Industry, Science, and Technology

Industry, science, and technology greatly enhanced the strength of the Western European, Japanese, and North American nation-states. Changes in the late nineteenth century produced the second industrial revolution, which reordered ties between different parts of the globe. New technologies and materials, such as steel and electricity, greatly enhanced productivity, as did the wedding of science to technological development. Banks and joint-stock companies made capital widely available, fueling the rise of huge companies that increased exports overseas. Profound appetites for cheap labor and natural materials, especially those unavailable in Europe such as rubber, led corporations to extend their influence overseas. Military, transportation, and communication technology favored European dominance by making the globe smaller and integrating the economies of nations. Scientific understanding expanded as scientists examined all parts of the globe. Darwin introduced ideas about the theory of evolution and concepts such as "survival of the fittest." Many came to believe these same principles applied to the human realm and justified Western expansion by claiming that Europeans were simply "fit" to expand and dominate other peoples. Social Darwinists also asserted that the poor suffered because they were unfit to do otherwise.

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