@SCENARIO
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^^The AGE OF IMPERIALISM
^"The 1860s closed an era of imperial expansion. The economic underpinnings of
^the old mercantilist empires of the 17th and 18th centuries had collapsed in
^an era of free trade. The industrial and trade revolutions which spread from
^Britain to the European and American continents mocked the idea that a 
^nation's army must control a piece of land, or its navy rule the seas, for 
^that nation to profit from it. The costs of both conquest and subsequent 
^infrastructure development gobbled up any potential profits, as the French had  
^learned in Algeria and the British in India. Businessmen like Mattheson and
^Jardine had pioneered the judicious use of military force to compel even a huge
^country like China to trade on terms favorable to outsiders. Yet, in the 1860s,
^the world stood on the threshold of a new era of imperial expansion fuelled by 
^two new developments, one that gave Europe the motivation, the second that gave
^it the means. The first was national rivalries that encouraged nations to
^conquer territory, not for profit, but for prestige. The second development was
^the quickening pace of technology--modern weapons, transport, improved sanitary
^and logistical capabilities--which, it was hoped, would make imperial conquest 
^hardly more than a stroll beneath a tropical sun."  --Douglas Porch
^^DO look at the Readme file.
^^SPECIAL NOTES:
^^Government switching is not permitted, pollution will not appear.
^
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