The New Imperialism
10.4.1: Describe the rise of
industrial economies and
their link to imperialism and
colonialism (e.g., the role
played by national security
and strategic advantage;
moral issues raised by the
search for national
hegemony, Social
Darwinism, and the
missionary impulse; material
issues such as land,
resources, and technology.
What was it?
• According to historian John
Lowe, imperialism involved
“the assertion of European
political influence or control
over other territories,
especially in Africa and
Asia, involving some
measure economic
exploitation.”
Who were the important
imperial powers?
• Great Britain was the strongest naval
power and had troops in six continents
• France also had troops scattered
around the globe, but had much less
territory than Britain.
• Others: the United States (Mexico,
Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Philipines
Hawaii, and Panama); Russia (central
Asia); Germany and Italy (minor
holdings in Africa); Portugal (small
holdings Africa and Asia); Japan
(involved in China, North Korea, and
Pacific Islands); Netherlands (small
holdings in South America and Asia)
When did it happen?
– In the late 1800s especially the last quarter
of that century
– Some argue that different forms of
imperialism continue today
Why did it happen?
• “The very diversity of the empires of the
great powers in itself suggests that a
multi-causal explanation of imperialism
is more appropriate than a reliance on
simple universal economic forces.”
Why did it happen?
• Economic Forces
– “New Imperialism” started after
the industrial revolution and was
both promoted and aided by its
development.
• The need for raw materials that
were not available domestically
• The need for new markets to sell
industrial products
• The industrial revolution also played
a major role in the era of “new
imperialism” by providing what one
historian has called the “tools of
empire”: steam boats, quinine (a
remedy for malaria); the Gatling and
the maxim gun (machine guns);
breechloader rifles; telegraph cable.
Why did it happen?
• Social-Darwinism
– Based Charles Darwin’s ideas about
evolution presented in his book On the
Origin of Species (1859)
– Provided the rational of “survival of the
fittest” and “might makes right”
– “The simplistic concept of ‘survival of the
fittest’ could be used to justify the right of
‘superior races’ to lord it over indigenous
societies in Africa and Asia. Similarly, the
application of pseudo-Darwinist ideas to
relations between nations called for policies
which served the ‘struggle for existence.’”
Why did it happen?
• “White Man’s Burden”
– This title from a Rudyard
Kipling poem refers to the
duty of “white men” to
spread civilization to “newcaught sullen peoples, halfdevil, and half-child.”
Why did it happen?
• “Irrational Nationalism”
– “By relating imperial expansion to great
power rivalries, historians… have
emphasized the role of prestige in an era
when colonial empires came to be
regarded as status symbols….”
Why did it happen?
• Strategic and National Interests
– Concern of governments for secure trading
routes like those through the Suez Canal
and around the Cape of Good Hope
– Concerns over naval power, sea lanes,
and ports
• Alfred Thayer Mahan’s The Influence of
Seapower Upon History (1890) argued “that the
greatness of empires rest on the potency of
their seapower.
– Trading posts and Free Trade
• “Open Door Policy” in China
Why did it happen?
• Missionaries
– Only six major missionary societies operated in
Africa by 1800, mostly in coastal regions.
– By 1880, there were thirty-seven, many of which
had penetrated deep into the continent.
• They came to fight against slavery and to “save
souls.”
• “Besides preaching the gospel, converting people to
Christianity, and translating the Bible into various
African languages, these missionary societies
promoted agriculture; taught such skills as
carpentry, printing, and tailoring; and promoted
trade, literacy, and Western education.”
Why did it happen?
• Missionaries
– Helped lay the groundwork for later
imperialism by mapping inner
portions of the continent,
establishing connections, and
promoting more contact.
– David Livingstone
• Explored southern Africa
• First European to traverse the continent.
• After Livingstone fell ill with Malaria, he
lost contact with the outside world fore
several year, and Henry Morton Stanley,
and explorer and newspaper writer, was
sent to find him.
Why did it happen?
• Missionaries
– “The greatest social impact on the
missionary revolution by 1880… was the
further stratification of African societies into
a relatively small Christian educated
elite….”
Why did it happen?
• Adventure
– For many people who
enlisted in armies,
imperialism was about
adventure and proving
one’s masculinity.
Why does it matter?
• The extraction of material wealth from
Africa following the previous extraction of
human beings may help to explain the
current struggles in Africa.
• Imperial rivalries created tensions
between European powers and may
explain the beginning of the First World
War.
• Anti-imperialist movements led to military
struggles for liberation in the twentieth
century (Vietnam and India for example).
• Destabilization continental populations