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Industrialization in Egypt and Japan

Driving Question: How did Egypt and Japan experience industrialization in the nineteenth century?

What happens when industrialization goes global? We’ll look at how Japan confronted this reality, and compare that country’s experience to Egypt’s. And we’ll see the unexpected phenomenon of deindustrialization, which hurt some regions (such as South Asia) while enriching others (such as Europe).

Learning Objectives:

  1. Evaluate how industrialization spread to Egypt and Japan.
  2. Use the historical thinking skill of comparison to explore how two different nations attempted to industrialize in the nineteenth century.
  3. Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.

Vocab Terms:

  • debt
  • deindustrialization
  • export
  • factory
  • locomotion
  • manufacturing
  • reform
  • tariff
STEP 1

Opener: Industrialization in Egypt and Japan

Would you stop the wheels of change if you could? Explore some hypotheticals to decide what—if anything—you’d do different if given the chance.

STEP 2

Japan’s Industrial Revolution

Japan’s path to industrialization was unlike any other. Read the article to discover what made it unique, and then take a closer look at one key figure through a graphic biography.

STEP 3

Industrialization in Egypt

How did industrialization take different forms around the world? Explore Egypt’s unique path in the article, then compare what you’ve learned about Egypt and Japan in the activity.

STEP 4

Closer: Industrialization in Egypt and Japan

You’ve learned about the different paths to industrialization experienced in Egypt and Japan. In this short activity, you’ll imagine yourself in the shoes of different people in those countries.