Colonial Rule in
Southeast Asia
What might be some
effects of imperialism?
The BIG Idea
Competition Among Countries Through the new
imperialism, Westerners controlled vast territories,
exploited native populations, and opened markets for
European products.
Content Vocabulary
• imperialism
• indirect rule
• racism
• direct rule
• protectorate
Academic Vocabulary
• exploit
• export
imperialism
the extension of a nation’s power over
other lands
racism
the belief that race determines a
person’s traits and capabilities
protectorate
a political unit that depends on
another government for its protection
indirect rule
colonial government in which local
rulers are allowed to maintain their
positions of authority and status
direct rule
colonial government in which local
elites are removed from power and
replaced by a new set of officials
brought from the mother country
exploit
to make use of meanly or unfairly for
one’s own advantage
export
to send a product or service for sale
to another country
People and Places
• Singapore
• King Chulalongkorn
• Burma
• Commodore George Dewey
• Thailand
• Philippines
• King Mongkut
• Emilio Aguinaldo
The New Imperialism
Under new imperialism, European
countries began to seek additional
territory.
The New Imperialism (cont.)
• In the 1880s, European states began to
seek territory in Asia and Africa.
• Imperialism was used to justify this
expansion for new markets and resources.
• Under this “new imperialism,” they
sought direct control of territories, not just
trading posts.
Imperialism in Southeast Asia, 1900
The New Imperialism (cont.)
• Motives for Imperialism:
– Economic
• Capitalist states required resources and
markets for finished goods.
– Rivalries
• European nations wanted to gain an economic
advantage in an industry.
The New Imperialism (cont.)
– Respect
• Colonies were a source of national prestige
and a symbol of a great nation.
– Social Darwinism
• Racism drove some people to believe that they
were better than others.
– Moral
• People wanted to bring Christianity and
“civilization” to colonized societies.
Colonial Takeover
Rivalries for overseas territories led to
Western dominance of Southeast Asia.
Colonial Takeover (cont.)
• By 1900 virtually the entire region of
Southeast Asia was under Western control.
• Britain
– In 1819 Great Britain founded a colony at
the tip of the Malay Peninsula called
Singapore.
– Singapore was a major stopping
point for traffic going to and
from China.
Major Regions of European Control
Colonial Takeover (cont.)
– Britain also sought an overland pass
between India and China.
– Although the difficult terrain made this
venture fail, British activities in Burma
caused the eventual fall of the Burmese
monarchy.
Major Regions of European Control
Colonial Takeover (cont.)
• France
– France was able to colonize Vietnam by
making it a French protectorate.
– France would later control Cambodia,
Annam, Tonkin, and Laos in a region
called the Union of French Indochina.
Major Regions of European Control
Colonial Takeover (cont.)
• Thailand
– Thailand, under the remarkable
leadership of King Mongkut and his
successor King Chulalongkorn, was able
to maintain its independence.
– Thailand acted as a buffer between
British Burma and French Indochina.
Colonial Takeover (cont.)
• The United States
– In 1898, the United States naval fleet
under Commodore George Dewey
defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay,
allowing the Americans to colonize the
Philippines.
– Emilio Aguinaldo was the leader of the
Philippine rebellion against both the
Spanish and American colonizers. His
forces were defeated by the Americans
after three years of bloody warfare.
Colonial Regimes
European countries controlled the
governments and economies of their
colonies in Southeast Asia.
Colonial Regimes (cont.)
• Two methods of governing the colonies were
utilized by the Western powers: direct and
indirect rule.
• Indirect rule
– Local rulers were allowed to maintain their
authority.
– Access to natural resources was easier.
Colonial Regimes (cont.)
– Cheaper because fewer officials were
needed
– Affected local culture less
Colonial Regimes (cont.)
• Direct rule
– European officials replaced local
authorities and governed.
– Used by French and British whenever
local peoples resisted colonial rule
Colonial Regimes (cont.)
• The colonial powers stressed exporting of
raw materials and used the local populace
as the labor force for the colonizers.
• Colonial governments brought benefits as
well. Highways, railroads, and other
structures were built, and modern economic
systems were introduced.
Resistance to Colonial Rule
Native peoples had varying levels of
success resisting colonial rule in
Southeast Asia.
Resistance to Colonial Rule (cont.)
• The colonized peoples of Southeast Asia
resisted colonial rule using a myriad of
methods.
• Resistance from the existing ruling class, or
government officials loyal to the current
regime, were the first to fight the
westerners.
• Peasant revolts offered another method of
resistance, as farmers and peasants driven
off the land vented their anger at the foreign
invaders.
Resistance to Colonial Rule (cont.)
• The most successful revolts came from
nationalistic movements.
• Started by educated, middle-class urban
dwellers, these movements generally
transformed from defending traditional
systems to nationalistic activities.
Empire Building in
Africa
What reasons might the
Europeans have had for
dominating and
colonizing Africa?
The BIG Idea
Competition Among Countries Virtually all of Africa
was under European rule by 1900.
Content Vocabulary
• annexed
• indigenous
Academic Vocabulary
• uncharted
• traditions
annexed
incorporated territory into an existing
political unit, such as a city or country
indigenous
native to a region
uncharted
not mapped; unknown
traditions
established customs of a people
People
• Muhammad Ali
• David Livingstone
• Henry Stanley
• Zulu
West Africa and North Africa
European countries exercised
increasing control over West Africa
and North Africa, especially once the
Suez Canal was completed.
West Africa and North Africa (cont.)
• Before 1880, Europeans controlled little
of Africa. Between 1880 and 1990,
Europeans placed virtually all of Africa
under European rule.
• As slave trade in Africa declined, other raw
materials, such as peanuts, timbers, hides,
and palm olives, were sought after by
Europeans.
African States and Kingdoms, c. 1880
West Africa and North Africa (cont.)
• In 1874 Great Britain annexed the west
coastal states as the Gold Coast and made
Nigeria a protectorate.
• African governments in West Africa began
to lose their independence.
• In Egypt, an Ottoman military officer named
Muhammad Ali seized power in 1805 and
modernized the state’s army,
educational system, and industries.
Imperialism in Africa, 1880–1914
West Africa and North Africa (cont.)
• The French built the Suez Canal with
Egyptian labor, linking the Mediterranean
and Red Seas.
• Britain, seizing the opportunity to gain
access to India quicker, tried to gain as
much control as possible over the Suez
Canal area.
Suez Canal
West Africa and North Africa (cont.)
• Egypt became a British protectorate in 1914.
Britain also gained control of the Sudan,
south of Egypt, in 1898.
• France established control of the North
African states of Algeria, Tunisia, and
Morocco in the early twentieth century.
West Africa and North Africa (cont.)
• Italy seized Turkish Tripoli (Libya) but was
defeated in an invasion of Ethiopia in 1896.
This humiliating defeat led the Italians to try
again in 1911.
Central and East Africa
European powers competed for
colonies in Central Africa and
East Africa.
Central and East Africa (cont.)
• Central Africa was an uncharted, tropical
region. British explorer David Livingstone
wanted to find a river that would open
Central Africa to European commerce and
Christianity.
• In the 1870s, Henry Stanley continued the
work of Livingstone and mapped the Congo
River region.
Central and East Africa (cont.)
• King Leopold of Belgium claimed the
Congo region, and established a Belgium
presence in Central Africa.
• In East Africa, Britain and Germany fought
over territory in East Africa.
• Britain sought to connect its colonies in
South Africa and Egypt.
Central and East Africa (cont.)
• Germany was under pressure to gain
colonies by the German people.
• Portugal and Belgium also sought territory
in East Africa.
• In 1884 and 1885, the European powers met
at the Berlin Conference to settle conflicting
claims. No African delegates were present
at the conference.
South Africa
European powers quickly came to
dominate the region of South Africa.
South Africa (cont.)
• In South Africa, the British and Dutch
fought for control of the region.
• The Boers, or Afrikaners, were descendents
of Dutch settlers who had lived in South
Africa since the 1600s.
• The British seized lands from the Dutch in
the Napoleonic Wars.
South Africa (cont.)
• The Boers detested British rule and moved
from the coastal areas in a journey known as
the Great Trek. They placed the indigenous
peoples in reservations.
• The Boers frequently battled the Zulu
people, and the skilled leader Shaka
established a powerful Zulu Empire.
• The British finally conquered the Zulu in the
late 1800s.
South Africa (cont.)
• British policy in South Africa was largely
influenced by Cecil Rhodes, a proponent of
British expansion. Rhodes founded diamond
and gold companies, but his interaction with
the Dutch led to the Boer War.
• From 1899 to 1902, the British and the Boers
fought the Boer War. The Boers successfully
fought the British using guerilla war tactics.
South Africa (cont.)
• The British put 120,000 Boer women and
children in detention camps where nearly
20,000 of them died of starvation. The
Dutch surrendered, and the Independent
Union of South Africa was established in
1910.
Effects of Imperialism
Using direct or indirect rule, European
nations exploited Africa, and their
governance stimulated African
nationalism.
Effects of Imperialism (cont.)
• The concept of indirect rule was favored by
the Europeans as it was cheaper and easier
to implement. Local African rulers simply
enforced European decisions.
• Indirect rule had the unfortunate effect of
keeping younger and talented African
political leaders out of power.
Effects of Imperialism (cont.)
• Most other European nations favored direct
rule. Some nations, like the French,
attempted to assimilate the local peoples,
destroying local and traditional culture.
• The rise of African nationalism began in the
early 1900s. Led by young, generally
Western-educated Africans, the movement
took the ideas of the West and attempted to
apply them to the African states.
Effects of Imperialism (cont.)
• Lower class Africans worked on plantations
or factories owned by foreigners.
• The middle class had better conditions but
were still only eligible for menial jobs in the
government and business, earning less than
their European counterparts.
• Africans of all classes faced condescending
relationships with Europeans. Clubs,
schools, churches, and other social
institutions were segregated.
British Rule in India
Would it be difficult for our
own democratic
government to deny equal
rights to any group?
The BIG Idea
Struggle for Rights The British brought stability to
India but destroyed native industries and degraded
Indians.
Content Vocabulary
• sepoys
• viceroy
Academic Vocabulary
• civil
• estate
sepoy
an Indian soldier hired by the British
East India Company to protect the
company’s interests in the region
viceroy
a governor who ruled as a
representative of a monarch
civil
involving the general public or civic
affairs
estate
one of the three classes into which
French society was divided before the
revolution
People, Places, and Events
• Kanpur
• Queen Victoria
• Bombay
• Indian National Congress
• Mohandas Gandhi
• Rabindranath Tagore
The Sepoy Mutiny
Mistrust and cultural differences
between the British and Indians led to
violent conflict.
The Sepoy Mutiny (cont.)
• As the power of the Moguls declined, a
commercial company, the British East India
Company, was given the right to become
actively involved in India’s political and
military affairs.
• To rule India, the British East India Company
hired its own soldiers, including sepoys, and
built forts.
Troops Employed in British India, 1857
The Sepoy Mutiny (cont.)
• In 1857, a growing distrust of the British and
rumor that the rifle cartridges were greased
with cow and pig fat led to a rebellion of the
Indian sepoys.
• Atrocities were terrible on both sides as
evidenced at Kanpur, where Indians
massacred 200 defenseless women and
children.
Troops Employed in British India, 1857
The Sepoy Mutiny (cont.)
• Within a year, the British and Indians loyal to
Britain suppressed the rebellion.
• As a result of the mutiny, the British
Parliament transferred powers of the East
India Company directly to the British
government. Queen Victoria took the title
Empress of India in 1876.
British Colonial Rule
The British brought order and stability
to India, but they also hurt India’s
economy and degraded the Indian
people.
British Colonial Rule (cont.)
• To aid in directly ruling India, the British
appointed an official known as a viceroy.
• Positive Effects of British Colonization
– Colonization brought order and stability
to India.
– An efficient government bureaucracy
was established.
British Possessions in India, 1858–1914
British Colonial Rule (cont.)
– A new school system was set up using the
English language.
– Roads and railroads were built.
– A telegraph system and a postal service
were introduced.
British Possessions in India, 1858–1914
British Colonial Rule (cont.)
• Negative Effects of British Colonization
– British economic pursuits brought poverty
and hardship to Indians.
– Access to resources and local industries
were destroyed.
– Local tax collectors increased
taxes and forced peasants to
become tenants.
British Possessions in India, 1858–1914
British Colonial Rule (cont.)
– Farmers were encouraged to switch
from food production to cotton
production, limiting the food supply for
the growing population.
– British rule was very degrading and
insensitive to Indian culture.
British Possessions in India, 1858–1914
Indian Nationalists
The British presence in India led to an
Indian independence movement.
Indian Nationalists (cont.)
• The first Indian nationalists were upperclass and English-educated, and came from
urban areas such as Madras (Chennai),
Calcutta (Kolkata), and Bombay (Mumbai).
• Although most preferred reform to
revolution, the slow pace of change
convinced many that they would have to rely
on themselves for change.
Indian Nationalists (cont.)
• In 1885, a small group of Indians met in
Bombay and formed the Indian National
Congress (INC). The goal of the INC was a
share in the governing process.
• In 1915, a young Hindu named Mohandas
Gandhi used his experiences in British
South Africa to become a leader in the
Indian movement for independence.
Indian Nationalists (cont.)
• Gandhi utilized a non-violent method of
resistance to attain his goals of improving
the lives of the poor and gaining
independence for India.
Colonial Indian Culture
British rule sparked renewed interest
among Indians in their own culture and
history.
Colonial Indian Culture (cont.)
• One facet of British colonialism was a
cultural awakening in India.
• The British opened a college in Calcutta and
a local publishing house. Soon books
became more available to the population of
India.
• Indian novelists and poets began writing
historical romances and epics.
Colonial Indian Culture (cont.)
• Newspapers, written in regional Indian
languages, provided an effective means of
conveying nationalist ideals to lowermiddle-class Indians.
• The most influential Indian author was
Rabindranath Tagore, who was a
successful writer, poet, social reformer,
educator, singer, painter, spiritual leader, and
spokesman for the moral concerns of
his age.
Colonial Indian Culture (cont.)
• Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in
1913 and put music to a poem that became
Indian nationalism’s first anthem.
Nation Building in Latin
America
What are some reasons
why people take part in
revolutions?
The BIG Idea
Self-Determination Latin American countries gained
their independence but became economically
dependent on Western powers.
Content Vocabulary
• peninsulares
• caudillos
• creoles
• cash crops
• mestizos
Academic Vocabulary
• intervention
• redistribution
peninsulare
a person born on the Iberian
Peninsula; typically, a Spanish or
Portuguese official who resided
temporarily in Latin America for
political and economic gain and then
returned to Europe
creole
a person of European descent born in
Latin America and living there
permanently
mestizo
a person of mixed European and
Native American descent
caudillo
in post-revolutionary Latin America, a
strong leader who ruled chiefly by
military force, usually with the support
of the landed elite
cash crop
a crop that is grown for sale rather
than for consumption
intervention
involvement in a situation to alter the
outcome
redistribution
alteration in the distribution of;
reallocation
People, Places, and Events
• José de San Martín
• Haiti
• Simón Bolívar
• Nicaragua
• Monroe Doctrine
• Antonio López de Santa Anna
• Benito Juárez
• Puerto Rico
• Panama Canal
Nationalist Revolts
Revolutionary ideas in Latin America
were sparked by the successes of
revolutions in North America.
Nationalist Revolts (cont.)
• In Latin American society, peninsulares
controlled the political and economic
systems of the colonies.
• Creoles resented peninsulares and favored
the revolutionary ideals of equality.
• A slave revolt in Hispaniola led to the
formation of Haiti in 1804.
European Colonies in Latin America
Nationalist Revolts (cont.)
• In Mexico, a priest named Miguel Hidalgo
roused the local Native Americans and
mestizos to free themselves of Spanish
control.
• In 1821, Mexico declared its independence
and became a republic in 1823.
• Two men, known as the “Liberators of South
America,” were heavily influenced by events
in Europe and set South America on the
path of freedom.
Nationalist Revolts (cont.)
• José de San Martín of Argentina fought the
Spaniards and liberated Argentina in 1810
before crossing the Andes Mountains and
liberating Chile in 1817.
• Simón Bolívar, who had liberated
Venezuela, arrived in Peru and helped
San Martín’s forces liberate Peru in 1824.
• In 1822, the prince regent of Brazil declared
independence from Portugal.
Nationalist Revolts (cont.)
• In 1823, the Central American states
declared their independence and eventually
became the states of Guatemala, El
Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and
Nicaragua.
• By the end of 1824, Peru, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina,
Bolivia, and Chile had all gained
independence from Spain.
Nationalist Revolts (cont.)
• Latin American independence movements
faced a major threat from European powers
who favored the use of soldiers to restore
Spanish control in Latin America.
• American president James Monroe issued
the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 warning
against European intervention in Latin
America, and guaranteeing Latin American
independence.
Nationalist Revolts (cont.)
• The British also favored Latin American
independence and used their navy to deter
any European invasion of Central and South
America.
Nation Building
After they became independent, Latin
American nations faced a staggering
range of problems.
Nation Building (cont.)
• Most of the new nations of Latin America
established republican forms of
government, but soon caudillos gained
power.
• Supported by the landed elite, the caudillos
used military power to rule. Some
modernized the new national states by
building schools, roads, and canals.
Nation Building (cont.)
• In Mexico, Antonio López de Santa Anna
ruled Mexico from 1833 to 1855. Santa Anna
misused state funds, halted reforms, and
created chaos.
• American settlers in the Texas region
revolted against Santa Anna’s dictatorial rule
and won independence from Mexico in
1836.
Nation Building (cont.)
• In 1845, Mexico was forced to give up
nearly one-half of its land following defeat to
the United States in the Mexican War.
• Following Santa Anna, Benito Juárez came
to power. He brought liberal reforms to
Mexico, including limiting the power of the
military and religious tolerance.
Nation Building (cont.)
• Although Latin American nations were
politically independent, they were still
economically dependent on the United
States and Great Britain.
• Britain dominated trade with the Latin
American nations, and the United States
became the primary source of loans and
investment money.
Nation Building (cont.)
• Latin American economies were dependent
on cash crops, and national economies
were often reliant on a single cash crop.
• A fundamental problem of all the new Latin
American nations was the domination of
society by the landed elites.
• Landowners generally controlled the
political and economic systems of the nation,
and their devotion to cash crops left little
tillable land for farming food products.
Change in Latin America
Many Latin American governments
patterned their new constitutions after
the United States Constitution.
Change in Latin America (cont.)
• The United States began to intervene in
Latin America by making Cuba a
protectorate and annexing Puerto Rico
in 1898.
• In 1903, President Roosevelt supported a
rebellion that allowed Panama to separate
from Colombia in return for the right to build
the Panama Canal.
Change in Latin America (cont.)
• As Americans invested in Latin America,
they demanded that these investments be
protected. American military forces
intervened in Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia,
Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
• In some instances, U.S. military forces
stayed for decades, as in Haiti and
Nicaragua, leading to Latin American
resentment of North American intervention.
Change in Latin America (cont.)
• In Mexico, the conservative government of
Porfirio Díaz (1877–1911) was ousted by the
liberal landowner, Francisco Madero.
• In northern Mexico, Pancho Villa’s armed
bandits swept the countryside.
• Emiliano Zapata called for land reform, and
began to redistribute the land to the masses
but refused to work with Madero.
Change in Latin America (cont.)
• Between 1910 and 1920, the Mexican
Revolution caused great damage to the
Mexican economy.
• In 1917, a new constitution was accepted.
Mexico would be led by a president, land
reform would be enacted, and foreign
investment would be limited.
Change in Latin America (cont.)
• The prosperity of trade after 1870 led to an
emerging middle class comprised of
teachers, lawyers, doctors, merchants, and
businesspeople.
• The middle-class Latin Americans became a
stabilizing force in the region, and once
given the right to vote, often sided with the
landed elite.
SOUTHEAST ASIA AND AFRICA and
New Imperialism
• Under new imperialism, European
nations came to rule virtually all of
Southeast Asia and Africa by 1900.
• European countries controlled the
economies and governments of the
Asian colonies.
• Some Southeast Asians resisted
colonial rule more successfully
than others.
• Europeans used direct and indirect rule to exploit
Africa. Resentment led to African nationalism.
INDIA and New Imperialism
• Indian mistrust of the British and cultural
differences led to the Sepoy Mutiny.
• After the mutiny, Britain stabilized India but hurt
the economy and degraded the Indians.
• Resistance to British rule
led to an independence
movement guided by
Mohandas Gandhi, which
was ultimately successful.
LATIN AMERICA and New Imperialism
• Inspired by the American and French
Revolutions, Latin Americans started their own
revolts for independence.
• Latin American nations wrote constitutions
similar to the Constitution of the United States.
• After gaining independence,
Latin American nations
experienced staggering
economic and political
problems.
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