Why did the British conquer the Oceania region? In the past, the British Isles and Western Europe in general were backwaters of the world. Even the roman empire derived most of its wealth from North Africa, Balkan and the Middle East.
1500 - 1750 Europe gained momentum, but the Asian powers showed no interest in them. This was the golden age for the Ottoman Empire, Safavid Empire, Mughal Empire and the Ming and Qing dynasties.
1775 Asia accounted for 80% of the world’s economy.
1750 - 1850 Europeans humiliated the Asian powers in a series of wars
1900 Europeans controlled the world’s economy and most of its territory
Europe won, as written here How Europe Won. “Even today’s burgeoning Chinese economy, is built on a European model”
How did Europe break out? Most of the credit has gone to the scientist. But it’s more than that.
During the military-industrial-scientific complex, Britain leaped forward, and France, Germany and the US were quick to follow, but China lagged behind. Some european rail companies built railroads in China, but they were quickly removed by the government.
Why the East could not keep up
“The Chinese and Persians did not lack technological inventions. They lacked values, myths, judicial apparatus and sociopolitical structures that took centuries to form and mature in the West which could not be copied and internalised rapidly.”
The observation that the East were still on par with the West in the 1750s were a mirage. It’s akin to building a building with mud and bricks (East) and building with steel and concrete (West).
So what potential did Europe develop that led to its success? Modern Science and capitalism