Customer Reviews

The Tools of Empire: Technology and European Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century

5 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
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Daniel Headrick explains his purpose, "to argue that both the motives [for imperialist expansion] and the means [to facilitate it] changed [in the 19th century], and both caused the event," in the opening chapter of his 210-page book. He does this by "analyzing the technological changes that made imperialism happen, both as they enabled motives to produce events, and as they enhanced the motives themselves." Through a wealth of both primary and secondary sources, well documented in end-of-chapter notes, a bibliographical essay, and an index, Headrick demonstrates not only what people were doing, but also the thought process and motivation for their actions. Primary sources were convincing; as contemporary accounts of what was happening during the nineteenth century, they established what people believed. Rather than staking a technological claim as a "cause" of imperialism, Dr. Headrick demonstrates technologies primary role as an enabler.

Headrick explains what allowed imperialism to happen and how the ability furthered the motivation. I found the best passage in the book to be, "What the breechloader, the machine gun, the steamboat and steamship, and quinine and other innovations did was to lower the cost, in both financial and human terms, of penetrating, conquering, and exploiting new territories." The lowering of the cost of colonial expansion, a debate that "raged" within the ruling circles of Britain and continental Europe, is remarkably demonstrated by the invention and application of the crucial technologies outlined above.
The best example of this used in The Tools of Empire is prophylactic quinine's prevention of African malaria. Although there was a strong desire to enter Africa, few attempted this nearly suicidal venture because it almost certainly meant death from malaria or yellow fever. When it was discovered-by trial and error, rather than by scientific experiment-that prevention of malaria came from quinine prophylaxis, explorers and soldiers began to conquer the continent. Headrick's point is that the imperialist motive, already extent by factors he declines to discuss, was ineffective until technology advancement enabled it to be carried out. Headrick does not debate why the imperialists wanted to conquer, simply that technology allowed them to do so.

Even given such incontrovertible support for his theme, Headrick shies from proclaiming technologies determinism. He attributes much of the success of colonial expansion to the technologies that carried the white European into the previously impenetrable expanses of interior Africa and Asia, the medicines that allowed them to survive in those harsh environments, and the weapons that facilitated ease with which they defeated indigenous peoples, but not the cause. Most enlightening were his explanations of the failed attempts to breach Africa and India; Headrick was able to reveal exactly how each technology overcame that obstacle to expansion that denied previous explorers and colonists access. Headrick correctly sites technology in its social context in this book.

Daniel R. Headrick received a B.A. from Swarthmore College, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins, and a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University. He taught at Tuskegee Institute (1968-75) and at Roosevelt since 1975 and was a visiting professor at Hawaii Pacific University in 2000. He has written The Tools of Empire (1981), The Tentacles of Progress (1988), and The Invisible Weapon (1991). He has also co-authored a textbook entitled The Earth and its Peoples: A Global History. His most recent work, When Information Came of Age: Technologies of Knowledge in the Age of Reason and Revolution, 1700-1850, was published by Oxford University Press in 2000. Current projects include lectures at Southwestern College in Texas, University of Rochester, M.I.T., and Yale University. He is also writing a book on technology in world history for Oxford University Press.

Though the subject will not interest everyone (thus 4 1/2 stars), "Tools of Empire" is still a fine example of sound research made accessible for a student/general audience by gifted writing. Headrick shows that, even though the will to dominate existed for a long time previously, Europe's chance to conquer most of the globe only came in the second half of the 19th century.

The technological changes associated with the transition from the First to the Second Industrial Revolution helped create this opportunity. Major innovations such as modern firearms, steamships, railroads, anti-malarial quinine and the telegraph made it much safer for Europeans to live and travel in the tropics, and also easier to attack the indigenous people there. The author gives special attention to developments in India, China and Africa.

Headrick's later works lack the sparkle of this groundbreaking text, but are still worthwhile in bringing the story closer to our own time. The more recent titles have rather more coverage of technology transfer---non-Western peoples' use of introduced technologies---in contrast to "Tools of Empire's" focus on the ways they were used against them. [Michael Adas, "Machines As the Measure of Men" is a stimulating look at Europeans' moral judgements about other societies based on their relative technological proficiency.]

Daniel Headrick explains his purpose, "to argue that both the motives [for imperialist expansion] and the means [to facilitate it] changed [in the 19th century], and both caused the event," in the opening chapter of his 210-page book. He does this by "analyzing the technological changes that made imperialism happen, both as they enabled motives to produce events, and as they enhanced the motives themselves." Through a wealth of both primary and secondary sources, well documented in end-of-chapter notes, a bibliographical essay, and an index, Headrick demonstrates not only what people were doing, but also the thought process and motivation for their actions. Primary sources were convincing; as contemporary accounts of what was happening during the nineteenth century, they established what people believed. Rather than staking a technological claim as a "cause" of imperialism, Dr. Headrick demonstrates technologies primary role as an enabler.

Headrick explains what allowed imperialism to happen and how the ability furthered the motivation. I found the best passage in the book to be, "What the breechloader, the machine gun, the steamboat and steamship, and quinine and other innovations did was to lower the cost, in both financial and human terms, of penetrating, conquering, and exploiting new territories." The lowering of the cost of colonial expansion, a debate that "raged" within the ruling circles of Britain and continental Europe, is remarkably demonstrated by the invention and application of the crucial technologies outlined above.
The best example of this used in The Tools of Empire is prophylactic quinine's prevention of African malaria. Although there was a strong desire to enter Africa, few attempted this nearly suicidal venture because it almost certainly meant death from malaria or yellow fever. When it was discovered-by trial and error, rather than by scientific experiment-that prevention of malaria came from quinine prophylaxis, explorers and soldiers began to conquer the continent. Headrick's point is that the imperialist motive, already extent by factors he declines to discuss, was ineffective until technology advancement enabled it to be carried out. Headrick does not debate why the imperialists wanted to conquer, simply that technology allowed them to do so.

Even given such incontrovertible support for his theme, Headrick shies from proclaiming technologies determinism. He attributes much of the success of colonial expansion to the technologies that carried the white European into the previously impenetrable expanses of interior Africa and Asia, the medicines that allowed them to survive in those harsh environments, and the weapons that facilitated ease with which they defeated indigenous peoples, but not the cause. Most enlightening were his explanations of the failed attempts to breach Africa and India; Headrick was able to reveal exactly how each technology overcame that obstacle to expansion that denied previous explorers and colonists access. Headrick correctly sites technology in its social context in this book.

Daniel R. Headrick received a B.A. from Swarthmore College, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins, and a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University. He taught at Tuskegee Institute (1968-75) and at Roosevelt since 1975 and was a visiting professor at Hawaii Pacific University in 2000. He has written The Tools of Empire (1981), The Tentacles of Progress (1988), and The Invisible Weapon (1991). He has also co-authored a textbook entitled The Earth and its Peoples: A Global History. His most recent work, When Information Came of Age: Technologies of Knowledge in the Age of Reason and Revolution, 1700-1850, was published by Oxford University Press in 2000. Current projects include lectures at Southwestern College in Texas, University of Rochester, M.I.T., and Yale University. He is also writing a book on technology in world history for Oxford University Press.

In this intersting book, historian Daniel Headrick uses a multitude of well-documented source material in an attempt to outline the relationship between the progressive evolution of European industrial technology and the control and conquest of Asia and Africa by European powers. Headrick's basic aim is to explain that although there was an imperialist mindset already present in Europeans, technological innovation served as a significant enabler for European imperialist expansion by actually providing the means to do so - primarily by making imperialism more cost effective. Headrick explains that "what the breechloader, the machine gun, the steamboat and steamship, and quinine and other innovations did was to lower the cost, in both financial and human terms, of penetrating, conquering, and exploiting new territories." The author claims that he is not trying to discount traditional or alternate interpretations of history, but is instead trying to provide an alternate understanding of imperialism through a "technological dimension."

What he concludes is that while many ideas played a part in spurring imperialism, the desire of Europeans to spread their technology was a significant factor in enabling and instigating conquest. Europeans, according to Headrick, did not successfully pass on their culture or religion to Asians and Africans, but instead spread their technological innovativeness. That, Headrick argues, was "the true legacy of imperialism"

Headrick's premise is certainly well-argued and his use of various well-documented source material lends strong support to his claim. He does not discount that various motivations lie behind imperialism, but he methodically (and quite convincingly) shows that technology was a primary vehicle for imperial expansion. His best example was the case of early Africa in which he explains that European motivation to conquer Africa was present from the start, but venturing into "the dark continent" was so hazardous due to diseases (among other things) that Europeans would not dare enter into the continent. It was only when quinine prophylaxis was discovered from cinchona tree bark that European conquest could then commence in Africa. It was due to the scientific processing of this bark (resulting in pure quinine) that enabled many Europeans to finally enter into the African continent. As Headrick writes, "Without it [scientific cinchona production] European colonialism would have been almost impossible in Africa" and that this technology "was clearly a consequence as well as a cause of the new imperialism."

Headrick introduces an interesting, technologically-centered perspective to new imperialism that was, until recently, lacking proper discourse in historical analysis. Headrick has produced an interesting book - one that has likely produced much discussion among historians. Examining industrial innovation as an enabling and instigative factor in European imperialism highlights a bigger issue in European history: the West's obsession with technology and industrialization. This obsession with technology and imperialism spurs competition among Europeans as many of the problems in Asia and Africa start trickling back into Europe. As the race for technological superiority ensues, the problems of imperialism and industrialization in the Western world culminate into war, resulting in much of the chaos of the early and mid-twentieth century.

Headrick's book "The Tools of Empire" is well written, well supported, and offers the reader a deeper explanation of how and why European Imperialism occurred.
I also appreciate how the book goes into detail about the various tools of Empire such a Quinine, and the railroad. Although analyzing individuals is an important facet of history, the role technology has played is also very important. For this reason, I recommend investigating this book. Well done. Although not comprehensive, by any means, it does reveal the importance of technology and how it relates to the phenomenon of Empire-building.

Headrick does a nice job with this book. Certainly the importance of technology in 19th Century imperialism is a specific topic, and the only people likely to read the book are students and professors. But if you're a student assigned this book, you'll find it informative and easy to read.

Headrick attempts to illustrate the significant role that technological advances played in European imperialism during this period. He points to steam boats, improved weaponry and malaria vaccination as the three developments that most facilitated imperialism, and his research is sound. He also explains other breakthroughs that allowed European nations -- Britain in particular -- to get more use out of these colonies. These includes railroads in India and the Suez Canal.

The book is not long and it's a pretty smooth read, which is notable considering the topic. I wish there had been some more details about specific conquests and colonies, or even a timeline to help pull it all together. Also, Part 3 is not as cohesive as the first two. But it was worth reading for sure.

Headrick has written an excellent book on how technology allowed and enabled colonial expansion in the 19th century. Although the focus of the book could lead to an interpretation of technological determinism, he does acknowledge that other, related factors had to exist. In fact, the introduction discusses the twin issues of motive and means, recognizing that both need to exist, the relationship is fluid, and that they are interrelated. However, and keeping in mind the book was written in 1981, the author feels the technological factor has been overlooked or downplayed.

The book's thesis is that European powers were able to expand rapidly in the 19th century because technology reduced the cost, in both monetary and human terms, and because it gave them the means to exploit areas of the globe that had been out of reach of coastlines. Headrick argues that the development of steamboats, railroads, weapons, communications, and quinine allowed the penetration of Africa, India, and China which in turn drove down costs, opened up new markets, and provided access to raw materials.

The book is an easy and interesting read, and Headrick does make a good argument for the technological factor being a key enabler to colonial expansion.

I think he pays attention to the wrong things. I agree with much of what he says about technology and imperialism, but he seems to ignore the fact that motivations are often what drives technology rather than the other way around.

Mr Headrick, let's face it: since the advent of capitalism, people have always wanted to get rich. What we are talking about in the 18th and 19th centuries is not so much a technological imperialism or even the interaction between humans and their new discoveries, but rather the dominance of greed and the motivation to get rich. Indeed, Headrick touches upon this idea of "secondary imperialism" - by which countries accept inroads made in other countries by PRIVATE COMPANIES and PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS after the fact, but he seems to brush it off. He seems instead to place an emphasis on technology that is rather unwarranted. Technology never has and never will dictate what humans want to do. Rather, it simply determines what they can accomplish. Even today, people do not clone sheep because they CAN. They do it because they WANT to. Whether or not Mr. Headrick likes it or not, some people get off on taking advantage of, subjugating and even enslaving others. It is a sad fact of life.

Headrick also makes some ridiculous conclusions in his book that could be insulting to non-Europeans. He writes that the true legacy of imperialism was that "Europeans passed on to the peoples of Asia and AFrica their own fascination with machinery and innovation." Excuse me? Has Africa and Asia really had any CHOICE in the matter? Has even the private citizen in the United States had any choice? The imperialist has won out and has been able to dictate how to live life and this is the legacy of imperialsm. Furthermore, there as a lot of interest in technology even in Africa before the invasion of Europeans.

There are several other things in this book that annoyed me. Headrick gives a simplistic account of the development of the steamboat, emphasizing the role of Fulton while completly ignoring the contributions of Fitch, Rumsey and John Stevens Jr. And he states in his conclusion that, "Today, we are accustomed to important innovations being so complex ... that only the governments of major powers can defray their research and development costs."

Again, excuse me? If anything, the power of the government has DWINDLED. In the 1930s, no one would have ever dreamed of a company developing something like the atomic bomb, but today, with the accumulation of so much wealth in the hands of private individuals in the corporate world, such things are commonplace. Again, I am reminded of cloning. That was a HUGE achievement and no United Kingdom government was involved.

I realize I have been hard on Headrick, which is not to say I did not enjoy this book. As far as history goes, he generally gets his facts right and I found some of his interpretations interesting, although controversal. Anyone interested in imperialism would probably get something out of this book.

I had to read this book for a Western Civilization course, so I am not exactly an expert on the topic of 19th century Imperialism. However, despite my initial disinterest in the topic, I did find the book to be well written and clear in its description of how technology went hand in hand with the new imperialism of the 19th century. Headrick does a great job of providing enough background information and history on the technology and the imperialism to demonstrate to the reader how the two influenced each other. If you are at all interested in the Industrial Revolution or Imperialism, this book is an educational and interesting read.

A very dry book that is written in an easy to read style. That's great, but it is so relaxing that it can put you to sleep within a few pages. Granted, he had a tough topic to create excitement out of, but this reads like one of those textbooks that you dreaded receiving the first day of classes.
He talks about the motivation of European imperialism. He should have remembered to motivate the reader to care.