The World AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY Context for the Great War

Pre-Industrialization Before the industrial revolution, there were no machines, no electricity, no steamships or trains. Goods were produced by hand…slowly. Most people lived in the countryside.

The Industrial Revolution Between 1850 and 1900 many advances in technology were made. Machines were put into use, allowing people to make goods more quickly. People moved to the cities to find jobs in factories (urbanization)

Railroads In 1850 there was only 35,000 km of track in North America and Europe. By 1900 there was over 255,000 km! This helped open up the interior to trade and immigration.

Shipping In 1850 it took 15 days to cross the Atlantic; by 1900 it was only 5 days. This made it cheaper and faster to send mail overseas. Mail increased dramatically!

Communication The telegraph was in use by 1850, but only in some parts of the world; by 1900 it was worldwide. A new invention, the “tele-phone,” was being installed across Europe and North America.

Relative Shares of World Manufacturing Output   1750 1800 1860 1900 (Europe as a whole) 23.2% 28.1% 53.2% 62.0% United Kingdom 1.9% 4.3% 19.9% 18.5% Austria-Hungary 2.9% 3.2% 4.2% 4.7% France 4.0% 7.9% 6.8% Germany 3.5% 4.9% 13.2% Italy 2.4% 2.5% Russia 5.0% 5.6% 7.0% 8.8% United States 0.1% 0.8% 7.2% 23.6% (Asia and Africa) 73.0% 67.7% 36.6% 11.0% Japan 3.8% 2.6% China 32.8% 33.3% 19.7% 6.2% India 24.5% 8.6% 1.7%

Per Capita Levels of Industrialization   1750 1800 1860 1900 (Europe) 8 16 35 United Kingdom 10 64 [100] Austria-Hungary 7 11 23 France 9 20 39 Germany 15 52 Italy 17 Russia 6 United States 4 21 69 (Asia and Africa) 2 Japan 12 China 3 India 1

The Great Powers of Europe

The British Empire

European Empires