As a result of the Industrial Revolution, British and French financiers built up enormous reserves of capital. Seeking to earn high rates of return on their investments, they helped to finance all of the following except: (choose one)
a. The rapid industrialization of Russia, including railroads and enormous new steel plants
b. Infrastructural projects in the New World, including railroads in Argentina and North America
c. Technological research in Germany, including the improvement of German military technology
d. The Suez Canal in Egypt, which shortened the shipping routes from Europe to Asia