How Did The Industrial Revolution Influence The Development Of World Power?

The industrial revolution motivated the European nations to colonizing foreign lands. Primarily, nations established colonies to gain economic wealth and power. In the early 18th century, the industrial revolution was beginning in nations such as Great Britain, and new markets and raw materials were needed to sustain the new industries. There was a force of production that involved a shift from small individual production to large scale production in factories so that they can produce more manufactured goods to sell to their colonies. The European nations had a strong sense of national pride, and felt that in order to prove themselves as a strong world power, they would need to gain control of other countries. By obtaining power over foreign lands, nations were also able to strengthen their military, which increased their status as a world power in the future.
Britain profited from India’s vast supply of tea and cotton. In 1757, India was colonized by Britain. Robert Clive lead a British military force to victory at Plassey against the Nawab of Bengal. As a result, the East India Company took political control over a large portion of India, despite its background as a trading company. The trading system was very successful, until one hundred years later, when the Sepoy rebellion (Sepoy Mutiny) occurred. The East India company required Sepoys (Indian soldiers) serving the company to bite off cartridges, greased with an animal fat to load their rifles. The animal fat is from cows, which are sacred to Hindus, or from pigs which are forbidden to Muslims, and furious sepos rose up in rebellion against their British officers. After brutal massacred on both sides, the British conquered the rebellion, but an atmosphere of hatred and distrust