Imperialism
The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914
Causes
Nationalism
To gain power, European
nations compete for
colonies and trade.
Economic Competition
Demand for raw materials
and new markets spurs a
search for colonies.
Missionary Spirit
Europeans believe they
must spread their Christian
teachings to the world.
Europeans
exerted influence over
the economic,
political, and social
lives of people they
colonized.
The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914
Effects
Colonization
Europeans control land and
people in areas of Africa,
Asia, and Latin America.
Europeans
exerted influence over
the economic,
political, and social
lives of people they
colonized.
Colonial Economics
Europeans control trade in
the colonies and set up
dependent cash-crop
economies.
Christianization
Christianity is spread to
Africa, India, and Asia.
Form
Definition
Example
Colony
A country or
territory governed
internally by a
foreign power.
Somaliland in East
Africa was a
French Colony.
Protectorate
A country or
territory with its
own internal
government but
under the control
of an outside
power.
Britain established
a protectorate over
the Niger River
Delta.
Sphere of
Influence
An area in which
an outside power
claims exclusive
investment or
trading privileges.
Liberia was under
the sphere of
influence of the
United States.
Economic
Imperialism
An independent
but less
developed
country controlled
by private
business interests
rather than other
governments.
The Dole Fruit
company
controlled
pineapple trade in
Hawaii.
Indirect Control
Local government officials used.
• Limited self-rule.
• Goal: to develop future leaders.
• Government institutions are
based on European styles but
may have local rules.
•
Direct Control
Foreign officials brought in to
rule.
• No self-rule
• Government institutions are
based only on European styles.
•
Examples:
Examples:
• British colonies such as Nigeria,
• French colonies such as
India, Burma
Somaliland, Vietnam.
• U.S. colonies on Pacaific Islands. • German colonies such as
German East Africa.
• Portuguese colonies such as
Angola.
Berlin Conference
(1884):
European countries
decided they could
claim African colonies
just by setting up
government offices in
African territory.
This set off a Great
Scramble as
Europeans rushed to
colonize Africa.
 Africa Before European Dominion
 Divided into hundreds of ethnic groups
 Followed traditional beliefs, Islam or Christianity
 Nations ranged from large empires to independent villages
 Africans controlled their own trade networks
 Europeans only had contact on African coasts
 Nations compete for overseas empires
 Europeans wanted more land
 Contained large amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber
 Africa was a mystery to many
 Europeans who penetrated Africa were:
 Explorers – seeking wealth and notoriety
 Missionaries – trying to convert Africans to Christianity
 Humanitarians – “westernize” the “savages”
 Forces Driving Imperialism
 Belief in European superiority
 Racism
 Social Darwinism
 Factors Promoting Imperialism in Africa
 European technological superiority
 Europeans had means to control
 New medicines prevent diseases
A Map of Africa (1914), showing the extent of colonization
 "White Man's Burden":
racist patronizing that
preached that the
“superior” Westerners
had an obligation to
bring their culture to
“uncivilized” peoples in
other parts of the world Poem by Rudyard Kipling
Germany and Russia especially used
imperialistic drives to divert popular
attention from the class struggle at
home and to create a false sense of
national unity.