The Cape to Cairo Railway was one of the most ambitious dreams of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Africa had been a target of the Europeans since as early as the seventeenth century, but the impermeable borders made it almost impossible for them to get inland. The discovery of quinine aided the Europeans in this effort, but not completely (Strage 24). Cecil Rhodes, an Englishman who lived in South Africa for most of his life, had earned all of his wealth on the treasure of South Africa. This made him question: “If South Africa has such treasures, how much money can fifty three other countries amount to?”. Rhodes was an extremely ambitious man whose dream was to gain control of Africa’s two most successful cities of the North and the South. Afterwards, he would build a railway connecting the two. The Cape to Cairo Railway was built to tighten British control over the entire continent, and rape the country of all of its treasures. “Despite its failure, the Cape to Cairo idea left a legacy of a string of railways throughout the continent. Many of which would never have been built without the grandiose plan to cross Africa” (Wolmar 173).
Until the late fifteenth century, Africa was basically left untouched. Many times, it was referred to as “The Dark Continent” (Wolmer 173). Contrary to the popular misconception that the nickname came from the color its inhabitants, “It was referred to as the dark continent because of the mysteries that surrounded it” (Wolmer 173). Nobody was sure of what the continent held, but what they were sure of was the potential that a great piece of land such as this had. By the mid nineteenth century, the rest of the globe “including the great landlocked mass of Asia, hidden corners of the ...
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... in the field, Her heart is sick with lust. The gold she wins is red with blood, norean it shield. Her name from tainted league with men of broken trust”(Carter 476). ;
Works Cited
Bigland, Alfred. "The Cape-to-Cairo Railway and Train Ferries: Discussion." The Geographical Journal. 2nd ed. Vol. 55. N.p.: Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), 1950. 101-08. Print.
Cain, Peter, and Tony Hopkins. British Imperialism, 1688-2001. Harlow: Longman, 2001. Print.
Carter, Mia, and Barbara Harlow. Archives of Empire. Durham: Duke UP, 2003. Print.
Strage, Mark. Cape to Cairo. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973. Print.
Williams, Robert. The Cape to Cairo Railway. London: Macmillan and, 1921. 241-58. Print.
Wolmar, Christian. Blood, Iron, & Gold: How the Railroads Transformed the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2010. Print.
To urban middle-class Americans of the late 19th century, nothing symbolized the progress of the American civilization quite as much as the railroad. Not only had the great surge in railroad construction after the Civil War helped to create a modern market economy, but the iron horse itself seemed to embody the energy, force, and technology of the new order. In fact, the fanning out of railroads from urban centers was an integral part of the modernizing process, tying the natural and human resources of rural areas to the industrializing core.
In conclusion, during the 15th and 16th centuries Europeans visited the Atlantic Coast in the African states to observe for gold and silvers. They took advantage of the Africans to get their desires when the Africans acknowledged them to be equal which drove into Africa’s downfall.
Railroads were America’s first big business and contributed a great deal towards advancing industrialization. Beginning in the early 1870's, railroad construction in the United States expanded substantially. Before the year 1871, approximately fourty-five thousand miles of track had been laid. Up until the 1900's another one-hundred and seventy thousand miles were added to the nation's growing railroad system. This growth came about due to the erection of transcontinental railroads. Railroads supplied cities and towns with food, fuel, materials, and access to markets. The railroad system made way for an economic prosperity. The railroad system helped to build the physical growth of cities and towns. It even became another means of communication. Most importantly, it helped to produce a second
Ophem, Marieke Van. "The Iron Horse: the impact of the railroads on 19th century American society."
During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today.
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting for a land grab in the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economical, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation.
The railroad played a major role in forging the history of many countries including the United States of America. The railroad began to bring people to places that before then where only accessed by weeks of dangerous travel over harsh and deadly terrain. The industrial revolution had ushered in a completely new era. The new era was one of mass production, supply and demand, and new requirements of industry. The growth of industry had created new demands for transit, trade, and more robust supply lines. The railroad boom across the U.S. had spread and proceeded to grow the economy quickly therefore, many people began using the rail roads just as quickly. The rail market continued to grow and by the 1860’s all major cities within the United States were connected by rail.
Seavoy, Ronald E. "Railroads." An Economic History of the United States: From 1607 to the Present. New York: Routledge, 2006. 188-200. Print.
There is no refuting that the railroad companies transformed business operations and encouraged industrial expansion. The raw materials required for construction of the transcontinental railroad directly resulted in the expansion of the steel, lumber and stone industries. (Gillon p.652) The railroad stimulated growth in manufacturing and agriculture providing an efficient manner to ship raw materials and products throughout the country. Which in turn, increased consumerism and introduced t...
In a poem written by Rudyard Kipling, “Take up a White Man’s Burden… The savage wars of peace… Fill full the mouth of Famine… And bid the sickness cease,” (Doc. F). This poem illustrates that the European powers intended to aid Africa and be a cure to their issues. At the same time, judging from the words above, Europe also saw it as an obstacle, perhaps even a hindrance. Whether that is true or not, the article Technology and Imperialism quantifies, “Method of getting quinine from cinchona tree bark,” as well as evidence portraying the making of revolutionary weapons such as machine guns (Doc. C). With such technological advancements including a cure for a deadly disease, Europe had it’s opportunity to colonize Africa, and took it. They were ahead in every way possible, and therefore inhabited Africa, even if meant to support
Kellett, John R. The Impact of Railways on Victorian Cities. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London. 1969.
During Imperialistic times South Africa was a region of great resources that was greatly disputed over (Ellis). Europe’s main goal during these times was to compete against each other and played a “game” of which country can imperialize more African countries than the other. Imperialism was a curse to South Africa, because many wars, laws, and deaths were not necessary and would not have happened if South Africa were not imperialized.
Phileas Fogg’s journey is made possible by the growing industrialization of the time. One example of industrialization is the extensive use of trains in the novel. During the nineteenth century, rail lines were expanding all over the world. For example, when Phileas Fogg reaches India, the change from old forms of transportation to new industrialized forms is described, “Formerly one was obliged to travel in India by the old cumbrous methods of going on foot or on horseback, in palanquins or unwieldy coaches; now, fast steamboats ply on the Indus and the Ganges, and a great railway, with branch lines joining the rail line at many points on this route, traverses the peninsula from Bombay to Calcutta in three days” (32). This demonstrates how the methods of transportation have become more advanced and industrialized throughout the century. Again, the industrialization of railways is shown when the party reaches America. “The journey from New York to San Francisco consumed, formerly, under the most favourable conditions, at least six months. It is now accomplished I seven days” (110). T...
There are a lot of causes of the scramble for Africa, and one of them was to ‘liberate’ the slaves in Africa after the slave trade ended. The slave trade was a time during the age of colonization when the Europeans, American and African traded with each oth...
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.