Industrialization Outside the West Lesson

Russia and Japan

Russia and Japan defied the pattern of nineteenth-century European domination. By 1914, they launched significant industrialization and accomplished other changes that preserved their independence. Both achieved economic autonomy and were able to join in the imperialist scramble. There were differences between the two. Japan displayed more political flexibility than did Russia. Change in Russia increased internal strains and led to revolution. Japan, through its reforms, pulled away from the rest of east Asia; Russia continued expanding its influence in eastern Europe and central Asia. Among the characteristics common to the two nations in their maintenance of independence was their prior experience of cultural imitation, Japan from China and Russia from Byzantium and the West. They were able to learn without destroying their own cultures. Both also had improved their political effectiveness during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a situation allowing the state to sponsor change.

Read over the Russia and Japan summary found below, then watch the Crash Course videos on the Asian Response to Imperialism. Be sure to take notes over the material presented. When you are finished, test your understanding of many of the terms with the activity below.

Egypt

In Egypt, Muhammad Ali will rise to power and seize control of the country and become the Ottoman viceroy in Egypt and later governor of Egypt after a belief period of trying to oust him due to his popularity. He would consolidate his power by uniting Upper Egypt with his defeat of the Mamluks. He then focused on strengthening Egypt both economically and militarily so that he could eventually strive to break them away from the Ottoman. He is often referred to as the "father of modern Egypt" due to all he did for the country.

In order to accomplish these goals, Muhammad Ali set his sights on agriculture and using it to help Egypt. He focused on growing long-staple crops such as rice, cotton (Egyptian cotton anyone?), indigo, and sugarcane. The surplus money from those crops were then used for improving public works as well as fund the military and fuel industrial development. With this strategy the government cut out the middle men of the merchant class and dealt with the peasant growing the crops directly.

Muhammad Ali Image One of Muhammad Ali's uses for his surplus funds was, as stated above, industrial development. He had the government set up factories for production of cotton, jute, silk, and wool fabrics. Factories were also set up for sugar, tanning, indigo, and glass with the help of foreign advisors and imported machinery. To help keep other countries from interfering embargos were imposed to keep cheaper British textiles off the market in Egypt. Ali was striving for a favorable balance of trade with all of these improvements.

Great Britain did not react well to all of these changes by Muhammad Ali. A strong Egypt was a threat to them both economically and for strategic interest purposes. British wanted Egypt for their raw materials, especially cotton, that they then could manufacture and import the finished goods from Britain. Britain and France were especially angered by this, even though they themselves set up similar embargoes and tariffs to protect their own industries. Britain did not want to lose access to their overland route to India and saw a strong Egypt as a threat to this. They were also fearful of Egypt's close relationship to France. So Britain decided to help preserve the Ottoman Empire, essentially keep it together, in order to keep Egypt from gaining too much power. They then helped the Ottoman Empire against Egypt with the help of other countries of Europe and were able to subdue Ali's attacks and attempts at expansion. Ali agreed to British demands and signed the Treaty of 1841 which stripped him of all his conquered land but did grant him the hereditary governorship of Egypt for life, always going to the eldest male in his family. Ali was also coerced into agreeing to the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1838, establishing "free trade" in Egypt making them unable to stop the influx of cheap good from coming into the country and annihilating local industries.

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