IMPERIALISM—the extension of a nation’s
power over other lands
 Imperialistic thoughts—Great Britain,
France, Belgium, Germany, and Japan

ECONOMIC INTERESTS
 Industrialized countries were looking at
other nations for new customers
 Africa, Asia, Latin America

MILITARY NEEDS
 Industrialized nations created strong
navies to defend their shores and
protect trading interests
 Navies needed bases where ships could
refuel and make repairs
 Nations needed strategic locations

IDEOLOGY
 Two popular ideologies for imperialism:
 1) a strong sense of NATIONALISM (love
of one’s country)
 2) feeling of cultural superiority
 Social Darwinists believed that when
nations competed only the strongest
survived

THE SCRAMBLE FOR TERRITORY
 Late 1800s—European imperialist powers
had taken control of vast territories in
Africa and Asia
 The British Empire rules about 25% of the
world’s land and population
 Mid 1800s—Americans believed it was
their manifest destiny to expand to the
Pacific Ocean. Now people thought the
USA should expand beyond that


Hawaii was an ideal spot for coaling
stations and naval bases for ships going
to and from Asia
EARLY CONTACT
 1778—British explorer, Captain James
Cook visited Hawaii
 After Cook’s visit, Hawaii’s Chief
Kamehameha united the 8 major islands
under his leadership

He created a monarchy and began a
profitable trade in sandalwood
 1820s—US ships began arriving in Hawaii
frequently, bringing traders and
missionaries
 Missionaries came to convert natives to
Christianity
 Missionaries and their families settled
down and began raising crops
(sugarcane)

Foreigners also brought diseases that the
Hawaiians were not immune to.
 Population declined—300,000 (1770s) to
40,000 (1893)

SUGAR INTERESTS GAIN POWER
 Americans had a sweet tooth
 Sugar planters became very rich

Planters needed workers
 Few native Hawaiians left, so people
brought in from China, Japan, Philippines
 1874—Kalakaua becomes king
 Americans had gained control of land
and economy
 Kalakaua was nationalistic and promised
to put the Hawaiians back in power

Kalakaua signed a treaty with the USA to
send sugar to America tax free
 Sugar tycoons wanted more power over
Hawaiian affairs

PLOTTING AGAINST THE KING
 A group of business leaders, planters,
and trades formed a secret society
called the Hawaiian League

Purpose—overthrow the monarchy and
establish a democracy in Hawaii under
control of the Americans
 Conflict between business and King
escalated in 1886
 The US wanted Pearl Harbor in exchange
for renewing the sugar treaty
 King Kalahaua would not give up
independence of any part of the islands

Hawaiian League forced the King to sign
a new constitution at gunpoint in July
1887
 King called it the BAYONET
CONSTITUTION
 It severely restricted the King’s powers
and deprived most Hawaiians of the
vote
 King forced to give up Pearl Harbor

American warships had a permanent
home in Hawaii
 Sugar planters had political control over
Hawaii
 US revoked the Sugar treaty in1890 to
support sugar producers on the
mainland
 Hawaiian business leaders thought the
only option was to become part of the
US


Secret talks about annexation began
END OF THE MONARCHY
 King Kalakaua died in 1891
 His sister, Liliuokalani, became queen
 She was a nationalist that wanted to do
away with the bayonet constitution
 January 1893—Queen announced the
monarchy would be restored

In response, business leaders plotted to
over thrown her
 American Minister to Hawaii, John L.
Stevens, ordered four boatloads of
Marines to take up positions about the
royal palace, aiming cannons and
machine guns at the building
 The rebels declared an end to the
monarchy

Queen Liliuokalani surrendered under
protest January 17, 1893
 Rebel leaders formed a new
government with Sanford B. Dole as
president
 Stevens recognized the new government
and said the islands were under the
protection of the US, all without official
authorization

ANNEXATION
 President Cleveland put the treaty on
hold and ordered an investigation
 Investigator condemned the revolt and
offered to put the Queen back on the
throne
 Cleveland agreed but Dole would not
step down







Cleveland would not use the military to
back the Queen but he would not support
annexation either
He passed the issue to the next president,
William McKinley
McKinley favored annexation
Congress narrowly voted in favor in 1898.
Hawaii was now a territory and became the
50th state in 1959.
1993—Congress formally apologized for the
US’s role in overthrowing Liluokalania
China stayed isolated from the rest of
the world
 Foreign traders could only go to the port
at Guangzhou
 1842—British forced China to open 5
ports
 US also gained greater trading privileges
 China spent the next 50 years keeping
foreign influence out

1895—Japan took over Taiwan
 Russia, France, Germany, and Great
Britain carved out their own SPHERES OF
INFLUENCE
 A geographic area where an outside
nation exerts special economic or
political control
 US proposed the OPEN DOOR POLICY in
1899

The aim was equal trading rights in China
 No other countries agreed to the open
door policy
 Secret society known as the Society of
Righteous and Harmonious Fists began
attacking foreign missionaries and
Chinese Christians
 This society was known to westerners as
the Boxers

June 1900—the Boxers laid siege to the
capital Beijing in what became known
as the Boxer Rebellion
 Western nations rushed 20,000 troops
including 2,000 Americans
 The troops quelled the rebellion
 September 1901—China signed a
humbling settlement agreement
 Western nations realized that
competition would hurt Chinese trade

Japan was not known as an imperialist
nation
 Mid-1800s—US pressures Japan to open
its ports to trade
 1853—President Fillmore send
Commodore Matthew Perry and 4 ships
into Tokyo Bay
 Japan had never seen steamships
before

Japan knew it couldn’t defend itself
against a modern navy
 1854—Japan signs a treaty with the US
opening up trade
 Japan began a rapid modernization
program
 1904—RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR broke out
 Spring 1905—both sides ask President
Roosevelt to broker a peace treaty

Both sides met in Portsmouth, NH to
finalize a treaty
 Roosevelt received the Nobel Peace
Prize
 Japan was clear victor over Russia and
hungry for territory
 They wanted to expand in the Pacific to
balance out US interests







Roosevelt wanted to show how powerful
the US military was
1907—4 squadrons of battleships, known as
the Great White Fleet, began a 43,000-mile
round-the-world journey
Led by Rear Admiral Charles Sperry
Fleet stopped in 20 ports on 6 continents,
including Japan
The fleet returned home in 1909
THE END