"To make the voyage to India by steam was, in the early days of the nineteenth century, a venture of great difficulty and expense. But by the late 1860s, the introduction of the compound steam engine and the opening of the Suez Canal transformed maritime transport, making it possible for steamships to carry heavy cargo efficiently over long distances, thereby linking European industrial centers directly to Asian agricultural markets."
—Adapted from Daniel R. Headrick, The Tools of Empire, 1981
Which of the following best explains how the technological innovations described in the passage contributed to global economic changes in the nineteenth century?
- AThey marked the transition to petroleum and the internal combustion engine as the primary sources of energy for global shipping.
- They allowed industrializing powers to rapidly transport raw materials and manufactured goods across oceans, intensifying global trade networks.Answer
- CThey depended on the development of electrical grids and assembly-line manufacturing to power maritime vessels.
- DThey led directly to the abandonment of coal-mining operations in favor of synthetic chemical fuels.
Answer
The technology allowed industrializing powers to rapidly transport raw materials and manufactured goods across oceans, intensifying global trade networks.
The compound steam engine and steamships in the mid-to-late nineteenth century enabled faster, cheaper, and more reliable transit of bulk commodities, allowing industrial nations to secure raw materials and distribute finished products on a global scale.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Impact of transportation technologies of the First Industrial Revolution on global trade