Geography defines the social development of a region (Morris 56). For a hundred years, up to the year 1700, China was the most developed and successful country on earth.
This was due to the succession of inventions that characterized East Asia. The inventions in china alone made the East to be far ahead of the west as far as social development is concerned. During this millennium, Chinese built ships and invented primitive guns. They could cross the Pacific Ocean using these ships and use their guns to shoot the inhabitants of the other side of the ocean, the Americans.
They used their technological inventions to dominate lands, hence redefine geography. After learning of China’s development, the Western Europeans took advantage of their geographical proximity to the Americans. Western Europeans had to travel half the distance China did to reach the good lands of the Americans. Geography therefore made it possible for Western Europeans rather than the Chinese to colonize America.
Towards the end of the 17th century, the Europeans improved the shores of the Atlantic Ocean via trade. This enhanced their thinking in terms of tides and winds along these shores. Trade enhanced their arithmetic and measurement skills. This sudden uprising facilitated enlightenment in disciplines such as chemistry and Physics.
The tables had turned against China into the 18th century, because of Europe’s scientific revolution. The Europeans then borrowed their success in science on their social development. Geography is the key reason why the West took over lead from the East as far as Social development is concerned.
The constant conflict between France and England after the middle age had a great impact on Europe’s social development. The pace of development in Europe was highly reduced because both nations were engaged in war. Other nations, took advantage of this to go ahead of Europe in social development.
Expenses of the war, which took place for over a century in Europe, enhanced an increase in tax and destruction of cities. People became more concerned with rebuilding theses cities and improving the economy than gaining mileage in social development. The war greatly affected Europe’s economy. It is difficult for a country with a bad economy to develop socially (Hobson 196).
China, rather than Europe used to dominate in technology during the ancient times and middle ages. The Chinese came up with ships, guns and mechanization in agriculture way before the Westerners could even think about these things.
It is astonishing to learn that Europeans learnt about these developments from the Chinese. Innovations of the same caliber by Europeans came way after the Chinese had implemented their use in development. Tables however turned against the Chinese, making them to lag behind the Europeans in technological advancement.
China’s woes in development started just before the year 1500. This period is characterized by the invasion of China by the Mongol. Mongol consists of a tribe of tall people with rough character and backward culture. The Mongolians invaded, conquered and occupied China for almost a century.
These people’s occupation of China hindered further advancement in technological developments, making them to fall behind Europe. The Black Death plague that spread into China made its population to reduce by more than half its value. Reduction in population subsequently led to a fall in manpower. Black Death is a disease that affected China’s advancement in technology as people became more concerned with its elimination than with innovations (Morris 164).
Works Cited
Morris, Ian. Why the West Rules–for Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2010. Print.
Hobson, John. Eastern Origins of Western Civilization. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.