Blog #4

I apologize for the late post...

In this week's readings, we shifted from the very boring 13th century world, to a much more interesting 19th century world. From what we have gathered, between the 13th century and the 19th century, there was a major shift in power, allowing Europe to be considered as one of the dominant world powers.

While Europe is not the only dominant power, it is definitely a major one. The world becomes very competitive and the struggling nations suffer. The dominant nations take advantage of their control and use struggling nations as a stimulant to their economies (i.e. slavery, control of trade, etc.). Also, the development of technology is a critical aspect in determining who dominates the imperialistic world. A lot of the major technology advances dealt with how people traveled, for example trains and steamboats. These technologies enhanced the speed at which nations could reach one another, proving to be pivotal to the dominating nations.

I find the 19th century to be a lot more interesting than the 13th because it much more resembles the world that I live in. I also find it interesting that slowly the more readings we do, we are gradually noticing Europe gain more and more power.

-Justin Lovett