March 10

For both political and sexual reasons, the Europeans maintained distinction and distance between whites and blacks. The colonial era was experienced differently by men and women. The need for agricultural products and extensive raw materials was created by the huge productivity of industrial technology and Europe's growing affluence. More manufactured goods were produced from industrial capitalism than the amount of people in Europe who could afford to buy. Often, European investors "found it more profitable to invest their money abroad than at home" (Strayer, 880). Half of Britain's savings were sent overseas as foreign investment between 1910 and 1913. Europe's factories were kept humming and its workers employed due to the social benefits of the foreign markets.