The tools of empire : technology and European imperialism in the nineteenth century

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1: Steamboats and quinine, tools of penetration

Part 2: Guns and conquests

Part 3: The communications revolution

The Industrial Revolution and European imperalism were without question two of the most influential developments of the 19th century. Their impact on the maturation of European societies and economies has been the subject of countless studies. Nevertheless, the deep and fundamental connections between industrial technology and the vast new European imperialism have remained largely unexplored. This is no longer the case, as Daniel Headrick's The Tools of Empire makes a significant contribution to our understanding of this relationship. Headrick provides neither a detailed history of imperialism nor an internal history of technology. Rather, his purpose is to describe and analyze the interplay between the two. Imperialism was the result, he argues, both of appropriate motives and adequate means. By focusing on technology (the means), Headrick demonstrates how it interacted with the various imperial motives to influence the timing, location, and nature of imperialism