Imperialism In The 19th Century

The nineteenth century has led to the creation of innovations that have had a significant impact on the current wellbeing of civilization such as antibiotics, the printing press, and the telegraph. Although these all pertain to the advancements of technology, steam engines have not only been considered an advancement to technology, but have changed the view of transportation entirely. Transportation rapidly became the focal point in all areas embodying civilization, including but not limited to, social structure, the government and culture as we know it today. Transportation, could be argued to have become civilization itself and furthermore, led way to the envisions of a technological utopia. Rudyard Kipling once suggested that “Transportation is civilization,” which is evident when analyzing steam transport during the nineteenth century. Prior to steam transportation it was common for individuals to have not gone farther then ten miles from their home. Additionally, on the rare occasion that someone
would travel, it would be because they need to, and no pleasure was involved. Before steam transportation there were two major problems with transportation and travel; time and distance. The use of carriages and ships that had not rely on steam engines did not assist people in communicating with other societies, simply because of the time it would take to reach a great length.
When steam engines were finally utilized, galloping horses that slowly dragged the carriages and ships that relied on paddle wheels began to be used less often. Instead, people began riding on trains that glided on tracks, and steam ships that moved faster and more efficiently than ever before. This changed the entire concept of time for all of civilization. When people entered trains or cruise ships, they entered into a different time zone. They would see a new perspective of the world that they could have never envisioned. Those that were on trains saw only the swift change of terrains and had no sense of where they really were; all they knew was their final destination’s location. For people during the nineteenth century, the speed of trains, in particular, had been something beyond comprehension. Similarly, those on ships entered into a “heterotopia” as Michel Foucault once said; it was a utopia brought to existence for the sole purpose of moving people from one place to another. The people were placed into a separate world, a reality belonging to only those on the ship, one that is not connected to the outside world.
The concept of a ship having its own civilization and a reality not associated with the rest of the world is best illustrated in Joule’s Verne, Floating City. The story took place on the Great Eastern, depicting the life of individuals on the ship, really demonstrating how this transportation vehicle had its own temporary civilization, strengthening Rudyard Kipling’s theory that “transportation is civilization.” During the trip it is mentioned how people are trying to detach themselves from reality. Passengers were in their own world and would not believe that anything can go wrong with the vessel. They were in a world where technological utopia has been existing, and they found every advanced technological feature fascinating, often neglecting the unfortunate outcomes that can come from technological failures. For instance, people would look down at the Great Eastern and see the motors working, not understanding the full grasp of its complex nature, but appreciating its existence.
Steam engines brought civilization closer together by annihilating space. Although, the distance was the same, the speed in which one were to cover the distance change by magnitudes. Daniel Webster coined the term “bridging of the gap,” because of how it allowed U.S. and England to be in contact with each other more frequently. The Duke of Wellington feared that it would cause to much mobility of peasants. The duke feared that they will be in too much contact with the upper class, and bring in their bad habits. As a result of steam transportation his fear became a reality, and civilization began to have a greater mix of classes. The lower class would dress differently and began to do things that were usually events for the upper class. A major part of the lower class were immigrants. Steam transport enabled a vast number of immigrants, which in turn exposed the common people of the land to new cultures. Finally, Steam transportation was the leading cause for tourism and travel. If people had spare time and money, they would be able to spend it on a trip to see other parts of the world. This was the first-time ships were used for leisure and enjoyment. As noted previously, Daniel Webster spoke of the concept “bridging the gap,” and it seen how it is giving a cultural bridging of the gap. People began to get exposure to other cultures, and see things they could have never imagined if they were born prior to steam transportation.
Although steam transport pushed society forward and had many successes, there had still been a technological overreach, which led to some negative developments. For example, the Great Eastern had been criticized as a technological freak and a failure. By reaching to far, many unfortunate incidents happened, in particular ship wrecks. Hundreds of people have died because of the rapid technologic innovations that were simply not safe to be used. Many would also get sick because they were not used to sailing ships, and trains would often lead to dizziness as well. The so called “technological utopia” has had its flaws in the safety of the technology.
Another negative development for many cultures that is also known as the dark side of technological utopia is imperialism.
Technological imperialism ran with the belief that a nation has a moral obligation to share new technology with the rest of the world. Some nations resisted this conversion and this led to imperialism, in which modern countries would have the other nations “see the light.” An example of this can be seen in Mumbai, where the railway station in Mumbai is similar to a Victorian castle. They even purposely removed the statue that was there, and replaced it with the “goddess of progress,” a large statue of Queen Victoria. This demonstrated how England was reinforcing their mission of “out with the old and in with the new.” Additionally, England utilized steam ships in India, in order to bring together the Ganges and Indus Rivers. The vast majority of these ships were gun boats used as a means of keeping the peace and extending imperial
domination. Manifest Destiny had been entirely reliant on steam transportation as well. Manifest Destiny was a period of expansion for the U.S., and had been one of the worst period of times for the Native Americans. The U.S. intended to expand their railroads and in doing so, they ordered federal troops to send out hundreds of thousands of Native Americans to march out of their land; this march was so brutal that thousands have died, and it was known as the trail of tears. Steam transportation has had a leading role in the development as civilization as a whole. It was an invention that slowly impacted commerce, social structure, and cultures. On the government’s end, it gave rise to imperialism and Manifest Destiny. Transportation became civilization in the way that it ruled over it. During the nineteenth century all aspects of civilization had been greatly influenced by steam transportation.