Homework Help: Social Studies: World History: Railroads of Asia, America, and Britain

Although the first steam operated railroad was built in Britain, the production and construction of steam engined locomotives was steadily progressing in other others as well. Because the essential materials needed to produce successful railroad systems were only found in a few areas, a small number of differences evolved between the railroad systems of Britain, America, and Asia and the ways they were used to benefit a region. Conversely, there were also a considerable amount of similarities between the railroad systems of Britain, America, and Asia, particularly Britain and America, because of their mutual open attitude toward new technological concepts. In any case, it was evident that the coming of the railroads to all of these areas would stimulate other branches of industry and economy to grow prodigiously at a very expeditious pace.

In 1812, the first steam powered railroad system had been introduced by Richard Trevithick in Shropshire, Britain. A minor difference concerning time frames is that the first utile railroad in America was completed in 1869, and the first successful railroad constructed in China was finalized in 1882. These years indicate another difference between these areas: Britain and America were the stimulus for all other areas of the world to eventually construct a railroad system and Asia was not. For example, Britain motivated other areas such as Belgium, Germany, France, and America to commence the building of a railroad system. America inspired the building of a Trans-Saharan railroad in Africa and a Cape-to-Cairo line. Asia never stimulated another area to built railroads because they were the last to build a railroad system themselves.

A major difference is the ways in which the railroad system was used within a region to bring about change. In America, railroads were built to open the American west for settlement and agriculture. In Britain, railroads were used to serve in coal mines, to transport materials, and carry passengers. In Russia, railroads were used to settle empty territories and to develop their agricultural potential, similar to Britain's usage. In China, a railroad system was built as part of a "self strengthening" plan. When Japan defeated China in 1894, China quickly devised to plan to strengthen their territory by laying down a lengthy line. All regions saw the railroad as an instrument of modernization.

One similarity between the British and American railroad systems was that they both contained four wheels per locomotive. However, this was changed when John B. Jervis designed a new locomotive with one par of driving wheels at the back and a four wheel truck or bogie carrying the weight at the front of the engine. His model greatly improved the locomotive's performance, standardized the usage of a bogie in American locomotives, and helped the locomotives to perform well on sharp curves. This model was then used in America and not in Britain, to correct the mistakes of the British.

The invention of the telegraph was greatly accepted by all the regions that were using a railroad system. The telegraph was used in Britain, America, and Asia to signal the proximity of trains, which contributed to safety, and to manage the railroad systems efficiently. Thus, this was obviously a similarity between the railroad systems of Britain, America, and Asia. However, this similarity brought about another common change. The usage of the railroad and the telegraph together allowed other areas of technology to expand such as the communication capabilities in both America and Britain. Railroad construction stimulated the growth of ironworks and engineering shops tremendously in America. In Russia, railroads were being built in such a way that other dominant industries were motivated to expand. For example, engineering works and coal mines were expanding so fast due to the opening of numerous steelworks and rolling mills, that by 1913, Russia's production was exceeded only by Britain, America, Germany, and France and approximately 70,000 kilometers of railroad had been laid within Russian territory.

Yet another similarity is that all of the regions used Britain, at some point, to construct their own railroad system. Britain manufactured iron rails and put them to use within their own territory without help from other regions, due to the success of the iron industry. Coke fired blast furnaces and new methods for turning pig iron into wrought iron were devised and perfected, which allowed Britain to take charge of the construction of rails throughout the world. America's iron industry wasn't advanced enough during the 1830s and 1840s to supply themselves with the materials needed for the production of rails. In 1840, 80 percent of rails in America came from Britain and many British iron masters became investors in American lines. A large group of British engineers and managers worked on the first railroad in Japan. Simply, Britain supplied every area of the world at some point or another with iron rails or engineers. Some places in Asia became known as "Western built" because they were built under western subordination and to obey western interests. However, this similarity brings about another similarity that is quite contradicting. Both America and Asia eventually broke away from British dependence and constructed their own rail lines and locomotives. Although most of America's rails were imported before 1840, locomotive building machines slowly developed in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The success of these enterprises was so effective, that by 1839 the majority of the locomotives in America had been fabricated within the country. In Japan, British engineers and managers were forced to vacate as quickly as possible and they were only asked to return when major bridges were being designed.

An additional similarity is that both Britain and Asia used the railroad as an imperialistic symbol. In Britain, railroad structures had a conservative design that resembled the imperial power of the ancient Roman Empire. On the Great Western Railroad, the locomotives approached the town of Bath and went through a tunnel entrance that was purposely Roman in design. Railroads had an imperial role in Japan as well. In 1931, all of Manchuria was captured under Japanese control. Most military and industrial developments there were based on railroads. Lines were built to move troops to the outskirts.

It is clear that Britain, America, and Asia had many differences and similarities within the model, usage, and effect of their railroad systems. Railroads were the start of an Industrial Revolution that would bring about one of the greatest movements of change. The impact of railroads was so revolutionary because it mechanized the duties of humans and quickened the transport of intelligence, information, and products. The coming of railroads in the world stimulated other areas of industry and eventually modernized the world with machines, engines, and electricity.

Homework Help: Social Studies: World History

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