Introduction
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries marked a significant change in the social, political, and economic sectors. All around the globe, especially in America and Europe, these eras marked the emergence of several revolutions. Political courses such as the French, Haitian, and American revolutions started in the early 1700s and aimed to promote liberty and social equity.
Focus then shifted to the manufacturing processes during the Age of Machinery in the 1800s. In particular, the changes after the Industrial Revolution significantly affected world economies positively. The 1700s and 1800s marked the beginning of the change that took effect and entirely transformed the world’s history in all fields.
The 1700s: The Age of Enlightenment
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
The eighteenth century marked the beginning of significant global change, transforming personal, familial, and societal affairs. Apparent social issues and class divisions were still present during this period. Slave trade and human trafficking were rampant with most African victims. As the trans-Atlantic trade grew, slavery was, on the other hand, declining in Asia (Berg & Hudson, 2021).
The business became a significant enterprise for major European powers such as the British, French, and Portugal (Roychoudhury, 2021)—foreign forces allied with local leaders who helped capture the bondservants. The local administrators, in exchange, got manufactured goods such as guns and clothes. All enslaved individuals were shackled and crammed into ships for transportation (Berg & Hudson, 2021). Many died along the way and were thrown into the Atlantic Ocean. Those who survived were sold into slave farms in North and South America (Berg & Hudson, 2021). War was also witnessed between empires and kingdoms across Europe.
Shifts in European Dominance
Various alterations were experienced across the eighteenth century due to varying causes. France was the superpower country in Europe in the early 1700s (Pohlig, 2021). Spanish King Charles II proclaimed Philip, the grandson of King Louis XIV of the French, as his successor (Gibson, 2021a). The king died in 1700, prompting the European powers to oppose the selection (Radulovic, 2021). Subsequently, the Grand Alliance was formed as it was feared France would be mighty.
However, the War of the Spanish Succession decreased France’s military power. The General Peace Treaty was signed in 1713 in Utrecht to restore peace and security across Europe (Radulovic, 2021). Being the first-ever great war, close to 400,000 lives were lost. Territorial changes were witnessed, with the significant powers taking new colonies (Janžekovič, 2022).
Moreover, the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years’ War were experienced during this period. The former lasted between 1740 and 1748; the latter lasted from 1756 to 1763 (Janžekovič, 2022). Britain then became the European powers’ sole superpower after France’s defeat.
Enlightenment
A new way of thinking was significantly witnessed in the eighteenth century. The enlightenment among marginalized societies resulted in the need to be liberated (Burnard & Riello, 2020). As a result, radicalization against slavery was experienced considerably across Europe and America. The high demand for sugar had led to the sudden need for enslaved people (Burnard & Riello, 2020). Those in bondage were forced to work in extensive plantations and cultivate the much-needed raw materials.
Slave Insurgency
It was not until the late eighteenth century that uprisings were experienced in America and Europe. Revolts occurred when there was a split within the ruling class. On many occasions, it was when masters were away or the whites were outnumbered (Burnard & Riello, 2020).
The Haitian Revolution was the most successful slave insurgency of the 1700s (Eddins, 2022). It began in 1791 and continued until 1794, when slavery was abolished by the French government (Eddins, 2022). More specifically, the American Revolutionary War aimed at gaining political independence. The insurrection began in 1775 and ended eight years later (Hattem, 2021). Positive experiences were also witnessed in the 1700s, which paved the way for industrialization.
Rise of British Industries
With Britain as the superpower in Europe, its success in international trade was forthcoming. Due to the exploitation of iron and coal, the cheap energy economy prompted the demand for technology (Moll, 2021). During the mid-eighteenth century, significant innovations and mechanization began in Britain. The changes included using electricity, steam engines, coal, and petroleum (Moll, 2021).
Modern materials made of steel and iron were made available, thus making farming more accessible. Human energy use was limited, and machines performed much work. There was the division of labor in factories and the introduction of science in industries. Changes were made in communication, where telegraph and radio were introduced (Roychoudhury, 2021).
Transportation was made more accessible with the introduction of automobiles, steamships, and airplanes (Gibson, 2021a). With these new changes, the production of goods increased. The advances were confined mainly in Britain from 1760 to prevent competition. Additionally, the government forbade the export of production procedures, skilled personnel, or machinery (Gibson, 2021a). As the years progressed, the changes were spread across the globe.
The 1800s: The Industrial Revolution
Belgium
New changes in the industrial world resulted in the growth of economies. The spread of the Industrial Revolution outside Britain took place in the nineteenth century. Belgium was the first nation to industrialized after Britain (Gibson, 2021b). Between 1815 and 1900, the production of goods and materials in Britain and across Europe increased rapidly (Gerhátová et al., 2021).
France and Britain
With new factories built, product demand was met and transported easily. Political uncertainties in France discouraged transformation, significantly impacting the revolution (Gibson, 2021b). At the same time, Britain was establishing its dominance in industrial technology. It took France several years to be innovated, but still not at the level of the Britons (Mackenzie, 2021). In many regions, the revolution took time to be fully adopted.
Germany
Other European nations lacked the wealth, opportunities, and power to industrialize. In Germany, the major obstacle was political uncertainty as resources were present. It took Germany until 1870 to invest in the new technology (Mackenzie, 2021). This was possible after the country attained political stability and national unity. Canals were built in Britain since the onset of the revolution. More than 4,000 miles of canals were present in the country by 1850 (Sharma & Jit Singh, 2020).
Railway Building
The first railway line in Britain was opened officially in 1825. It used steam locomotives, and its primary purpose was to transport minerals. The first public train was commissioned in 1826 and was completed four years later (Sharma & Jit Singh, 2020). The new rail line connected Liverpool and Manchester, becoming the first intercity line. With the international trade, Britain got involved with Asian nations such as China and Japan.
Asian-European Trade and Opium Wars
International marketing had its challenges in the nineteenth century due to cultural differences. Asia became increasingly connected to Europe due to trade. British traders sold opium, thus making China have serious drug troubles (Gibson, 2021b). China’s emperor banned the selling of this drug, which caused a significant backlash resulting in conflict. The opium wars took place between Britain and China in the middle 1800s.
McDonagh and Wickes (2020) stated that the Treaty of Nanking ended the first war in 1842. The Convention of Peking resolved the second conflict in 1860 (Gibson, 2021b). As a result of the second agreement, all trade tariffs to European countries were dropped, thus legalizing opium selling (Gibson, 2021b). The warfare, combined with internal unrest, led to the decline of the Qing Dynasty (YU, 2021). During this same period, slavery was abolished entirely in the West.
Slavery Abolishment
Efforts to eradicate slave trading started in the 1700s but were not achieved. It was in 1807 that the United States of America and the United Kingdom prohibited international slavery (Wright, 2020). The two nations started blocking any slave ship wanting to pass through their shores. Britain signed the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 to forbid any form of human trafficking (Wright, 2020). The act was utterly eradicated in France in 1848 after being introduced by Napoleon in 1802(Katsina, 2020). Slavery occurred in some parts of the world, but in a few cases. Brazil was among the last nations to illegalize the process in 1888 (Katsina, 2020). Most Western countries signed agreements to abolish the act entirely and embrace equality.
Conclusion
The world significantly changed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, prompting many alterations in the social, political, and economic sectors. The Age of Enlightenment encouraged the population to develop their conditions. European powers mainly conducted the slave trade.
Wars between empires and kingdoms were also experienced, with the standard between France and Spain—those captured as enslaved people were sold to work in plantations and produce raw materials. At the end of the eighteenth century, insurgencies were witnessed globally. Change in the economy was experienced after the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain. In the nineteenth century, industrial change took effect across the globe. Other issues experienced were the war between Britain and China and the abolition of the slave trade.
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