Imperialism
World Studies
Alice F. Short
Hilliard Davidson High School
Imperialism
Topic: Imperialism (1800-1914)
• The industrialized nations embarked upon a
competition for overseas empires that had
profound implications for the entire world. This
“new imperialism” focused on the
underdeveloped world and led to the
domination and exploitation of Asia, Africa and
Latin America.
10. Imperial expansion had political, economic and
social roots.
11. Imperialism involved land acquisition,
extraction of raw materials, spread of Western
values and direct political control.
12. The consequences of imperialism were viewed
differently by the colonizers and the colonized.
DISCUSSION:
What does the
word exploitation
mean? Do students
exploit people /
situations? How?
What does land
acquisition mean?
extraction of raw
materials?
Western values?
What do you think
the difference is
between direct and
indirect political
control?
What is the
difference between
colonizers and the
colonized?
Imperialism
• imperialism - a policy of extending a
country's power and influence
through diplomacy or military force
over other countries/territories
• imperial power – a country that
controls another country or territory
• Imperialism, as defined by the
Dictionary of Human Geography, is
• "an unequal human and territorial
relationship, usually in the form of
an empire, based on ideas of
superiority and practices of
dominance, and involving the
extension of authority and control
of one state or people over
another.”
domination rule; control,
often
arbitrary
VOLUNTEER: Give
us a definition of
imperialism in your
own words.
New Imperialism
• industrialized /developed nations

overseas empires
– different from earlier forms (trading
posts)
– profound implications for the entire
world
– focused on undeveloped world:
• Asia, Africa, South America
developed nation –
a nation that has
modernized
colony – any people or
territory separated
from but subject to a
ruling power
New Imperialism (cont.)
• John Atkinson Hobson
– Imperialism, A Study (1902)
– British liberal economist
– analyzed the reasons for new
imperialism
• income from industry was unevenly
distributed
• wage earners not earning enough
to buy the very products they
produced
• large firms finding it necessary to
open new markets abroad to sell
their goods and invest their profits
Looking Back on Industrialization
• What is required for a country to industrialize?
– Factors of Production: land, labor, capital
– Political Stability
– Transportation Networks
– Trading Markets
• What is the incentive for a nation to
industrialize?
– Wealth
– Power and Nationalism
– Spreading Culture
• Industrial
Revolution –
Causes:
Industrial Revolution
– agricultural
revolution
– demand for
goods
– inventions
England, USA, Japan, Germany
Motives for Imperialism
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Economic
Political
Religious
Exploratory
Ideological
10. Imperial expansion had political, economic and social roots.
CANVAS ASSIGNMENT:
A SHORT Summary of Imperialism
Motives for Imperialism: Economic
• Economic motives included
the desire …
– to make money
– to expand and control foreign
trade
– to create new markets for
products
– to acquire raw materials and
natural resources
– to acquire cheap labor
– to compete for investments
and resources
– to export industrial technology
and transportation methods
market - demand for a particular product or
commodity
exploitation - selfish utilization; use or
utilization, especially for profit
“The
nineteenth
century saw a
new phase of
Western
expansion as
European
nations viewed
Asian and
African
societies as a
source for raw
materials and a
market for
manufactured
goods. By
1900, most of
Southeast Asia
and Africa were
under the
control of
Western
powers.”
Imperialism and
Economics
Motives for
Imperialism:
Political
• Political motives
were based on a
nation’s desire …
– to gain power
– to compete with
other European
countries
– to expand territory
– to exercise military force
– to gain prestige by winning colonies
– to boost national pride
– to increase national prestige
– to boost national security
power and prestige:
motivated countries such as
Germany and Belgium to rush
to obtain as many colonies as
possible
• They wanted to gain
economic and political advantage over rival nations.
Motives for Imperialism: Religious
• Religious motives included the desire …
–
–
–
–
–
to spread Christianity
to protect European missionaries in other lands
to spread European values and moral beliefs
to educate peoples of other cultures
to end slave trade in Africa
• emancipation – to free (a slave) from bondage
Motives for Imperialism: Exploratory
• Exploratory motives were based on the desire
…
– to explore “unknown” or uncharted territory
– to conduct scientific research
– to conduct medical searchers of the causes and
treatment of diseases
– to go on an adventure
– to investigate “unknown” lands and cultures.
• uncharted - something that is unknown
Motives for Imperialism: Ideological
A Fancy Name for Racism
• Ideological motives (or social roots) were based on
cultural values such as
• ideology – a body of ideas that reflects the beliefs and
interests of either an individual or a nation, political
system, etc.
– the belief that the white race was superior, other cultures
were “primitive”
• the White Man’s Burden
– Europeans should “civilize” peoples in other parts of the
world
• civilize -
– great nations should have empires, and only the strongest
nations will survive
The
White Man’s
Burden
bias – a tendency to
believe a certain
argument; prejudice
ethnicity – identity
with or membership
in a particular racial,
national or cultural
group
The White Man’s Burden
White Man’s Burden
“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 fold and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.”
-- From “The White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling
White Man’s Burden: Basis Analysis
• Mission: spread Christianity and the Industrial
Revolution
• Westerners viewed anyone with different religion
& life as “backwards”
• Westerners felt it was their duty to “civilize” the
“backwards” people of the world
• LITERAL ANALYSIS: reflects the idea that
Europeans has a responsibility to improve the
lives of Africans
• ANALYSIS: super-racist view-point of the West
regarding Africans
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• Was imperialism inevitable?
• Was the transatlantic slave trade inevitable?
A SHORT Assignment (Part 1)
• racism - a belief or doctrine that inherent
differences among the various human races
determine cultural or individual achievement,
usually involving the idea that one's own race is
superior and has the right to rule others
– inherent - existing in someone or something as a
permanent and inseparable element, quality, or
attribute
– Do you believe this is a complete definition of racism.
If you were going to write your own definition, what
would it be?
ASSIGNMENT: In a paragraph or more, explain in your own words what racism is. Please take
this assignment very seriously.
A SHORT Assignment (Part 2)
• Break into groups.
• Share what you wrote.
• Edit and add to your own, and help others make
changes as well.
• DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: After you finish sharing and
editing your answers, discuss the following. Please
keep your conversions classy and polite.
– Do you think racism still exists in the United States today?
Explain your point-of-view. Use supports.
– Do agree with what other people in your group wrote
about racism?
– Do you think that you are ever racist? Do you think that
you are ever prejudicial about another group of people?
Whom? How? Why? When?
New Imperialism
What does it look like?
•
•
•
•
Land acquisition
Extraction of raw materials
Spread of Western values
Maintenance of political control
Primary 2 Motivations
for Imperialism:
1. raw materials
2. markets
11. Imperialism involved land acquisition, extraction of raw materials, spread of Western values and direct political control.
Imperialism: Land Acquisition
• acquisition - the act of acquiring or gaining
possession
• spheres of influence – any area in which one
nation wields dominant power over another
or others due to a special interest
– frequently used in reference to China
– possible because Europeans had technologically
superior military forces
• annex - to incorporate (territory) into the
domain of a city, country, or state; to take or
appropriate, especially without permission
IMPERIALISM
CARTOON
1882
'The
Devilfish in
Egyptian
Waters.‘
An American
cartoon depicting
John Bull
(England) as the
octopus of
imperialism
grabbing land on
every continent.
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• In Empire and Commerce in Africa: A Study in Economic
Imperialism—published in 1919—British writer, publisher,
and anti-imperialist Leonard Woolf (1880–1969) noted,
“The part played by Europe in the world during the last
hundred years has been that of a political octopus. States
have stretched out from Europe the tentacles of their
political power and organization, and have grasped or
enmeshed practically the whole of Asia, Africa, and
Australia, together with all the islands of all the oceans.”
Explain why the metaphor of an octopus is appropriate in
describing an imperialist power like nineteenth-century
England.
• Do you think this cartoon is an accurate representation of
European imperialism? Could it be better? How?
• If you had to come up with a metaphor for imperialism,
what would it be?
Scramble for Africa
Cecil Rhodes – wanted
to create a series of
British colonies “from
the Cape to Cairo”
• Liberia and Ethiopia = only early independent nations!!
Division of Africa
-the cultural and
ethnic diversity of the
African people was
disregarded
- traditional forms of
tribal authority were
weakened (negative
political impact)
- Europeans were
primarily competing
for raw materials and
markets
- led to exploitation of
labor and resources
(same as in Asia and
South America)
Imperialism:
Extraction of Raw Materials
• raw materials – needed from growing industries in the late 18th
and early 19th centuries
– needed rubber, oil and tin
– needed new markets for European goods
11. Imperialism involved land acquisition, extraction of raw materials, spread of Western values and direct political control.
Europeans Want and Take
Raw Materials
• exploit – to take advantage of a
person/situation esp. unethically or unjustly
for ones own ends
– making the fullest use of a resource for one’s own
gain
• export - the movement of goods, or
commodities, from one country to another
Belgian Occupation
of Congo
one of the must brutal cases of
imperialism…
Belgian Occupation of Congo
direct rule vs. indirect rule
Which type of rule do you think is in the Congo?
Imperialism:
Spread of Western Values
• Western - of, relating to, or characteristic of the Americas
and the parts of Europe (typically Western Europe)
• Westernize – to influence with ideas, customs, practices,
etc., characteristics of the United States and/or Western
Europe
• value - to have a high regard for, esp. in respect of worth,
usefulness, merit, etc; esteem or prize: to value freedom
• Western Values
– religion
– customs
– ways of governing
11. Imperialism involved land acquisition, extraction of raw materials, spread of Western values and direct political control.
Imperialism:
Maintenance of Political Control
1.
2.
direct control (France, Belgium)
indirect control (Great Britain, Netherlands) – used local systems of
authority
– lessened the possibility of revolts
– encouraged assimilation of western traditions (culture, governing)
• political - of, pertaining to, or concerned with politics
– politics - the practice or study of the art and science of forming, directing, and
administrating states and other political units; the art and science of
government; the complex or aggregate of relationships of people in society,
esp. those relationships involving authority or power
• control - to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate; command
• paternalism - the system, principle, or practice of managing or governing
individuals, businesses, nations, etc., in the manner of a father dealing
benevolently and often intrusively with his children
– reflected a European belief that Africans should be governed by the European
colonizers and protected like children
• spheres of influence (in China)
– Europeans gained economic control of China
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• civil - relating to public matters
• protectorate – a political unit that depends on
another government for its protection (ex. French
Vietnam)
– the relation of a strong state toward a weaker state or
territory that it protects and partly controls
• When might it be to the advantage of a
country/state/nation to become a protectorate?
• What was the economic advantage to direct rule
over colonies?
Empire Building in Africa
• Belgium
– David Livingstone explored Africa’s interior (famous explorer who
went missing in central Africa)
– Henry Stanley – uttered the famous phrase, “Dr. Livingstone, I
presume.”
– King Leopold II of Belgium opened up the Congo
• Germany
– interested in East Africa (political)
• Britain
– wanted a route from South Africa to Egypt
– helped the Boers defeated the native Zulu
– defeated the Boers and established the independent Union of South
Africa
• Africans
– educated in Western schools sought the end of colonial rule and
promoted African nationalism
Africa:
Suez Canal in Egypt
• built in 1869 with
French money
• Connected Red &
Mediterranean
Sea shortening
trip to Asian
markets
– 1875 - Egypt
needed $ so they
sold their share
to England
– Despite the
voluntary sale,
Egyptians grew
angry & rebelled
over foreign
presence
– 1882 - Led to
Egypt becoming a
protectorate
Africa: Boer War
• Shaka Zulu – led the
indigenous people of
southern Africa in
battles against the
Boers
• British settlers in
Dutch colonies
outnumbered Boers
• British gained control
of South Africa
• new language &
culture
– British outlawed
slavery
• Boers left the area &
founded Transvaal &
Orange Free State
– Diamonds were
discovered in land of
the Boers
Africa: Boer War Outcomes
• The Boers resisted
British victory &
practiced guerilla
warfare
• British arrested &
imprisoned Boers
• Boers finally gave
up (1910)
• Orange Free State
& Transvaal
became part of
British Africa
– Created the Union
of South Africa
Colonial Rule in Southeast Asia
• European nations
– exploited natural resources in Asia
– sought new markets for European goods
– spurred nation rivalries to increase their prestige by
dominating colonies in Southeast Asia
– controlled the governments and economies of their
colonies in Southeast Asia
• direct rule
• indirect rule
– Britain: European power that controlled the most
area in East Asia
• native rulers and peasants
– resisted colonial rule in Southeast Asia
• efforts often failed
Imperialism: China
• Boxer Rebellion – attempt to remove foreign
influences from China
– Who: a Chinese secret organization called the Society
of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists
– Again Whom: all foreign influence
– What: uprising
– Where: in northern China
– Why: against the spread of Western and Japanese
influence there
• The Opium Wars
British Rule in India
• Indians
– Sepoy – Indian soldier in the British military
– challenged British rule with the Sepoy Great (Mutiny Rebellion)
• was crushed
• fueled Indian nationalism
• British
– introduced political stability to India
• POSITIVE: British imperialism in India led to the adoption of a
parliamentary system of government
– harmed India’s local industries
– demeaned the Indian people and their culture
• Mohandas Gandhi
– led India’s independence movement.
• Rabindranath Tagore
– promoted national pride in Indian culture.
British Rule in India
Imperialist Japan
• By the early 20th century, many European nations as
well as Japan extended their control over other lands
and created empires.
• Meiji Restoration – rapid industrialization and
economic growth occurred (global impact of
imperialism: the modernization of technologically
undeveloped countries, such as Japan)
• Japanese leaders wanted to exert the power of Japan
and confront Western imperialism by engaging in
imperialist actions. Japan used its military might to
establish footholds in Taiwan, China and Korea.
Imperialist Japan
Why is this so important?
Why did the United States want to turn
the Philippines into
an American colony?
• President McKinley believed it was his moral
obligation to civilize other parts of the world
he considered uncivilized.
• The United States wanted to keep the
Philippines out of Japan’s control.
• The Philippines were strategically placed to
help increase American trade with China.
U.S. Economic Involvement
in
Latin America
• In the late 1800s and early
1900s, U.S. involvement in
the politics and economics
of Latin America was
pervasive. Even though
Latin Americans perceived
the United States as the
“big bully” to the north,
they were increasingly
dependent on the United
States for their economic
growth.
“War should never be entered upon until
every agency of peace has failed.”
“The mission of the United States is one of
benevolent assimilation.”
“Cuba ought to be free and independent,
and the government should be turned
over to the Cuban people.”
-- President William McKinley
Known for What?—the Spanish-American
War, protective tariffs, open-door policy
with China
Imperialism in Latin America
• U.S. involvement in Latin America resulted in
the Spanish-American War (gave the U.S. the
territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the
Philippines), the independence of Panama,
and the building of the Panama Canal.
• The U.S. sent military forces to Cuba, Mexico,
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama,
Colombia, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic
to protect American investments.
The Spanish-American War
Mexican Revolution
• The Mexican Revolution led
to the Constitution of 1917;
it set up a government led
by a president, created land
reform policies, and
established limits on foreign
investors.
– Pancho Villa – revolutionary
leader in Mexico
U.S. Economic Involvement in
Latin America
• Latin America experienced some prosperity
through exporting foodstuffs and raw
materials, which led to the growth of a middle
class.
• Latin American nations
– needed help establishing their economies,
• Suffered damage caused by their wars for
independence.
U.S. Economic Involvement in
Latin America
• Latin American countries
– experienced tremendous prosperity based on the export of a few raw
materials, such as coffee and bananas
– became dependent on Western nations (for markets)
– developed middle class (lawyers, merchants, shopkeepers,
businesspeople, schoolteachers, professors, bureaucrats, and military
officers)
• looked to the United States as an economic model, particularly for
industrialization
– urbanization began to reshape Latin America.
• companies
– built factories in Latin America
– produce their own textiles, construction materials, and luxury items
– In response to the growing middle and working classes,
U.S. Economic Involvement in
Latin America
• isolation – complete separation from others
• economic growth - the process by which a country’s wealth grows over
time
• Monroe Doctrine - the United States would assist Latin America and
prevent the return of European control
• Roosevelt Corollary (1904)– Theodore Roosevelt’s amendment to the
Monroe Doctrine to warn European countries to not intervene in Latin
American affairs
– stated that the United States had a moral duty to prevent financial
mismanagement and political instability in Latin America
– promised that the United States would intervene in any Latin American
countries that could not repay their debts to European and U.S. investors
– b/c Dominican Republic failed to pay their debts
• dollar diplomacy – a country increasing its power or simply making
decisions in foreign affairs through the use and protection of financial
resources
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• Why did Theodore Roosevelt issue the
Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe Doctrine?
• How did Latin American society change after
industrialization?
• Although some Latin Americans referred to
the United States as the “big bully to the
north,” they still looked to the United States as
an economic example. Why do you think they
saw the United States in two different ways?
Imperialism: All Good? All Bad?
Imperialism: Good? Bad?
• A SHORT Time to Ponder: What do you think about
imperialism? Where would our world be without a
history of imperialism? Would that be better for you?
A SHORT Assignment
Consequences of Imperialism
• Perspective:
– Colonizers
– Colonized
• Negative: Almost Everything
• Positives: building of roads and railroads
(infrastructure), developed export trade markets,
sometimes education and a growing middle class
CARTOON ASSIGNMENT: Create two cartoons.
One from the perspective of the colonizers,
and the other from the perspective of the
colonized.
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• How would colonizers and colonized look at
the extension of Western cultural practices vs.
the loss of traditions?
• How would colonizers and colonized look at
modernization vs. breakup of past
institutions?
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• What do you think would have happened if
workers in industrialized countries had been
paid enough to purchase more of the goods
they produced? Do you think the Western
powers would have expanded into Asia and
Africa anyway? Explain.
Imperialism Consequences
• traditions - customs or practices
• indigenous – native to a particular region or
country
• sector -- a sociological, economic, or political
subdivision of society