roman Attitudes Toward Technology Essay618 Words   |  3 PagesThe Han and Roman Empires were extremely important empires during the time of their existence. The Han Empire began around 206 BCE and ended at around 220 CE. The Roman Empire began at around 27 BCE and broke apart into two halves, the West falling in 476 and the East collapsing in 1453. The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire have different outlooks on technology, the H an Dynasty view technology as a practical application used to ease the workload of people, while the Roman Empire views certain technologyRead MoreHow Did The Technology Of Roman Empire Impact It?1741 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Roman Empire started to gain strength. They broke treaties and conquered neighboring countries. They revised battle tactics, weapons, legions, but mostly technology to emerge as an undisputed leader of the Mediterranean. The Roman Empire was eager to find new ways, new technology, to help the empire grow beyond imaginable. Arches, military weapons, and basic technology were all created by the Empire. However, the question trying to be answered is, â€Å"How did the technology of Roman Empire impact itRead MoreProctor Essay 2816 Words   |  4 Pagesthe reign of Constantine I and the establishment of the Byzantine Empire, the Eastern Christian church became a tool of the Emperors. Byzantine Emperors and Empresses played a dominant role in the Eastern church a nd used the Christian religion to strengthen the Empire internally, to spread Byzantine cultural and political influence, and at times, to fortify their own power† The development of christianity under the empire undoubtedly changed the relation between the political and spiritualRead MoreMongols Essay815 Words   |  4 PagesThe Mongolian Empire The Mongols, which were one of the greatest empires of their time, had unique traits which made them successful. They are vastly known for their military tactics, that led them to prosper. Wrapped up in a single word the Mongols were unstoppable. These remarkable people left an imprint on history to show it is possible to rise above even the harshest conditions. The Mongolian empire was successful due to their vast understanding of how to conquer an empire, dealing withRead MoreThe Han Dynasty And Roman Empire1223 Words   |  5 PagesThe Han Dynasty and Roman Empire, though worlds away, used technology as one of their building elements to create the great societies we know them as today. Through the documents provided, one can easily understand that both Roman and Han attitudes have both similar and different attitudes when it comes to the idea of technology. Although the usage of technology greatly differed between the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire, both civilizations experienced the positive and negative effects that technologyRead MoreThe Roman Empire1551 Words   |  7 PagesStep 1: Plan What kind of technology in the Roman Empire affect its growth the most? I will be investigating from the start of the Roman Empire in 753 BCE to when the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE. This investigation will have a broad scope while investigating and include things from the Roman Legion to aqueducts and concrete. This investigation will not include technology that was not widely used to better the Roman Empire. The research question will answer my question by conducting researchRead MoreThe Aztecs Werelocated In Mexico, Built On A Series Of1180 Words   |  5 Pagesultimate power in the land. They felt that he was appointed by the gods and had the divine right to rule.The Aztecs had no iron or bronze with which to make their tools and weapons. Therefore, the ancient Aztec people had to develop a means for creating effective tools and weapons without the benefit of these metals. For this reason, many Aztec tools were made with obsidian and chert.Invaders led by the Spanish c onquistador Hernan Cortes overthrew the Aztecs by force and captured Tenochtitlan in 1521, bringingRead MoreThe Religious Conversions of King Clovis I and Emperor Constantine I738 Words   |  3 PagesI. Constantine I was born in the year 280. During his reign as emperor of the Roman Empire, the state was falling apart. 1 He was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He called the Council of Nicea in 325 to resolve conflicts arising between the Arian Christians and the Athansian Christians. 2 This resulted in the canonization of Athansian Christianity, to which Constantine I converted his empire. 3Clovis I was born in the year 466, he was the king of the Franks and ruled Gaul forRead MorePhotography During Colonial Afric An Indispensable Tool That Provided Justification For Colonial Rule920 Words   |  4 Pages Photography in colonial Africa provided vulnerable visual texts that trapped Africans in space and time1. This art became an indispensable tool th at provided justification for instituting colonization in Africa. During that time period, photography became a mechanism for constraining Africans and their surroundings to the idea of primitiveness, devoid of any progress towards ‘modernity’. Equally important, colonial photography, if not always, took a distanced approach in capturing AfricansRead MoreHistory Of The World. Arguement: Throughout All Of Human1642 Words   |  7 Pagesperiod, humans grouped together in small societies such as tribes, and survived by gathering plants and hunting wild animals.The Paleolithic is characterized by the use of stone tools, although at the time humans also used wood and bone tools. Humankind gradually evolved from early members of humanity, who used simple stone tools. They transformed into fully behaviorally and religious modern humans or Homo sapiens during the Paleolithic era. During the end of the Paleolithic Revolution or the Upper Paleolithic