Late Nineteenth Century Imperialism
1870-1914
Objective
 To understand the causes of European
imperialism of the late 19th century
 To understand the extent of European imperial
expansion
 To understand the consequences of European
imperialism for Europe and the developing world
Definitions
 Imperialism
“extending a nation’s influence
directly or indirectly over weaker areas”
 Colonialism
Taking direct control of an area and turning it
into a colony under a nation’s authority
 Nationalism
Belief that an ethnic group should rule itself
Belief that one nation is better than all the others
Motives

Economic
Goes back to the Industrial Revolution- as more industry,
there is more of a need for raw materials to use in factories,
materials to sell, and many people are becoming VERY rich
and need a place to invest that money.

Political
Belief that the more colonies you have; the more powerful
and prestige you have

Religious
To spread Christianity; but missionaries needed to be
protected. There was a feeling of superiority by Christians
that wanted to spread that.
Motives (cont.)
 Exploratory
Many people were interested in finding new plants,
insects, etc. to develop medicines
 Ideological
The idea that white race was superior to ANY other
race which was considered inferior. Documents
show that the “N” word was used at this time.
Charles Darwin’s philosophy applied to society in
general: “We are better and we will conquer you!”
Positive effects of imperialism
 Source of natural resources
 New markets for manufactured goods of mother
country
 Investment opportunities
 Source of new products like kiwi, coffee, papaya
 Combined DEMOCRATIC ideal with local
traditions, but it often was not inclusive for
natives (only white and European)
Positive effects of imperialism (cont)
 Improved HEALTH CARE standards
 Built hospitals, roads, schools, etc. but were
these being built because of natives or for
Europeans that were living there? They needed
railroads for mother country to move goods,
hospitals to care for European that lived there,
etc. So not really being done to benefit the
colony, but to help the mother countries
economy.
Negative effects of colonialism
 Racism: white European culture was superior
Same as Hitler and the Jews
Japanese over Chinese: Japan needed resources
so they thought they had a right to take over
 Exploitation:
of land, natural resources and labor to benefit the
mother country. Many natives died
 Religious conversion:
destroyed local traditions
Negative effects of colonialism (cont)

Destruction of Traditional Cultures:
leave native people with an identity crisis. We see this today
with native Americans. Money from casinos going to tribes
for education in an attempt to save their identity. Crime,
alcohol, drug use goes up with identities are lost.

Colonial Economy
Dependent on mother country. Economies had been set up
to benefit the mother country. Native industries were not
developed and labor was not trained in management. Still
exists today.
Negative effects of colonialism (cont)
 Disease
Especially small pox and measles. Fear of small
pox today if parents refuse to immunize.
Economic Imperialism
 Definition:
When one country invests heavily in another as to
influence that country
 WE are one of the biggest practitioners
 When a leader we don’t like is in power: WE
OVERTHROW that leader
Shah in Iran (1979)
Saddam in Iraq (2003)
How did the Industrial Revolution
lead to Imperialism?
 Natural Resources
Needed materials to keep their factories running
(coal, iron ore, gold, silver, tin, and copper)
 Markets
Nations needed places to sell their manufactured
goods
 Benefit to mother country
Nation let its colonies buy only those goods
manufactured in the mother country- the nation that
controls a colony
Connection to Themes
 How did Nationalism help Imperialism?
Some countries thought that an empire (colonies)
would make them look more important.
 How did Militarism help Imperialism?
Mother countries could use their colonies as military
bases.
The Effect of Imperialism on Asia
 Europeans became interested in 1500 because
of the riches of Asia
 By the 1800’s most of Asia had fallen under the
control of Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, and the
Netherlands
 In 1855, the U.S. convinced Japan to open its
ports to ships from the U.S.
 Eventually Russia, France, and Japan joined the
race for raw materials, markets, and wealth
The Effect of Imperialism on Asia
The Effect of Imperialism on Asia
 First time Eastern culture met Western culture
 Eventually Asians became dissatisfied.
Imperialist nations had made huge profits while
the majority of Asians suffered in poverty.
 Asians wanted to regain control of their
homelands.
 A spirit of nationalism swept the continent.
The Effect of Imperialism on Asia
 From the 1940’s through 1970’s, Burma, India,
Pakistan, Lebanon, the Philippines, Sri Lanka,
Indonesia, Jordan, Israel(became a new
country), Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam all
became independent countries
The Effect of Imperialism on Africa
 In the 1400’s Europeans discovered that slaves
could be bought along the African coast from
tribal rulers who had taken prisoners of war
Rulers would sell their prisoners in return for cloth,
guns, and iron.
1450-1865, 10 million slaves were shipped to North
America and South America where they were sold to
owners of sugar and cotton plantations
 By the 1800’s many Europeans took a dim view
of the marketing of human beings
The Effect of Imperialism on Africa
 In the early 1800’s a half dozen countries
became involved in a spirited land rush that saw
nearly all of Africa fall into European hands
The Effect of Imperialism on Africa
The Effect of Imperialism on Africa
 The Industrial Revolution had generated a need
for raw materials and created a group of wealthy
businessmen interested in making foreign
investments.
 By World War II, countries were forced to choose
between fighting expensive wars or giving up
their colonies. Most chose to grant
independence peacefully
The Effect of Imperialism on Africa