Europe remains one of the most developed geographical areas in comparison to other continents, especially those within Africa and Asia. Part of this development is traceable to the dominance it achieved in the 1900s. The following is an outline of the factors and events that led to the ascent of Europe in the 20 th -century.
Thesis Statement
Europe achieved global dominance in the 1900s as a result of its geographical location, domination of global trade, innovation and industrialization, comparative military advantage, and the exploitation of other regions of the world.
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1 st Argument
One of the reasons for the rise of Europe to the apex of power stems from the ideological trajectory adopted by European countries in relation to other countries, especially those inhabited by individuals of black and red skin pigmentation. As such, Europe was driven by the concept of social Darwinism which advocated for the idea of white supremacy in all aspects of life including politics and commerce. With some of the European competitors falling under the red skin pigmentation, as typified in the case of China which at the time had a considerable interest in global trade, Europe developed domination over “inferior competitors” market niches. The domination of a large section of the global market resulted in an increase in European capital base as it steadily drove its competitors from competing markets.
2 nd Argument
As the capital base grew, European countries expanded their military influence to cover areas that they had commercial interests. The comparatively superior military prowess of Europe emanated from various reasons. One of such reasons was the capacity of European countries to maintain large military units as soldiers could easily be paid from the profits accumulated from trade. Secondly, the European countries developed workable military strategies in retaliation to threats and attacks from their enemies. Part of the strategy was the formation of combined military forces by individual European countries; especially in response to a common enemy state or areas they had a commercial commonality of interest. On the same breath, Europe had a favorable climate which led to a significant success in agriculture. In essence, this meant that it had the ability to feed its population and maintain a productive society as a large segment of the population became engaged in the facets of its economy, thus considerably improving its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Apart from agriculture, Europe’s productivity was also witnessed through innovation and the rapid industrialization that enabled the production of goods for export and arms for war.
3 rd Argument
The 1900s also featured some of the most notable historical events, primarily the First World War. This event played a huge role in the rise of Europe to dominance in ways various folds. Foremost, prior to the war, European countries benefited from the gunpowder trade which emerged as a high demand commodity as countries began to make preparations for the war whose occurrence was imminent. Regarding this, with the rise in demand for gunpowder, there was a notable decline in supply as some of the major key components such as nitrogen ran out of supply. This occurrence gave European nations a comparative advantage in determining the supply and price of the commodity since the key ingredients were majorly found in Europe. The eventual outcome of the war equally drove Europe to dominance as the opposing camps surrendered in defeat and gave up some of their material and colonial possessions as part of an armistice agreement.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is safety in stating that the rise of Europe towards dominance is attributable to a number of factors and events. These factors and events include its domination of trade, innovation and industrialization, comparative military advantage, and the First World War.
