Imperialism (1800-1914)



Imperialism (1800-1914)

Imperialism is the domination by one country of the political, economic, or cultural life of another country or region. European nations had already gained some power in areas of the world such as the Americas, Africa, and Asia. By the 1800’s these areas became of great economic interest to Europeans who sought natural resources to use in their factories. New military strength enabled European nations to easily colonize, or politically control other areas of the world.

Causes of Imperialism [pic] 1. Economic Interests- Manufacturers of the Industrial Revolution wanted access to cheap raw materials and natural resources such as rubber, petroleum, manganese, palm oil, cotton, and indigo. They also hoped to modernize other areas and make markets, or places to sell their manufactured goods.

2. Political and Military Interests-Industrial powers sent their steam powered merchant ships overseas and naval vessels needed military bases around the world to protect trading ships. Harbor and islands were seized for these purposes. Nationalism, or pride and patriotism played a role as well. Rival nations like Britain and Germany seized territories to stop French expansion. Many nations felt that ruling a global empire increased a nation’s prestige around the world.

3. Humanitarian Goals- Many westerners viewed foreigners as “little brothers.” Paternalism is the idea of looking down at others as if they are less able or like children. Ethnocentrism, or the idea that one’s ethnic group or culture is superior to others was a prevalent idea during this time period as well. While some people had good intentions, others were prejudiced toward foreigners. Missionaries, doctors, and colonial officials believed they had a duty to spread what they saw as the blessings of western civilization, including its medicine, law, and religion. This “duty” was referred as the “White Man’s Burden.” Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem with this title in 1865.

Take up the White Man's burden--

Send forth the best ye breed--

Go bind your sons to exile

To serve your captives' need;

To wait in heavy harness,

On fluttered folk and wild--

Your new-caught, sullen peoples,

Half-devil and half-child.

4. Social Darwinism, the idea that came from Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest supported the argument that European races were superior to all others and that the conquest and destruction of other cultures was simply nature’s way of improving the world. This attitude supported racism and was unfortunately widely accepted in this time period.

Reasons Why Imperialism Succeeded:

1. Many foreign nations did not have strong enough military power to resist invasion. In some areas, people were divided and thus were easy to conquer.

2. Superior technology and medicine strengthened European power. Machine guns and steam driven warships forced foreigners to accept European domination. Some groups tried to resist, but most were not successful.

Forms of Imperial Rule- Colonies were areas politically controlled by a more powerful nations. Some were controlled by direct rule, or sending officials from Europe to directly control the colony. Others were ruled by indirect rule, or the use of local rulers or chiefs who governed under the direction of the European power. This way, western governments were introduced by their own people. Protectorates involve leaving local rulers in place but forcing them to follow the advice of the European power. A sphere of influence is an area where an outside power claimed exclusive investment or trading privileges. Europeans carved out spheres of influence overseas to prevent conflict with other imperialist nations.

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Africa in the Early 1800’s

In the late 1800’s, Britain, France, Germany, and other European powers swept into Africa. Within 20 years they hade carved up the continent and dominated millions of Africans. Africa’s geography created unique and diverse cultures. Northern areas had undergone centuries of contacts with Europe while interior areas such as the Sahara Desert and central rain forest region remained isolated. The slave trade had impacted western Africa and South Africa was influenced by Dutch and British settlement. Explorers, such as Mungo Park and Richard Burton set out to map the course of the Nile and Congo Rivers. Catholic and Protestant missionaries sought to win people to Christianity. They built schools, medical clinics and churches and communicated the evils of the slave trade. Although they may have had good intentions, missionaries sometimes degraded other cultures and religions. David Livingstone was a popular explorer-missionary who crisscrossed the African continent. He wrote about his findings and called for the end of the slave trade. In 1869, after not being heard from for years, journalist Henry Stanly tracked him down and greeted him with the now famous phrase, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.” King Leopold II of Belgium hired Stanley to explore the Congo River basin and arrange trade treaties with African leaders. He was dreaming of conquest and profit. His interest in Africa set off what came to be known as the “scramble for Africa” as Britain, France, and Germany all set out to conquer territory. [pic]

In 1884, Europeans met in Berlin to recognize Leopold’s claims to Congo but they declared that a European power could not claim any part of Africa unless they had set up a government office there. This meeting was known as the Berlin Conference. No Africans were invited to this conference and a rush to colonize Africa ensued. The division of Africa among European powers is known as the partitioning of Africa. The map of Africa was re-drawn with little concern for tribes or cultures who lived there.

Horrors in the Congo- King Leopold and other wealthy Belgians exploited the riches of the Congo, including its rubber, copper, and ivory. Belgian overseers brutally enslaved and tortured Africans. By1908, these reports led to the Belgian government taking over affairs there. Meanwhile, the French extended power into Algeria, Tunisia, and central Africa. Britain took Egypt, Sudan, and eventually gained territory in South Africa after they defeated the Dutch in the Boer War. There, they set up a system of racial segregation known as apartheid, which remained in force until 1993.Portugal and Germany jumped in on takeovers as well.

Resistance- Movements to end European usually failed because Europeans possessed better weapons. Ethiopia was one of the few nations to resist European takeover. King Menelik II had begun to modernize his nation so his people were familiar with weapons. Liberia, a nations settled by freed U.S. slaves was another area that did not fall into the hands of the Europeans. It would not be until the end of World War II that many European nations began to gain independence.

The Muslim World

Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt opened a new era of European conflicts with the Muslim world, which extended from western Africa to Southeast Asia. Many of the Muslim Empires in these areas were going through decline. Islamic revivals occurred in some areas in response to European interest in the area. European powers started out by gaining trading rights and then they quickly gained more power. The Ottoman Empire was weakening so Europe hoped to gain some of their territory. Russia hoped to gain access to the Mediterranean Sea and Germany had its eyes on the Middle East. Britain saw these nations as competition. Many Ottoman rulers decided to start modernizing their areas. In the 1890’s, nationalism began igniting tensions between Turkish nationalists and minority groups who sought independence.

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The Muslim Turks distrusted the Christian Armenians who lived in the eastern mountains of the empire. This tension triggered a genocide, or deliberate attempt to destroy an entire religious or ethnic group. The Armenians were accused of supporting Russian plans against the Ottoman Empire. When Armenians protested repressive Ottoman policies, the Sultan (leader) had tens of thousands of the slaughtered. Over the next 25 years, a million or more Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were killed.

Egypt was strengthened and modernized by Muhammad Ali who improved tax collection, reorganized landholding, improved farming methods, and expanded cotton production. In 1859, Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French entrepreneur organized a company to build the Suez Canal, a 100 mile waterway to link the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It opened in 1869. The Egyptians were unable to pay back loans so they were forced to sell their shares in the canal, which were purchased by the British, giving Britain a controlling interest in the canal. In 1882, Egypt became a British protectorate.

India- In the early 1600’s, the British East India Company conquered India. Indians, people with dozens of languages and traditions were not able to unite against newcomers. The British encouraged disunity and competition among Indians. In the 1850’s the East India Co required sepoys, or Indian soldiers in their service to serve anywhere, either in India or overseas. In 1857, new rifles were issued to the sepoys that had cartridges that were greased with animal fat. Troops were told to bite off the cartridge tips before loading them. Hindus and Muslims resisted because of dietary restrictions. Hindus do not eat beef and Muslims do not eat pork. Angry sepoys rose up against the British.

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Sepoys brutally massacred British men, women, and children in what came to be known as the Sepoy Rebellion. The British retaliated and attacked and killed thousands of unarmed Indians and increased their power over India. Britain was interested in making profits. Farmers were pushed into growing crops, which could be sold on the world market. The population began to grow because of better medicine and nutrition, but agriculture had shifted away from food production so a terrible famine, or period of starvation occurred. Imperialism brought benefits of modern technology and education, but many British people looked down on Indian culture. Many educated Indians began supporting nationalist movements. The Indian National Congress called for independence using peaceful methods. The Muslim League feared Hindu domination in India and called for a separate Muslim state.

India Seeks Self-Rule-On April 13, 1919 a large but peaceful crowd assembled despite a ban that had been placed on public meetings. British soldiers arrived and within 10 minutes they had killed 379 people and wounded over1,100. This event was known as the Amritsar Massacre. Frustration toward the British were growing. Indians had served as soldiers for the British in WWI and hoped to gain independence as a reward. The British did not deliver promised reforms.

In the 1920’s a new leader emerged, who united all Indians. His name was Mohandas Gandhi. He was nicknamed “Mahatma” or Great Soul. Gandhi came from a middle-class Hindu family and at age 19, he went to England to study law. He joined an Indian law firm in South Africa where he faced prejudice and injustice. Gandhi adopted a weapon of nonviolent or passive resistance. He called this behavior satyagraha, or “soul force.” In 1914, Gandhi returned to India where his ideas inspired many. Gandhi preached ahimsa or nonviolence and respect for all life. His ideas were a combination of Hindu and Christian teachings. He also was influenced by Henry David Thoreau, an American writer who supported the act of civil disobedience, or the refusal to follow laws one deems unfair.

Gandhi wore a dhoti, a simple white garment traditionally worn by villagers. He called for many nonviolent actions against the British like boycotts of British goods, especially textiles. Indians were urged to spin and weave their own cloth.

He made the spinning wheel a symbol of nationalism. When Indians turned violent in protests, he would respond by fasting, praying, and would call on patriots to practice self-control.

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The Salt March-Indians were forced to buy salt from the British. They were not allowed to use natural sea salt. The monopoly on salt was a symbol of oppression and unfair laws that were opposed by Gandhi. On March 12, 1930 Gandhi set out with 78 followers on a 240 mile march to the sea, known as the Salt March. On April 6 he waded into the ocean and picked up a lump of sea salt and proclaimed, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British empire.” He was arrested by the British, along with hundreds of other Indians, who were brutally beaten. Newspapers and radio reports portrayed the British as brutal torturers. Indians reportedly used no violence in response to the attacks. Around the world, people expressed outrage at the British. But independence did not come to India until 1947, following World War II. An independent Muslim state was formed and became known as Pakistan.

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China-By the 1830’s, British merchant ships were arriving in China loaded with opium to sell to the Chinese. Before this period, China had restricted foreign traders. China sold them silk, porcelain, and tea in exchange for gold and silver. China enjoyed a favorable balance of trade or trade surplus because they exported more than they imported.

The Opium War-Because so many Chinese merchants traded opium, many became addicted to it. Silver flowed out of China in payment for the drug. The Chinese government responded by executing opium merchants and drug dealers. But the British continued to trade it. A war broke out. The British easily defeated the Chinese in the war that broke out which was known as the Opium War. China was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in which Britain received a huge indemnity, or payment for losses.

They also gained the island of Hong Kong. China was forced to open 5 ports to trade and had to grant British citizens in China extraterritoriality, or the right to live under their own laws and be tried in British courts.

Poverty and misery increased for peasants. They rebelled in a movement known as the Taiping Rebellion. Their leader, Hong Xiuquan supported land reform, communal ownership of property, and equality for women and men. He called for an end to the Qing Dynasty, who ruled China. They nearly toppled it and caused the deaths of between 20 to 30 million people.

In the 1860’s, the Chinese launched the “self-strengthening” movement. They built up factories and made modern weapons. They developed railroads, shipyards, mining, and light industry. This attempt to strengthen China failed, however. Meanwhile, Japan moved ahead with the Meiji Restoration, a period of rapid modernization. Japan conquered Taiwan off the coast of China.

Western powers moved into China to carve out spheres of influence, or areas of control. The British, French, Germans, and Russians swept in. The U.S. called for an “Open Door Policy” which would allow trade to open to everyone on an equal basis. The Chinese were not consulted about this policy. This led to growing hatred of foreigners.

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The Boxer Rebellion-In 1899, a group of Chinese formed a society known as the Righteous Harmonious Fists, nicknamed the “Boxers” because they practiced martial arts. Their goal was to drive out the “foreign devils” with modern lifestyles. The Boxers believed they would drive all foreigners out and that their bodies would repel bullets. Western powers and the Japanese organized a multinational force which crushed the Boxers.

Eventually, China modernized. Nationalism grew. Sun Yixian became a spokesman for the Chinese Republic, a constitutional monarchy. He wanted to rebuild China. He supported

The Three Principles of the People which included Nationalism, Democracy, and livelihood, or economic security for all people in China. In 1911, uprisings led by peasants, students, and warlords toppled the ruling dynasty. Sun Yixian was named president of the new Chinese Republic, which was to face turmoil, war, and invasion during the 20th century.

Vocabulary List/ Imperialism Name:_______________________

Imperialism

Political and Military Interests

Nationalism

Humanitarian Goals

Paternalism

Ethnocentrism

White Man’s Burden

Social Darwinism

Reasons Why Imperialism Succeeded

Colonies

Direct Rule

Indirect Rule

Protectorate

Sphere of Influence

Mungo Park

Richard Burton

Missionaries

David Livingstone

King Leopold II

Scramble for Africa

Berlin Conference

Partitioning of Africa

Horrors of the Congo

Boer War

Apartheid

King Menelik II

Liberia

Armenians

Genocide

Muhammad Ali

Ferdinand de Lesseps

Suez Canal

Sepoys

Sepoy Rebellion

Famine

Indian National Congress

Muslim League

Amritsar Massacre

Mohandas Gandhi

Mahatma

Nonviolent/Passive Resistance

Satyagraha

Ahimsa

Civil Disobedience

Dhoti

Salt March

Pakistan

Favorable Balance of Trade/ Trade Surplus

Opium War

Treaty of Nanjing

Indemnity

Extraterritoriality

Taiping Rebellion

Hong Xiuquan

Self-Strengthening Movement

Spheres of Influence

Open Door Policy

Righteous Harmonious Fists

Boxer Rebellion

Sun Yixian

Three Principles of the People

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