Dec
6
The British in India
December 6, 2013 | 1 Comment
Imperialism in India began as an attempt to merely trade with the Mughal Empire. After several failed attempts to open up trade in India, King James I of England sent Sir Thomas Roe to the court of the Mughal emperor. Roe soon was able to have the British East India Company to be allowed to establish […]
Dec
5
The Scramble for Africa
December 5, 2013 | Comments Off on The Scramble for Africa
Before the 1870’s Europeans did not know much about Africa. At this time only a small percentage of Africa, mainly along the coastal areas, was under the control of European countries. One of the most ruthless rulers to tap the wealth of Africa was King Leopold II of Belgium who secured much of the Congo. […]
Dec
4
New Imperialism
December 4, 2013 | Comments Off on New Imperialism
In the late 19th century, Europe made huge advances in Industry, transportation, public health, and education. Because of these advances, European countries believed that they deserved to dominate less advanced continents. Their sense of superiority was justified by Charles Darwin’s Theory of Biological Evolution. Darwin’s Theory, based on the principle of natural selection, that “some […]
May
3
John Stuart Mill
May 3, 2012 | Comments Off on John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill, the eldest son of the philosopher, James Mill, was born in London on 20th May, 1806. Educated a home by his father, John Stuart had studied the works of Aristotle, Plato, Jeremy Bentham, Thomas Hobbes, David Ricardo and Adam Smith by the time he had reached the age of twelve. Mill was […]
May
3
Gustave Courbet
May 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Gustave Courbet
The first artist in the series was a revolutionary in many different ways; he was involved in the 1848 revolution in France, the Paris Commune in 1871, helped found a radical new artistic movement and produced paintings that shocked contemporary French society. Gustave Courbet was born in Ornans in 1819, the son of a wealthy […]
May
3
Gregor Mendel
May 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Gregor Mendel
The theories of heredity attributed to Gregor Mendel, based on his work with pea plants, are well known to students of biology. But his work was so brilliant and unprecedented at the time it appeared that it took thirty-four years for the rest of the scientific community to catch up to it. The short monograph, Experiments […]
May
3
Charles Lyell
May 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Charles Lyell
Charles Lyell was the son of a wealthy gentleman who had inherited a large estate in Scotland. Lyell went to university at Exeter College, Oxford. Later he moved to London where he planned to become a barrister. However his poor eyesight made this profession impossible and so Lyell turned to his real interest- science. Geology […]
May
3
Industrialization of Japan
May 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Industrialization of Japan
Japan: Transformation without Revolution. Japan’s response to outside pressure was more direct and successful than that of Russia. The Japanese adapted to the challenge of industrial change and internal market reform. Many institutions had to be altered and much societal change resulted. The Final Decades of the Shogunate. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the […]
May
3
New Imperialism
May 3, 2012 | Comments Off on New Imperialism
The ‘new imperialism’ of the post-war period is really a continuation, under present-day conditions, of the old imperialism. In the 19th century, imperialism was based primarily on the colonial empires of Britain, France, Belgium, Portugal, etc. The United States, while it did not have direct colonies like Britain and France, nevertheless wielded a dominant influence […]
May
2
Marie Curie
May 2, 2012 | Comments Off on Marie Curie
Marie Curie, née Maria Sklodowska, was born in Warsaw on November 7, 1867, the daughter of a secondary-school teacher. She received a general education in local schools and some scientific training from her father. She became involved in a students’ revolutionary organization and found it prudent to leave Warsaw, then in the part of Poland dominated by […]