Reasons Why Geography Affects History

Do you like Geography as much as you like the History subject? If yes, then you got both interesting subjects worthy of reading and analyzing. Do you know that these two subjects are very much connected or related to each other? Geography makes history and vice versa. But many people are a little confuse about the exact reason about this. Actually, geography has a greater impact to history than history to geography. So, by magnifying how this could happen, it will not be difficult to understand both things. So, to clear things up, this post will scrutinize some points to remember in order to answer and evaluate why geography affects history.

Geography and World History

Geography is about the physical features of the earth. It is vast in nature. First the earth is sphere in shape and that it revolves around the sun. That movement caused different seasons of countries. Second are the physical features of the earth. The plains, sea, mountains, hills, valley, rivers, falls, lakes, trench, islands, gulf, isthmus, etc. are just like in one group. Then the climate and seasons enter again. Climate and season can be related to each other; however there’s difference between them. Seasons are caused when the earth is moving through its axis to revolve around the sun. While the earth is rotating, some parts of it are not directly hit by the rays of the sunlight especially those countries which are near in the north and South Pole. But those countries which are in the equator or near to it, they receive most of the sunlight throughout the year. And that’s why they are called tropical countries.

So, the SEASONS and the PHYSICAL FEATURES of the earth are the main factors that affect the entire story of the human race (history) in terms of geography. 

Basically, the physical features and the season can unknowingly affect the way people will live in a particular place. How? One best example is through the AVAILABILITY of RESOURCES.

If a country has a lot of resources, then people are expected to live in abundance. However, that notion is not true for always. People can view things differently due to several factors. Now climate could be one of those factors. A cold and a hot climate might have different effects to human beings. Thus, different thinking, culture and way of life can happen.

But in short, the environment, features in the environment, natural resources and the climate can mold human beings into different kinds of thinking, culture, way of life, emotions, dreams, outlook, behavior, etc.

That’s the main answer of the question why geography affects history.

Now to magnify that, here are some questions that would tickle your mind.

1.Have you observed that most of the THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES are located in the TROPICAL COUNTRIES?

2.     

Have you observed that these countries were almost COLONIES before of the Western Countries?

I    Is there any geographical explanation why these countries situated mostly in the equator have almost the same fate economically and historically?

  

It is notable that tropical countries are rich in natural resources. Most foreign people think that tropical countries are like paradise with all the sunshine throughout the year. But why these countries are having difficulties economically? 

Actually, there is a kind of Tropical Geography. It was already noted even during colonization times that people from the tropical countries were primitive and a little late in terms of development or progress. Thus, they were colonized easily by the European colonizers. So, this scenario is contradictory to the beautiful climate of these countries that brings rich resources.

So, how Geography will be connected to this issue? The following could be the answers:

1.    People from these countries were probably enjoying the beauty and the abundance of their countries. They tend to be more relaxed and calm because they’ve got nice climate with good resources. They did not find different ways on how to make life better because they felt complete.

2.    But the western coming from countries with four seasons, they felt the need to prepare for the fall and winter seasons. They were having fears to run out of food, safe shelter and other things during the winter time. 

3.    So, they explored, experimented and discovered a lot of things to survive and to have a better way of life. They tend to become more active by working very hard to prepare for the bad times.

So, it could be analyzed that those countries that were having limited resources were triggered to work harder and discover more things. Thus, there was progress. Being prepared really matters but they became prepared because it was a necessity.

Here’s an example, Scandinavian countries are very rich. However, if you will evaluate, their location is colder and there’s no enough sunshine. Some of these countries, the sun is always setting down and sometimes it’s not showing at all.

Conclusion: why Geography Affects History

The location (Geography) where people live has a huge impact towards the growth and the prosperity of a certain race. This might not be the only factor for prosperity, but its influence is very strong. After all, it’s all about SURVIVAL. Human beings behave differently to their environment but the common denominator is always about survival. 

So now, FEAR can make people strong. The fear of having a difficult life due to poor environment, limited resources, bad climate and other factors can push people to think more creatively and critically just to survive.

Thus, the story of HISTORY becomes more dramatic, bloody, funny, scary and violent because men from different parts of the globe interact differently to each other because all of them are having different experiences from where they live in.

  

The List of Inventions from the Industrial Revolution

The technological discoveries and innovations of the 17^th-18th centuries have a great impact of today’s modern lifestyle. During those times, a great transition occurred that resulted into a better transformation of different civilizations in the entire world. At first, it started in England until it penetrated in most European countries and later it reached in America. Industrial Revolution, that’s the name of that period. During that time, there’s a list of inventions that really played vital roles for the improvement of the society. Thus, that particular time became a very significant turning point of some other great events in history.

Different tools, machines, other forms of technologies and discoveries were the highlights during that time. They made production faster and easier; thus the old society which was patterned into an agricultural economy have changed drastically. As a result, the economy of Europe and the America boomed as the beauty of CAPITALISM was unveiled. 

Thus, it is worthy to look back and scrutinize those tools and other technology which were important players and molders of today’s history. Here is the list of inventions from the Industrial Revolution. 

1. Steam Engine

This is a kind of a heat engine (powered by water and coal) that makes a machine works in its own. The first successful steam engine was created by James Watt during the 1700’s. After that, manual labors were minimized as machines replaced the bare hands of the people. So things were done easier and faster in factories, mines, mills, railroads, ships, and vehicles.

2. Cotton Gin

This is a machine that can separate the cotton from its seed. This machine invented and patented by Eli Whitney became very useful in the cotton industry of the 1700s. Cotton can be used in making different products especially for clothing. Thus, during that time many businessmen and entrepreneurs in North and South America took advantage with this technology. And America became the cotton powerhouse that supported the world market next to Great Britain. On the other, it created a negative impact in slavery. Many black Africans were transported and sold to Europeans businessmen in America in order to maintain vast plantations of cotton. It even ended in a bloody American Civil Wars. 

3. Telephone

Telephone came up when Graham Belle wanted to improve the Telegraph in 1870. If telegraph was using Morse code to send messages, Belle used his own musical approach which was using notes, pitch, wire, and electrical signals. And successfully, he made it in 1876 while telegraph was starting to vanish.

4. Incandescent Light Bulb

Perhaps this is the most famous invention made by Thomas Edison. This was a made by doing a lot of trial and error. However, this man also made other significant inventions just like the electrical power. And all these made more advancements and productivity in different fields of societies.

5. Sewing Machine

This machine was made in 1790 by Thomas Saint. Thus, clothing production increased compare to using manual labors during that time. So, many companies and factories were very happy and satisfied as their earnings and profits increased.  Then this simple sewing machine was innovated over time with different features like the safety devices to prevent accidents.

All these things were just some of the leading tools and discoveries during the innovation process of the 17-8^th centuries. And all those inventors are worthy of appreciation as they have changed the world as well as its history. Though their inventions created different impacts towards the lives of men, but after all, they made a big difference. In the end, this list of inventions from the Industrial Revolution is just a reminder that people can make a change if they are willing to make it happen by DOING it.   

 

The Significance of the Ancient Silk Road in China

The ancient Silk Road in China is not just an ordinary route or road. It has a great significance to history because of its contributions that affected not only China but the whole Asia itself and as well as the western world. This road was basically intended for some economic activities that involve trading and exchanging of goods. But later, there was a more complex outcome.

What is a Silk Road? 

It is an ancient strategic channel that is composed of different interlinking trade routes starting from China going to different   places such as Central Asia, West Africa, Africa, Europe, and west Asia. Actually, it started in China during the Han Dynasty for the Chinese to trade their Silk to the neighboring countries. Then time came that several extensions were made for improvement.  

The Results of Trading of Goods

The economic activity in the ancient Silk Road serves as a foundation of the whole outcome which is actually more significant than trading. The exchange of goods also means that there was an exchange of information, culture, belief, ideas, technologies, and resources. And the following are the few examples of things which are being exchanged:

• Paper Making
• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Islam
• Gun Powder
• Books
• Philosophies
• Civil Service
• Architectural Designs
• Painting
• Music
• Stories
• Compass
• Calendar System
• Mathematics
• Printing
• Raising of Silk Worms
• Astronomy
• Bronze-Smelting
• Medical Science

1.    

These are only very few among the many things which were exchanged. Buddhism originated in India, but with the ancient Silk Road, it became the religion of the majority in China up to now. The paper making that was practiced by some Chinese were brought to Central Asia. Gun power from China was brought to several countries as well as in different European countries. That’s why European warriors have invented a better weapon such as bombs in which Chinese were became victims also in the end. One example was during the Opium war when Great Britain attacked China with bombs then Chinese surrendered Hongkong as their peace offering. Chinese were helpless that time because their weapons were no match compare to the big canyons of Britain. (Question: how about their own gun power?) Another interesting thing is the compass invention of the Chinese. This technology paved the way of COLONIALISM when explorers were using this during their exploration for a more accurate direction. But, Chinese did not succeed in their own explorations. But European nations such as Spain Great Britain, France and Portugal invaded a lot of colonies from different parts of the world.

Marco Polo: The Silk Road Traveler and Explorer

Among the travelers of the ancient Silk Road, Marco Polo is the most significant. This man

belongs to a merchant family in Venice, France. Because of trading, his father and uncle reached China and shared a lot of stories to the young Marco Polo. Thus, with all his curiosity, Marco Polo traveled the Silk Road to reach China. During that time, Kublai Khan was the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. And because of the wit of Marco Polo, he became an official in the high courts of China. He then quickly learned to speak Chinese and Mongolian. Actually, he liked the customs and the traditions in China. He was very observant to everything that happened in there. Thus, his service reached for seventeen years. After that, he went back home by sailing and brought different stories about China. His stories triggered more curiosity to the people of Venice. And because of that there was a book with a title: The Travels of Marco Polo which became very famous in the entire Europe. And because of this, thousands of westerners have traveled to China.

This story only shows how History could be formed by just a simple book of Marco Polo’s travel. His descriptions of the wealth and the beautiful culture of China and other eastern countries of Asia had triggered a lot of emotions, dreams, and longings of the western people. Thus, in the end, many western countries invaded or colonized some countries in Asia with a thought that they could get a lot of gold, spices, and other wealth.

Thus, there’s a great significance of the ancient Silk Road of China. At first, you might not be interested of this road. But once you will dig deeper about this, you will understand that it is very significant not only for China but also to the entire world. Take note that with this kind of route, the Western and the Oriental culture have emerged. So, if you want to make your own travel, why not take a tour to the Ancient Silk Road of China and that would be very interesting.