ABSTRACT
The nineteenth century was the period in which the new countries of the western Atlantic established themselves as nations. For the first time, they began to demonstrate a political hierarchy that would continue into the twentieth century, with the nations of the Northern Hemisphere, including the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, rapidly industrializing and prospering economically. The southern countries located in Latin America, Brazil, and Africa were entering the world economy from an unequal basis and were beginning to increasingly lag behind in technology and wealth.
