Why were the natural resources of Africa and Asia important to the Europeans in the 1800s?
Why were the natural resources of Africa and Asia important to the Europeans in the 1800s?
History - 2 Answers
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1 :
The industrial revolution had started.
2 :
The 19th Century is known as a time of great industrial expansion for Europe. It was particularly cut-throat,too. Britain led the movement, and other countries soon followed, trying to gain industrial strenth. This was all leading up inevitably to a war--the Great War, or WWI. These attempts to gain natural resources became especially competitive between European countries, so this competition drove it. The movement is known as the "scramble for Africa," and later the "scramble to Asia." Europeans simply divided up Africa, for the first time they were moving into the interior of the African continent. Whereas the times before, control of Africa had been limited to ports around the east and west. I think the idea of Nationalism was a key motive for this move to gain natural resources, Governments promoted patriotism because they saw international politics as this grave competition. The 19th century was very important for establishing modern civlization, but we've certainly developed a sense of moral economy that was simply not present at the time.
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