AGE OF IMPERIALISM
British control over South Africa, French
control over Indochina, and Spanish
control over Mexico are examples of
1.
2.
3.
4.
isolationism
appeasement
nonalignment
imperialism
IMPERIALISM
A STRONG NATION DOMINATES
OR INFLUENCES WEAKER
NATIONS POLITICALLY,
ECONOMICALLY, AND/OR
CULTURALLY
Causes of Imperialism
• Economic
– Desire/need for natural resources that are not plentiful
in Europe
– Desire to create new markets for European
goods/force them to buy your goods
• Political/Military
– Desire to build large empires
– Competition against other European nations
– Build national pride
• Cultural
– Educate non-Europeans using European values
– Spread Christianity
In just a few decades, imperialist nations gained
control over much of the world. Western imperialism
succeeded for a number of reasons:
• While European nations had grown stronger in
the 1800s, several older civilizations were in
decline.
• Europeans had the advantages of strong
economies, well-organized governments, and
powerful armies and navies.
• Europeans had superior technology and medical
knowledge.
Imperialism and the Balance
of Power
Forms of Imperialist Control
• Coloniesstronger nation completely takes over the weaker
are/ they even run the government
– France in Indochina
– Netherlands in Indonesia
– Britain in India
• Protectoratestronger nation allows the weaker nation to
keep its government, but the weaker nation must accept that
the stronger nation will be its protector.
– France in Tunisia
– Soviet Union over Eastern European satellite nations after WWII
• Sphere of Influencestronger nation controls a certain
section of a weaker nation for economic purposes
– Foreign nations such as Germany had economic control over certain
regions in China
• Concessionan underdeveloped nation allows a stronger
nation to do something of economic value in the area
– Arabs let the British drill for oil and build a railroad in the Middle East
Social Darwinism
• Charles DarwinTheory of evolution- Those
species of animals that have adapted have a
better chance to survive than those that haven’t
– “survival of the fittest”
• Social DarwinismIdea that certain
races/cultures have adapted making them
stronger, smarter, superior to those who haven’t
• Europeans feel superior to non-white cultures
and feel it is ok for them to dominate these
inferior cultures
• “White Man’s Burden” –Rudyard Kipling
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 folk and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
--Rudyard Kipling, “The White
Man’s Burden”
How well does this cartoon, reprinted in the
Literary Digest from a Detroit newspaper, capture
the meaning of the poem?
.
Pears' Soap advertisement, "The
White Man's Burden" (1899).
First appeared in McClure's
Magazine (October 1899).
The 19th century term “White Man’s Burden”
reflects the idea that
1. Asians and Africans were equal to Europeans
2. Asians and Africans would be grateful for European help
3. imperialism was opposed by most Europeans
4. Europeans had a responsibility to improve the lives of
the colonial peoples
Rudyard Kipling’s poem “White Man’s Burden” refers to the
attitude held by many Europeans that they were charged with
civilizing the “heathen savages” they encountered in foreign
lands.
Examples of Imperialism
Africa
• Late 1400sEuropeans come more in contact
with African cultures after the Portuguese sail
around Africa to get to the Far East (China)
• 1500s-1700sEuropeans trade heavily with
Africans, but only are in contact with African
kingdoms on the coast
• 1800sEuropeans become interested in interior
of Africa/have a desire to conquer Africa
• **Threat of War  Many countries want a piece
of Africa
1884Berlin Conference
• European nations
meet and decide to
divide up Africa
amongst themselves/
No African leaders
invited to the meeting
• By 1900s, almost all
of Africa is under
European
control/stays that way
until 1950s & 60s
How did the African cultures
respond to imperialism?
• Every single European nation faces
resistance from Africans
• They don’t have the firepower to be
successful
• Only Ethiopia and Liberia remain
independent
2
African Resistance
Europeans met armed resistance across the continent.
• Algerians battled the French for years.
• The Zulus in southern Africa and the Asante in
West Africa battled the British.
• East Africans fought wars against the Germans.
• In Ethiopia, King Menelik II modernized his
country. When Italy invaded, Ethiopia was
prepared. Ethiopia was the only nation, aside
from Liberia, to preserve its independence.
Which is an accurate statement about the partitioning
of Africa by European imperialist nations during the
1800’s?
1. new nations were based on old tribal boundaries
2. the cultural and ethnic diversity of the African
people was disregarded
3. the continent was divided equally among the
colonial powers
4. African unity was encouraged
As European nations established African colonies during the “Scramble
for Africa” (1870-1890), they paid no attention to the existing tribal,
cultural, or ethnic boundaries.
After 1880, European nations sought colonies in Africa
primarily because the Europeans were
1. in need of land for their surplus populations
2. competing of raw materials and markets
3. determined to bring Christianity to the Moslem
world
4. interested in completing their geographic
knowledge of the world
The Industrial Revolution was the driving force behind European imperialism in
foreign lands such as Africa. The industrialized countries of the West
sought to expand their economies by obtaining raw materials which could
be transported back to domestic factories, turned into manufactured
goods, and shipped back to colonies markets for sale.
4
Imperialism in India to 1858
The Sepoy Rebellion: Causes and
Effects
4
EFFECTS
CAUSES
The British East India
Company:
• required sepoys, or Indian
soldiers in its service, to
serve anywhere, including
overseas, which violated
Hindu religious law
• passed a law allowing
Hindu widows to marry,
which undermined Hindu
beliefs
• ordered the sepoys to bite
off cartridges made of
animal fat when loading
their rifles, which violated
both Hindu and Muslim
religious law
•
•
•
•
The sepoys brutally massacred
British men, women, and
children.
The British took terrible revenge,
slaughtering thousands of
unarmed Indians.
Both sides were left with a bitter
legacy of fear, hatred, and
mistrust.
The British put India directly
under British rule, sent more
troops to India, and taxed
Indians to pay for the cost of the
occupying forces.
4
British Colonial Rule
After 1858, Parliament set up a system of colonial rule in
India.
• The British built roads and an impressive railroad
network.
• The British flooded India with machine-made textiles,
ruining India’s once-prosperous hand-weaving
industry.
• Britain transformed Indian agriculture.
• Better health care and increased food production led to
rapid population growth. Over-population led to terrible
famines.
• The British revised the Indian legal system.
• British rule brought peace and order to the countryside.
• Upper-class Indians sent their sons to British schools.
4
Different Views on Culture
During the Age of Imperialism, Indians and British developed different
views of each other’s culture.
INDIAN ATTITUDES
Some educated Indians were
impressed by British power and
technology and urged India to
follow a western model of
progress.
Other Indians felt the answer to
change lay with their own Hindu
or Muslim cultures.
BRITISH ATTITUDES
Most British knew little about
Indian achievements and
dismissed Indian culture with
contempt.
A few British admired Indian
theology and philosophy and
respected India’s ancient
heritage.
4
Indian Nationalism
•The British believed that western-educated Indians would
form an elite class which would bolster British rule.
•As it turned out, exposure to European ideas had the
opposite effect. By the late 1800s, western-educated Indians
were spearheading a nationalist movement.
•In 1885, nationalist leaders organized the Indian National
Congress. Its members looked forward to eventual self-rule,
but supported western-style modernization.
•In 1906, Muslims formed the Muslim League to pursue their
own goals, including a separate Muslim state.
One result of British colonialism in India
was that India
1. adopted a parliamentary system of government
2. developed religious unity
3. supported Western foreign policies in the United
Nations
4. created programs to increase its population
After independence, India maintained many customs
and traditions of their former colonial masters. In this
case, their system of government.
China
• 1500s-1700sEuropeans trade with Chinese/China
dominated the trade
• 1800s Europeans begin to dominate trade
– Opium Wars (1839-1842)
•
•
•
•
British sell opium in China
China outlaws sale of opium
British crush Chinese in war
China proven to be weak
– British, French, Russians, Germans, &Americans all create
spheres of influence in China
• Many Chinese blame their own government for not
stopping this
– 1899Righteous Harmonious Fists (Boxers) anti-foreign group
– 1900Boxer Rebellion
• Boxers attack foreigners in China but are crushed by multi-national
army
• 1911rebellion in China causes fall of emperor and
creation of a Republic/foreigners still dominate
In 19th-century China, the Opium War
resulted in
1. the control of Hong Kong being returned to China
2. the removal of all British naval forces from China
3. an increase in European spheres of influence in China
4. the rejection of Buddhism by the Chinese people
With their victory in the Opium War (1839-1842), Europeans
demonstrated their superior military might and secured trading
concessions that ultimately led to the carving of China into Spheres of
Influence, each dominated by a different nation.
Japan
• 1500s-1700sJapan wants to be isolated
• July 1853US sends Commodore Perry to “ask”
Japan to open up trade
• 1854Treaty of Kanagawa
– Japan gives in to US demands because they know they
can’t resist
• Meiji emperor decides to make Japan more like
Europe
• 1894Sino-Japanese War
– Japan crushes China and gains land
• 1904Russo-Japanese War
– Japan surprises everyone by beating Russia
• Japan is now an imperialist nation
Latin America
• 1500s-1700sLatin America dominated by Europe
(especially Spanish)
• 1800sLatin American nations win their
independence from European nations
• US worried that European powers might take
advantage of the weakness of the new Latin
American nations
• 1823Monroe Doctrine
– US is protector of the Americans/Europe must stay away
• 1904Roosevelt Corollary
– US has the right to interfere in any Latin American nation
Imperialism-Good or Bad?
• It made countries like the US and
strong and rich
• It caused other countries to dislike
imperialist countries such as the
US
Which statement best expresses the motive
for 19th-century European imperialism?
countries
of the West
1.The
Livingindustrialized
space was needed for
the excess population
in
western Europe.
sought to expand their economies by
rawbelieved
materials
which
could
be
2. obtaining
European leaders
imperialism
was an
effective
method of reducing the number of wars.
transported
back to domestic factories,
turnednations
into manufactured
goods,
3. European
would benefit from some
aspectsand
of the
conquered nation’s culture.
shipped back to colonies markets for
4. Imperialism would benefitsale.
the economies of the colonial
powers.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Describe three motives for
imperialism.
2. Describe three types of imperialism.
3. Which nations became imperial
powers?
4. Which nations were controlled by
imperial powers?
5. How did imperial powers justify their
control over foreign nations?