After the Industrial Revolution in 1760 in Great Britain, the world changed a lot. Science and technology developed very fast. The need for human workers increased, and colonialism spread across Europe. The working class appeared, and a new idea called socialism was born. As a result, people’s living standards got better, except for the slaves.
As we know, after the Industrial Revolution the rivalry between the European countries increased. At first it was about colonial rivalry because the need for human workers increased and everyone started searching for slaves to work. Some countries like Great Britain (the land where the Industrial Revolution was born) acted faster than the others and took the first step in colonialism. Also, France was successful at colonialism too. However, some countries like Germany and Italy fell behind in the colonial race due to internal issues and failed to develop as fast as Britain. All of this caused countries to form groups and later led to World War I.
Even though the colonial race played an important role in the start of World War I, it was only one of the visible reasons. The real goal of colonialism was to become the strongest in technology by using the gained workforce. In the end, the main aim was to be the most powerful country, like Britain at that time. The main thing was to be a leader in technology. The fight to be the best in technology caused a lot of destruction and many deaths. Another example can be the atomic bombs used in World War II. As technology developed further, it led to greater power, meaning more destruction and more deaths.
In the 2000s, or today, the speed of technological development has increased greatly and has made our lives easier in many ways. However, the power of large countries continues to grow, and considering what could happen in the event of a war, the situation doesn’t look very promising. For now, there may be no danger but it doesn’t mean that it won’t be. There are still tensions between some countries, and it’s important to know that in this era of fast technological development, the negative effects of its misuse may not be reversible.
