Military Technology in the 19th Century

When we think of the development and proliferation of technology, we often think of the 20th century first, simply because of our dependence on it throughout our lives. However, the 19th century might have had a greater impact on the following centuries than any other time when it comes to technology, since it basically advanced the conquests of Asia and Africa. It is the idea that the progress of industrial and military technology and these conquests are connected that sets this particular time period apart. It is the proliferation of industrial technology, along with ethnocentrism, that makes imperialism possible, and the development of military technology that makes it likely.

In 1800, the Europeans occupied or controlled 35 percent of the land on Earth. By 1914, this figure was raised to over 84 percent. However, it was not the political and religious ideals of the Europeans that made a lasting impacts, it is the technological impact that had an enduring effect on these regions. Technology like ships, aircraft, electricity, radio, plastics, and printing presses all aided the development of these areas. But this was not the ultimate goal of the European imperialists; that was to create colonies that were politically submissive and economically profitable, and this was often achieved for a period of time. Ultimately, it was three types of technology that aided in this revolution of conquests; steamboats and the utilization of quinine, weaponry military conquests, and speed of communication and railroads.

The purpose of creating steam and gunboats was so that their forces could penetrate the defenses of the enemy using the various rivers that existed, especially in India. These boats also brought European forces deep into Africa and Asia. They could transport troops, devastate the enemy with swivel guns, and restock advance positions. This also made transportation much cheaper instead of using humans or horses, and much faster than old country boats down these rivers.

However, In Africa it was not lack of penetration that deterred them, it was disease. The principal disease was malaria, where the body's defense was temporary at best, and its cure was not known until the last quarter of the century. Previous treatments actually had a hand in killing more patients than helping. Two army physicians discovered that quinine was effective in small animals in aiding the recovery of the disease and eventually found this to also be true for humans. Quinine only turned out to be effective for certain types of the disease but had a long lasting impact for the conquests of the African continent, even though it took many years until it was adopted as the official primary treatment.

Weapons for the specific purpose of conquest had a very different coming than did other technology. In the 19th century, European powers possessed similar weaponry, and battles were won by number of soldiers and strategy. The challenge was that indigenous armies often had superior numbers of forces along, with knowledge of their own native terrain. This gave them a clear advantage over the Europeans who had economically minded governments who were hesitant to commit large numbers of troops or large amounts of money. However, the 19th century was the strongest century for the development of infantry weapons; from the musket to the modern rifle. The previous gun was the muzzle loading smoothbore musket, which took at least a minute to load, had a poor firing record under the best conditions, and often ceased firing in wet conditions. The development of the modern rifle, which took a number of years, allowed the British, especially in the first Anglo-Burmese and Opium Wars to have an advantage that could revolutionize the way that conquests were accomplished. They could win battles with superior weaponry, and to attack by river steam boats by using only modest forces in a relatively brief time. The British did not have such an easy time in Algeria and India where enemies possessed similar weaponry and strategy, which is a testament to how much these advancements made a difference. The reason for the African conquests was the combined disparity in weapons, along with the previously mentioned quinine progress.

Imperialists in the 19th century had many more comforts and necessities of home than their predecessors did in previous centuries. Of these necessities, none was more important than communication; for business and policy this was essential for efficient and effective colonial control and government. This was also true of business ventures like the East India Company with its monopoly on trading with the British Empire. Often it was steamships that brought this communication to one side or the other. In one case it was the President of Bombay who aided this venture between London and their colonial government in India, and in this capacity the development of efficient steamships was the key to efficient communication. The extension of the creation of steamship communication was communication using a network of telegraph wires and submarine cables that transmitted messages over global distances at rapid and previously thought unobtainable speed. Land cables of this capacity had been available for some time, but with the development of new technology submarine cables came to be. Another great advance was the construction of extensive railroads in India that aided greatly in connecting population centers that India almost completely lacked before this time. It also brought speedy transportation between colonial government centers where officials could travel and deal with problems much more effectively.

In conclusion, it is the development of military technology that actually makes imperialism likely, while industrial technology and ethnocentric attitudes made it possible. This created an equal necessity of both motives and means, and it would eventually have the lasting impact their places of conquest than did any of their cultural or religious attempts.

Works Cited

"The Tools of Empire" By Daniel Headrick