An examination of the political and economic history of four countries (Britain, France, Russia and Germany) during 1850-1914.
This paper separately examines the political and economic development in four countries, namely Britain, France, Russia and Germany during 1850-1914. The author illustrates how these four countries went through a period of immense growth in terms of changes in the social structure, thought processes of general population and primarily the very first encroachment of modernity.
“Great Britain, led the initial trade liberalization movement which lasted till 1870, primarily because of its place as an international political leader by overcoming the artificial barriers. Furthermore Britain managed to overcome the natural barrier (of distance) to trade through advancement in technology. The reason Britain was willing to engage in free trade stemmed from the fact that it possessed a comparative advantage in the production of most manufactured goods at the time. Therefore engaging in free trade with any other country would benefit Great Britain at the expense of their domestic industries. In addition to this, the Cobden-Chevalier treaty of 1860 was deregulating trade internationally by allowing any trade concessions provided to one country to all countries simultaneously.”