Summary
Highlights
This video discusses countries that industrialized from the 'top down' with government involvement, contrasting them with bottom-up industrialization. It highlights how industrialization shifted the global balance of power towards Western Europe and the United States, prompting other states to pursue their own industrial efforts to avoid domination.
Egypt, largely independent of the declining Ottoman Empire, pursued industrialization under Muhammad Ali. This included building textile and weapons factories, directing peasants to grow cash crops, and raising tariffs to protect domestic industries. However, British intervention in 1839 forced Egypt to remove tariffs, leading to an influx of British goods that stunted Egypt's nascent industries.
Japan, initially isolated, was spurred to industrialize by witnessing Western dominance over China and the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry's intimidating fleet. This led to the Meiji Restoration in 1868, where a new emperor and samurai leadership initiated aggressive state-sponsored industrialization. Japan sent emissaries to the West to learn about technology, culture, and political systems, selectively adopting practices. This resulted in an elected parliament, extensive railroad building, a national banking system, and the development of textile and munitions factories.
The Meiji Restoration and subsequent industrialization transformed Japan into a major industrial power in Asia, enabling it to deal with European and American powers on equal terms, a unique achievement in the region.