Settlement,
exploitation,
and spheres of
influence.
Review:
 As you saw in the DBQ, there are
3 main motives for imperialism:
1) Economic

Resources, labor, new markets
2) Social
 Religious, ideological, to
expand your culture
3) Political
 Military expansion, exploration,
idea of ‘glory and power’
Imperialism in Action:
 Whatever the reason empires came to
conquer, those 3 reasons led to 3 general types
of colonies/influence.
1. Settlement
2. Exploitation
3. Spheres of Influence
Settlement Colonies
 The empire tries to make the colony another version of
itself.
 Men, women and children all emigrate to the new
colony.
 Often in search of land and new opportunities.
 Examples:
 Canada
 South Africa
Exploitation Colonies
 Usually in places that would be inhospitable to move
in settlers
 Focused on obtaining raw or human resources
 Often involved using native populations as slave
workers.
 Example:
 Belgian Congo
 “Rhodesia”
 Nigeria
Spheres of Influence
 Unofficially, but effectively, controlled from the
outside (Not technically colonies)
 Desire to keep trade and interaction open without
removing local infrastructure.
 “Mafia” analogy
 Example:
 China
Different Levels of Control:
 Direct
 Officials/soldiers from home country
 French
 Indirect
 Local rulers, but “Westernized”
 British
 Protectorate
 Like indirect- local rulers
 Expected to do what European advisers
wanted.
How could they get away with this?
 Maxim Machine Gun-1884
“The White Man’s Burden”
by Rudyard Kipling, 1899
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.
“Martyr”by David Diop,
one of West Africa’s best known poets
The White Man killed my father,
My father was proud.
The White Man seduced my mother,
My mother was beautiful.
The White Man burnt my brother
beneath the noonday sun.
My brother was strong.
His hands red with black blood
The White Man turned to me:
And in the Conqueror’s voice said,
“Boy! A chair, a napkin, a drink.”