<P> One factor that helped the core countries dominate over the other countries is long - distance trade with the Americas and the East . This trade produced profits of 200%--300% . In order to enter this trade market, countries needed a great amount of capital and state help . The smaller countries could not make this happen, and this widened the gap between the "core" and "semi-periphery" countries . These core positions held strong up and throughout the 18th century, even as the core regions started to produce a mixture of agricultural and industrial goods . At the beginning of 1700, manufacture of goods in industrial productions started to take off . Industrial production soon took over the agricultural production up to the year 1900 . </P> <P> As nations continued to grow technologically, especially through printing journals and newspapers, communication was more widespread . Thus, the global society was united through this force . In order to assure a good life for their citizens, countries needed to rely on trade and on technological advancements, which ultimately determined how well in the world a country stood . </P> <P> Keeping in mind the interactions of nations in this period, John W. Cell notes in his essay entitled "Europe and the World in an Expanding World Economy, 1700--1850", that war and trade were somewhat dependent on each other . Nations had to defend their ships while also establishing territories elsewhere to ensure successful trade for themselves . By the middle of the 17th century, the "foundations of the modern world system had been laid ." </P> <P> At the beginning of the 18th century, Europe had not yet dominated in the world economy on account of the fact that its military did not match that of Asia or of the Middle East . However, through organizing its economics and improving technology in industry, European countries took the lead as the most powerful nations in the late 18th century and remained in this position until late in the 20th century . </P>

Brazil has some characteristics of a core state and a periphery state