Chapter 17 blog

I didn’t know that the Industrial Revolution was as world changing as Strayer paints it out to be. I also didn’t know that it spread much quicker than agriculture did. One of the sentences that summarized the importance of the Industrial Revolution was when Strayer wrote, “ In broad terms, the Industrial Revolution marks a human response to that dilemma as nonrenewable fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas replaced the endlessly renewable energy sources of wind, water, wood and the muscle power of people and animals” (738). 

It was also interesting to see that there was awareness of environmental impact even in the 1700s. Of course, this environmental impact has only gotten drastically worse, and the awareness has risen dramatically but in a way, it’s a bit heartbreaking to see that despite the 300 years of awareness, the earth continues to suffer as a result of mankind’s irreverence. It makes sense that historians then named this era the Anthropocene, because it became the age of man with little to no regard for the consequences.. 


I also thought it was very interesting that the Industrial Revolution is so heavily associated with Europe. This goes back to the ideas of Eurocentrism that we discussed in class. Interestingly, there were many other parts of the world that were flourishing during this same time. The Islamic world, India and China were all advancing and prospering as well. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter 20 blog

I thought it was interesting how Strayer describes the First World War as starting in Europe but provoking a series of “echoes” in other countries. He references the war as “a European civil war with a global reach” (881) and mentions the way the war prompted a global culture of communism. This was interesting because it reminded me of the Eurocentrism we studied and made me reflect on how Eurocentrism remained such an important concept (and arguably still is today, with countries like Britain remaining powerful in the global marketplace).   It was also interesting because from the reading I could sense Germany’s desire to become a strong world power. Strayer also mentions this when he talks about how Germany was desperately seeking its “place in the sun” (882). These are the early hints of WWII in the making.   I found our conversation in class particularly thought provoking, especially when we discussed how hints of fascism can be seen in our society today....
Read more

01/15 Chapter 13

It was super interesting to learn that one of the huge imperial advantages for the Europeans was that the winds blew towards the Americas, where they were hoping to expand. Contrary to this, in Asia the winds were unpredictable especially because of the monsoons that came from the Indian Ocean, which made Asian imperialism much more of a challenge. Also was surprised to learn that Asia was not very motivated to expand as their markets were so diverse and rich that they were content with where they were! Totally contrasts what was going on in Europe at the time. It only logically made sense then that the Europeans looked for direct access to the wealth and prosperity that was in Asia.   I love that Strayer consistently makes it a point to reference what the minorities were doing at every period in time, in every chapter. He mentions in this chapter that many persecuted minorities saw the conquering of the Americas as an amazing opportunity to start a new life and to become wea...
Read more

Chapter 22 blog

My favorite thing about reading Strayer’s writing is that he consistently maintains a global perspective. I love that he wrapped up his text by providing an overview of the major events going on all over the world, instead of with an American-focus or a Eurocentric focus.   My favorite part was that there was a section about INDIA!! I have so rarely learned about my country or culture in school. I actually didn’t know anything about Indian politics so it was great to learn about the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885. India is usually associated with not being very contemporary or liberal, but the formation of the INC was really progressive at the time as it was the first major political way India took a stand against the British.   I also loved being able to learn more about Gandhi. One thing that stuck out to me was that Gandhi got married at age thirteen. I was surprised that he didn’t find an issue with getting married so young. I didn’t kn...
Read more