"Railroads" played a vital role regarding empire-building in<em> Afro-Eurasia.</em> They became essential especially during the "Age of New Imperialism" <em>(1870s). </em>It aided the locomotion that was needed for great empires. <u>Europe became more powerful</u> because the <em>railroads, together with money</em>, allowed them to control other countries, especially the agrarian ones.
It allowed them to gain control of <em>other nation's</em><em> natural resources </em>as well. One example of this are the "trunk lines" which connect the commercial centers with the seaports in Africa. This allowed the <em>gold fields</em> and<em> diamond fields</em> to be directly connected to the port. This were then destined to the <em>factories </em>and <em>markets</em> in Europe. The railways (locomotives) also extended to other areas including Asia such as <em>China, Thailand, India, etc</em>.
