Legacies of Historical Globalization
IQ. To what extent should contemporary
society respond to the legacies of
historical globalization.
What is a legacy?
 Legacy: something that has been
passed on by those who lived in the
past.
 Examples:
 Government systems
 Buildings and monuments
 Religions
 Stories
 Celebrations
 Language
 Values
Building Empires
 Between 1876-1914, Imperial powers greatly expanded
their global possessions.
Ethnocentrism & Eurocentrism
 Ethnocentrism: A way of thinking that centers on
one’s own race and culture. Believe only their
worldview is valid.
 Ex. A Westerner thinking that using chopsticks at every
meal to eat is strange, silly, or a "stupid" way to eat
 Eurocentrism: Form of ethnocentrism that uses
European criteria to judge others.
How ethnocentric are you?
Scramble for Africa
 Berlin Conference
 To avoid conflicts,
representatives of USA,
Austria-Hungary, Belgium,
Denmark, France, Germany,
Britain, Italy, the
Netherlands, the Ottoman
Empire, Portugal, Russia,
Spain, and Sweden-Norway
met to divide Africa among
themselves.
Who was missing from this
conference?
Oral history
 Few written records
of the European
arrival exist.
 Read the story on
page 140. Can you
retell it in your own
words?
Queen Elizabeth II holds the royal scepter.
It contained the world’s largest polished
diamond, the great Star of Africa.
(530.4 carats, est. $463 million). The
diamond was discovered in South Africa.
The Indigenous people who lived there
received no benefit from this discovery.
Should they be compensated today?
Legacies of Imperialism
Causes
Division of
Africa by
Imperial Powers
Effects
Legacies of Imperialism
p.315
Cause
Effect
Example
Imperial power destroyed
traditional political and social
systems and left few resources to
meet people’s needs.
Newly independent countries
faced discontent and political
unrest and turned to
authoritarian leaders.
Kenya – like many former
colonies, gained independence in
the 1960s and turned to an
authoritarian one-party state to
try and solve economic problems.
Colonized people were relied
upon to learn the imperial
powers language and to help
govern.
Colonized people who benefited
from education often helped run
the government upon
independence.
India – Indians educated in
British style system were able to
rise to positions of power.
Imperial power split up or joined
communities that had not
traditionally been organized this
way.
Created ethnic conflict that lead
to human rights abuses.
Rwanda – Ethnic rivalries created
by Germany exploded into
genocide.
Imperial power changed
traditional political and
economic structures.
Either led to integration into
world markets or undermined
ability to be self-sufficient.
Canada – Aboriginal peoples
continue to advocate for political
and economic selfdetermination.
How has cultural contact
affected people?
 19th Century Europeans were not the first to create
powerful empires.
 Ottoman Empire
 Roman Empire
 China
Example: Algeria
 Conquered by Rome in 100CE
 Then conquered by Umayyads (Muslim empire)
 Spanish control in 15th century
 Ottomans in 16th century
 French colony in 1830
 Algeria independent in 1962.
th
20
Century
 European empires had fundamentally changed the
lives and cultures of the people they ruled.
 Examine the map on page 144.
 Which regions were under European control?
 How might this have affected the Indigenous peoples
in those areas?
1914
What Legacies do Imperial Powers leave?
 Read the 3 speakers on page 145.
1. In your own words, capture
each speaker’s statement or
main idea.
Legacies: Languages
 Imperial powers altered the lives of the Indigenous
peoples by changing the language that they spoke.
 Canada: French and English
 Central and South America: Spanish
 Brazil: Portuguese
 North Africa: French
 Vietnam: French
 India: English
Argentina:
Spanish street signs,
Spanish architecture,
flamenco dancing.
Legacies of Migration
 From 1871-1914 , 30 million
people migrated from Europe.
Does the immigration chart
reflect a legacy of British
imperial rule?
Origins of Immigrants
to Canada, 1913
Legacies of Displacement
 Indigenous peoples were displaces – forced off their
land – when colonizers needed land.
 This destroyed cultures and communities.
Read the Profile on page 147. What legacies of
imperialism does Chinua Achebe address?
Legacies of Depopulation
 Slavery in Africa led to depopulation
 Families and communities were shattered as the young
and strong were targeted by slave traders.
 When slavery was abolished, millions of Indians were
recruited as indentured workers as a new source of
cheap workers.

Many remained in their new land after indenture period ended
Shop signs in
an Indo-Fijian
district of Fiji.
Legacies of Depopulation
 Famine and Disease
 1876 - 1879

6-10 million Indians dies of starvation
 1896 – 1902

19 million Indians died of starvation and disease.
What affects might
this have had on
Indigenous peoples?
How have the exchange of goods and
technologies affected people?
 Grand Exchange: many new plants and animals were
introduced to peoples around the globe.
 Horses: Spanish brought to the Americas. This helped
the Plains people to travel and transport goods faster
and farther. Became symbols of wealth and status.
New World
Plants
Old World
Plants
How have the exchange of goods and
technologies affected people?
 Gun trade:
 Buffalo used to be hunted by Plains peoples and every
part was used.
 With guns and trade with Europeans, Buffalo became
a money-making commodity.
Way of life forever
 1800 – est. 30 million Buffalo
destroyed
 1900 – less than 1000.
How do legacies continue to affect people?
 How would societies have looked today without
European imperialism?
 Culture Change
 Religious beliefs
 Art
 Architecture
 Oppression
 Poverty
 Technologies
 Loss of land
How do legacies continue to affect people?
 GDP – gross domestic product
 Value of all goods and services
produced.
How does this
chart portray a
legacy of
historical
globalization?
GDP per capita of former British colonies, 2006