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Comparing Industrialization in Egypt and Japan

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

Industrialization didn’t follow the same path everywhere. In this lesson, you’ll explore how Egypt and Japan each responded to the global spread of industrialization. By comparing their goals, challenges, and outcomes, you’ll consider why some countries successfully industrialized—while others struggled to keep up.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Use evidence to evaluate how industrialization spread to Egypt and Japan.
  2. Use the historical thinking practice 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.
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

Industrialization in Japan

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.

Extension Materials
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Want to see what industrialization looked like in different parts of the world? In this extension, you’ll explore data to compare when countries industrialized, and how industrialization changed their economies and societies.
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Industrialization Around the World

Industrialization spread to different regions and nations at different times. The effects of industrialization on those places varied dramatically.