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

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.

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 explorer

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.]