Imperialism
Coined in the late 19th
Century to describe British
political policies that
supported the British
Colonial Empire, has come to
refer to empire building
policies in general.
Characteristics of
Colonialism
• Involves a scenario of discovery and
the assumption by the colonizer that
the discovered land and peoples are
"virgin," "uncivilized" territory.
•
Colonizer
• Views self as an objective observer
• Views self as semi-divine
protector, paternal figure
• Has a sense of (civilizing) mission
• Views self as an individualist
• Has an economic imperative
• Self-declared authority and authorship
• Renames, re-orders space
• Equates colonization with progress
• A relationship between
colonizer and colonized that
involves sustained
exploitation
• Widespread and constant use
of a variety of forms of
violence and force for control
of Others.
“Down with
Imperialism.”
Economic
Characterized by an imposed
"modern" economic system that
creates dependence on the
colonizers, especially relating to
the exploitation of abundant
natural resources present in the
colonized territory by the
colonizers.
Religious
Characterized by the
imposition of one system (the
colonizers' "true," "sacred"
system) onto another (the
natives' "false," "demonic"
system) with prohibition of the
original system.
.
Secretary Taft's Philippine themed dinner party,
1906, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Division Washington.
Geographical
Characterized by the
reorganization and
policing of space and
time to divide and
deconstruct existing
social and political
structures.
The British
empire
subjugated
people
across the
world,
including
here in
Burma in
1887.
“Please, ‘m, ain’t we
black enough to be
cared for?”
Uncle Sam watches as the "Goddess of Liberty"
heralds freedom for Cuba,
Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
"You seem to have about
finished your work of
civilizing the Filipinos.
About 8,000 of them have
been civilized and sent to
Heaven. I hope you like it.”
-
Andrew Carnegie, American industrialist
and anti-imperialist, 1899
"Gee, but that's an awful stretch!"
1904
Mark Twain
"The condition of things in
the Congo is atrocious, as shown
by the photographs of children
whose hands have been cut off."
"I am an anti-imperialist. I oppose
putting the eagle's talons on any
other land.“
The Verdict July 3, 1899 The Second Issue: The Advance of Imperialism.
Left:
British colonialist
Cecil Rhodes
stands astride
Africa in an 1892
cartoon from
Punch
John Bull's Tanks Impose British Imperialism on India
How does the image reflect European countries’ ideals on imperialism?
Central Europe
1914
In 1914 Imperialism centered in London.
Left:
Advertisement
for Pears' Soap
entitled
"Lightening the
White Man's
Burden."
(McClure's
Magazine, Oct.
1899);
Denver Post, 1899.
The Colored American
by Bruce Grit (Wash, D.C.), Feb. 25, 1899
Why talk of the white man's burden;
What burdens hath he borne
That have not been shared by the black man
From the day creation dawned? Why talk of the white man's burden,
Why boast of the white man's power
When the black man's load is heavier,
And increasing every hour?
Why taunt us with our weakness,
Why boast of your brutal strength;
Know ye not that the children of meekness
Shall inherit the earth -- at length? "Take up the white man's
burden!"
What burdens doth he bear,
That have not been borne with courage
By brave men everywhere? Then why the white man's burden?
What more doth he bear than we -The victims of his power and greed
From the great lakes to the sea?
Alfred Beit
(1853-1906)
A British South African gold
and diamond magnate and
supporter of British
imperialism in Southern
Africa.
Japanese
Imperialism
Right: Behind the
McDonald’s “Family
Restaurant” in Colaba,
Bombay.
"Who controls the food
supply controls the people;
who controls the energy can control
whole continents;
who controls money can control the
world."
- Henry Kissinger,
former U.S. Secretary of State