AP World History · Sourcing and situation
Which additional evidence would be most necessary to determine whether China's declining share from 1830 to 1900 reflected an absolute…
Estimated shares of world manufacturing output
| Region | 1750 | 1830 | 1900 |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 32.8% | 29.8% | 6.2% |
| India and present-day Pakistan | 24.5% | 17.6% | 1.7% |
| United Kingdom | 1.9% | 9.5% | 18.5% |
Values are estimated percentage shares of total world manufacturing output.
Data adapted from Paul Bairoch, “International Industrialization Levels from 1750 to 1980,” <em>Journal of European Economic History</em> 11 (1982).
Which additional evidence would be most necessary to determine whether China's declining share from 1830 to 1900 reflected an absolute decline in Chinese manufacturing output or slower growth than manufacturing elsewhere?
Answer and explanation
Answer: A: Estimates of the total volume or value of Chinese manufacturing output at comparable dates
A falling share is relative, so it could mean Chinese output shrank or only grew more slowly than elsewhere. Estimates of the total volume or value of Chinese manufacturing output at comparable dates would settle which, so A is correct. Choice B is tempting because industrial politics mattered, but parliamentary seats say nothing about Chinese production. Choice C, merchants' religion in treaty ports, cannot distinguish relative share from absolute output. Choice D, Ottoman imports in 1900, does not measure China's total manufacturing.
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