Live During The Past Three Centuries

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02 Nov 2017

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It is quite difficult to answer the question with taking just one name when we have seen so many great empires in the last few centuries but when we take the economic aspect in consideration, we come to observe that most of the present day super powers rise does not date back to centuries. For instance, China’s rise to being one of the biggest economies has been phenomenal but it wasn’t till the revolution of 1950s that Chinese finally got organized and build up the country in the post revolution period.

I would have liked to live in Great Britain which in true sense was a small country with large number of colonies but their impact has been huge on the world history since the 1700s. Britain has led the now well-known industrial revolution and has been a force to reckon with all the inventions and large number of available resources. British scientists have been associated with inventing machinery, most famous being steam engines, setting up factories, establishing railway locomotives and steamships network, textiles and tool-making. [1] 

The railway system remains one of the highlight of their achievements traces of which still can be found here in subcontinent as they also established the railway system here. Britain traditionally has been a leader in international and domestic banking, entrepreneurship, and trade. Much of the success was built upon their global empire since that provided them with unlimited resources and man power which helped them in keeping their supremacy over the world. This supremacy was supported by a strong military presence through not only ground troops and latest technology but also through a powerful Royal Navy, which eventually proved the difference between locals of subcontinent and Royal Army. [2] 

Nicholas Crafts in his book Britain’s Relative Economic Performance, 1870–1999 states that "during the time period between 1870 and 2000, economic output per head of population in Britain rose by 500 per cent, generating a significant rise in living standards. But after that there was rise of other nations like the well-organized Americans and the Hitler-led Germans harmed the British supremacy plus as a key participant of both World Wars Britain`s economy suffered a lot. The last nail in the coffin proved to be the independence of subcontinent from the British Raj which left them short of resources and labour reducing their impact." [3] 

The country has seen some historic moments like Magna Carta (1215) which was an important part of the historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law. This eventually led to the development of England's legal system which was used as a model for many of the colonies as they were developing their own legal systems. The credit for the current parliamentary and judicial system of countries like Pakistan and India along with many others goes to the movement and work done in the British Empire.

To be able to claim that I would have wanted to live in the UK during the past three centuries, it is important to shed light on some of the major economic developments that took place during this era.

The great Industrial Revolution occurred between 1770s and 1820s, during which Britain experienced an augmented economic change and transformed into the world's first industrial economy from an agrarian one. The era witnessed transitions from the use of manual labour and draft-animal based economy towards machine-based manufacturing. It also brought forth the mechanization of textile industries, improved techniques of iron making and enhanced use of refined coal. Not only this, but there was a large improvement in the infrastructure, including the road and rail network. [4] The establishment of factories attracted many people to switch from low productivity work in agriculture to high productivity urban jobs. [5] 

The production capacity, particularly in the textile industry enhanced greatly with the introduction of steam power fuelled primarily by coal, wider utilization of water wheels and powered machinery.

The Industrial Revolution saw a rapid transformation in the British economy and society. Previously large industries had to be near forests or rivers for power. The use of coal-fuelled engines allowed them to be placed in large urban centres. These new factories proved far more efficient at producing goods than the cottage industry of a previous era. These manufactured goods were sold around the world, and raw materials and luxury goods were imported to Britain. The degree of economic growth in Britain was not persistent by domestic demand alone. The improved process, mechanization and use of technology enabled Britain to outshine foreign competitors through mass production and cost-efficiency. The British were able to export their goods to Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. [6] 

Britain has gone through a lot of different eras and not all of them were excellent or positive, for example they had to suffer during the Great Depression of 1929-1939 and the exports went down after the Second World War. But the empire has seen some fascinating times as well.

Among all places in the UK, my personal favorite of all times has been London, which is a dream destination for many people around the world. London in the past three centuries has gone through great developmental changes that have only made it a better place to live. It was the world’s largest city from 1831 to 1925. [7] From 1940 onwards, London became home to a large number of immigrants, largely from Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, making London one of the most diverse cities in Europe. [8] 

During the past centuries, London has been the setting for many works of literature. The literary centers of London have traditionally been hilly Hampstead and (since the early 20th century) Bloomsbury. The city produced some great writers like diarist Samuel Pepys, who is recognized for his eyewitness account of the Great Fire, Charles Dickens, whose representation of a foggy, snowy, grimy London of street sweepers and pickpockets has been a major influence on people's vision of early Victorian London, and Virginia Woolf, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the 20th century. [9] 

It is this very place that has produced great entertainment for people in times when the UK economy was suffering a downfall, jobs were scarce and inflation was high. It was in these crucial times that people were entertained through films like Oliver Twist (1948), Peter Pan (1953), The Ladykillers (1955), The 101 Dalmatians (1961), Mary Poppins (1964), Blowup (1966), The Long Good Friday (1980), Secrets & Lies (1996), and Notting Hill (1999). [10] 

London has been a home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions, that are significant as great tourtist attractions as well as research platforms. The first of these to be established was the British Museum in Bloomsbury, in 1753. In the year 1824, the National Gallery was founded to house the British national collection of Western paintings; this now occupies a prominent position in Trafalgar Square. In the latter half of the 19th century, the locale of South Kensington was developed as "Albertopolis", that served as a cultural and scientific quarter. It is a home to three national museums: the Victoria and Albert Museum (for the applied arts), the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. The national gallery of British art is at Tate Britain, originally established as an annexe of the National Gallery in 1897. [11] 

So when I look back at such a rich history, I feel that being part of this would have been an amazing experience. The country changed from complete kingship to a pure democracy and a multi-cultural country. These three centuries produced some amazing scientists and literary people whose work is matchless in the history. The inventions helped in saving thousands of life from diseases which are not an issue today but at that time simplest of them took thousands of lives every year. The industrial revolution was the basis of the modernization and advancement of the current world. There was large number of British poets and writers who wrote amazing literary work, from poetry to mystery novels and from love to thriller.

In short, it would have been amazing to be part of something like this where you get to see these wonderful people and not to forget the charm of the traditional norms and values which always have been and even today is one of the special features of British Empire.



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