Imperialism
Chevalier
Fall 2011/Winter 2012
A Western Dominated World
• WHAT DELINEATES
THE WEST?
The New Imperialism and its causes
• Imperialism- the domination by one
country of the political, economic, or
cultural life of another country or
region.
• The “New Imperialism”- A time period
of aggressive European expansion in
the 1800’s
Four Causes of the ‘New Imperialism’
• 1. Economic interests (needs)- The
Ind. Rev. created needs/desires that
spurred overseas expansion
• Manufacturers wanted access to natural
resources (Indian cotton for example)
• Hoped for new markets where they could
sell their factory goods
• Colonies offered a valuable outlet for
Europe’s growing population
Four Causes of the ‘New Imperialism’
• 2. Political and Military interests
(needs)- merchant ships, naval vessels
needed bases around the world to take
on coal and supplies
• Industrial powers seized islands and
harbors
• Nationalism and prestige- Western leaders
claimed colonies were needed for national
security
• Ruling a global empire increased a
Four Causes of the ‘New Imperialism’
• 3. Humanitarian goals- missionaries,
doctors, and colonial officials believed
they had a duty to spread Western
civilization. (Medicine, law, and
Christianity to the savages)
Four Causes of the ‘New Imperialism’
• 4. Social Darwinism- many Westerners
believed in their racial superiority.
• Held the idea that Europeans were
superior to all others
• Imperial conquest and destruction of
weaker nations was nature’s way of
improving the human species
The Success of Western Imperialism
• 1870-1914- imperialist nations gained
control over much of the world. Some
reasons for their success: (why 1914?)
• 1. Weakness of non-western states• Older civilizations went into decline
• Ottoman Empire in the Middle East
• Mughal in India
• Qing in China (Ching)
• In W. Africa, slave trade undermined empires,
kingdoms, and city-states
Why did Imperialism succeed?
• 2. Western Advantages• Strong economies, well organized
governments, powerful militaries, superior
technology, medical advances
• quinine- medicine used to fight malaria
• Maxim gun- early machine gun
Resistance to Imperialism
• Africans/Asians strongly resisted
Western expansion
• Many Western-educated Africans and
Asians organized nationalist
movements to expel the imperialists.
Criticism of Imperialism at Home
• Some argued colonialism was a tool of
the rich
• Some said it was immoral
• Greater democracy at home, but
imposing undemocratic rule on other
people
Forms of Imperial Rule (3)
• 1. Colonies• Direct rule- officials and soldiers sent to
administer colonies (French)
• Indirect rule- sultans, chiefs, other local
leaders were urged to get educated in
Britain to become Westernized (Britain)
Three Forms of Imperial Rule
• 2. Protectorate• Local rulers left in place but expected to
follow advice of European advisors
• Cheaper than running a colony
Three Forms of Imperial Rule
• 3. Spheres of Influence• Areas in which outside powers claimed
exclusive investment or trading
privileges
• Europeans created them in China
• U.S. in Latin America
The Partition of Africa
• Africa in the Early 1800’s- sets us up
for why and how…
• North Africa: Muslim and part of the
declining Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
• West Africa: Islam had grown in this
region as well
The Partition of Africa
• The Asante Kingdom• A strong state that had arisen in the forest
regions
• Traded with Europeans and Muslims
• Controlled several small states
• These states worked with Europeans in an
attempt to exploit the kingdom’s lack on
unity (where have we seen this before?)
The Partition of Africa
• East Africa: Muslim, African slaves sent
from here to Middle East
• Southern Africa: Shaka(**)-leader of
united Zulu nation
• His conquests led to migrations and wars
• In the 1830’s, the Zulus fought against
the Boers (Dutch settlers in the region)
The Partition of Africa
• The Slave Trade: by early 1800’s,
Europeans had outlawed slave trade, but
East African slave trade continued
• 1787- British organized Sierra Leone(Map) in
West Africa as a colony for former slaves
• 1847- Liberia(Map) became independent
republic (settled by free blacks from US)
Sierra Leone and Liberia (Map **)
European Contact Increases
• Africa was known as the ‘dark
continent’ because little was known
about its interior
• Difficult to maneuver rivers, disease kept
many Europeans from venturing far
• Malaria
• Quinine
• Machine guns
European Contact Increases
• Missionaries: tried to spread
Christianity, spoke out against slaverybuilt schools, churches, medical clinics
• Paternalistic in nature: saw Africans as
children in need of guidance
• fatherly
Dr. David Livingstone (*)
• Dr. David Livingstone: best known
British explorer and missionary
• Explored the continent for 30 years,
writing about native cultures he’d
encountered(modern Marco Polo)
• Opposed the slave trade
• 1871- journalist Henry Stanley tracked
him down in Tanzania (hadn’t been heard
from in years (Dr. Livingstone I presume)
Dr. David Livingstone (*)
A Scramble For Colonies
• Belgian King Leopold II(*)- hired Henry
Stanley to explore Congo River Basin
and arrange trade treaties with African
leaders
• He hoped for conquest and profit
• His activities in the Congo set off a
scramble by other European nations
King Leopold II (**)
A Scramble For Colonies
• Berlin Conference: 1884- to avoid
bloodshed, European powers met in
Germany to decide how to carve up
Africa (Spain and Portugal in America)
• No Africans invited
• Recognized Belgium’s claim to the
Congo Free State
A Scramble For Colonies
• Called for free trade on Congo and Niger
Rivers
• European powers couldn’t claim any part of
Africa without first setting up a gov’t. office
there
• Within 20 years, most of African continent
had been partitioned by E. powers.
Colonization of Africa in 1914
A Scramble For Colonies
• Horrors in the Congo: Belgium
exploited the people of the Congo (as
forced laborers) and its natural
resources (copper, rubber, ivory)
• Laborers were beaten, mutilated
• International outrage forced King
Leopold to turn control of colony over
to Belgian government.
A Scramble For Colonies
• French Expansion: 1830’s- France
invaded, conquered Algeria (thousands
of French and Algerians killed in
fighting)
• Late 1800’s- Tunisia under French
control, much of West and Central
Africa-French empire the size of
continental U.S.
Fight for South Africa (**)
• Britain takes its share: 1815• British took Cape Colony from the DutchBoers (Dutch settlers) moved north
• When they found gold and diamonds,
British fought them for control of the
riches
• Led to the Boer war (1899-1902)
• Guerilla warfare
Fight For South Africa
• The British won, but at a great cost
• 1910- Britain formed the Union of
South Africa- government run by
whites
• Completed racial segregation
(apartheid) until 1993 (Nelson Mandel
became President)
Apartheid
• Whites consisted of less than 25% of
the population
• Apartheid means to separate
• Whites were Dutch and British
Apartheid Ended
Africans Resist Imperialism
• Ethiopia Survives: Emperor Menelik
II(*)- late 1800’s- reforming ruler who
modernized his country
• Bridges
• Western school system
• Imported latest weapons
• Hired Europeans to train his army
Menelik II- Ethiopia
Menelik II
• 1896- Italy invaded Ethiopia• Ethiopians defeated Italian forces at the
battle of Adowa (*)
• Aside from Liberia, Ethiopia was the only
African nation to preserve its
independence (**)
Africa Resists Imperialism
• New African Elite:
• Western educated elite (upper class)
emerged- some admired western ways
and rejected their own cultures
• Others condemned western societies
that upheld liberty and equality for
whites only
Africa Resists Imperialism
• By early 1900’s, many African leaders
were pursuing independence from
European control/rule
European Challenges to the Muslim
World
• Stresses in the Muslim World
• There were various empires in decline
that the West was more than happy to
gobble up…
• India, Middle East, Iran
• Europeans took advantage, forced to sign
unfair trade treaties
Problems for the Ottoman Empire
• Ottoman empire on the decline for
several reasons…
• Economics
• Nationalism
• European Pressure
• Efforts to Westernize
Armenian Massacre
Armenian Massacre
• Muslim Turks distrusted Christian Armenians,
accusing them of supporting Russian plans against
the empire.
• When Armenians protested, the sultan of the empire had
tens of thousands slaughtered.
• Over a million Armenians killed in the Armenian
genocide which took place from 1890-1915.
• Genocide: the deliberate attempt to destroy an entire
religious or ethnic group.
Hitler and Mussolini
Egypt Seeks to Modernize
• Muhammed Ali(* and Map)- “father of
modern Egypt”- became gov. in 1805modernized Egypt:
• Schools, western style military, improved
tax collection, new landholding system,
large irrigation projects to increase farm
output
• Put Egypt on the road to Independence
Egypt Seeks to Modernize
• Dies in 1849- didn’t want the Suez
Canal built- he thought it would
destroy Egypt’s chances of becoming
independent
The Suez Canal (Map)
• 1859-1869- Ferdinand de LessepsFrench entrepreneur who organized
company to build canal- 1875- Egypt
couldn’t repay loans for the canal
• Forced to sell interest in canal, Britain
took control
• A British Protectorate- 1882- Suez
became Britain’s lifeline to India
Geography of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal From Above
Suez Canal
The British Take Over India
• The East India Company and the
Sepoy Rebellion:
• Sphere of Influence at first
• Exploiting Indian diversity- India fragmented after fall of
Mughal Empire
• Different languages and traditions
• British took advantage of Indian divisions, encouraged
competition and disunity among rival princes
India and the East India Trading Co.
• British Policies: East India Company (a
private trading company)
• Main goal was to make profit
• Also improved roads, preserved peace, reduced
banditry in India
• British brought their western education, law,
Christianity, worked to end slavery and the caste
system (Hindu religion)
• This begins to lead to tension between the parties
Causes of Discontent
• E. India Co. required Sepoys (Indian
soldiers in its service) to serve
anywhere, even overseas
• Why the big deal?
• Passed law that allowed Hindu widows
to remarry
Sepoy Tensions
• 1857- Sepoys told to bite off tip of
cartridges before loading rifles- tips
greased with animal fat
• Hindus can’t eat beef, Muslims can’t eat
pork
• When they refused, they were sent home
without pay
• Straw that broke the Camel’s back
Rebellion and Aftermath
• Sepoy rebellion: sepoys rose up
against their British officers,
massacred British men, women,
children
• Revolt was crushed, vengeance taken;
as a result, British gov. took control of
E. India Co.
• French were forced out of India and
India became a British Colony (1858)
British Colonial Rule
• An Unequal partnership• Britain made India the “brightest jewel” in
the crown
• It modernized India, bringing western
tech. and culture
• Built roads, railroads to transport raw
materials(cotton+coal)
• Brought telegraph for communication
An Unequal Partnership
• Flooded India with cheap, factory made
textiles, ruining India’s prosperous
hand-weaving industry
• Farmers were pushed to grow cash
crops (cotton) to sell on the world
market (and back to India)
Population Growth and Famine
• Medical improvements, new farming
methods, better healthcare, increased
food production all led to pop. growth,
and with cash crops being produced
instead of food, famine resulted.
• Benefits of British rule: peace/order,
legal system, RR’s, telegraph, upper
classes sent kids to British schools,
landowners got rich from cash crops
Indian Nationalism
• Indian National Congress: formed in
1885, professionals and business
leaders who wanted greater
democracy, and eventual self-rule
• No more British
• Muslim League: formed in 1906- wished
for a separate Muslim state
• Muslims and Hindus feared a government
where the opposing religion ruled.
China and the New Imperialism
• The Trade Issue: 1700’s- China placed
limits on foreign traders
• they enjoyed a favorable balance of trade
where exports were greater than imports
• Westerners had a trade deficit with Chinathey bought more from China than they
sold to them
China and the New Imperialism
• By the late 1700’s, westerners had a
greater interest in China for 2 reasons:
• 1.China entered a period of decline
• 2.The Ind. Rev. created need for
expanded markets for European goods
The Opium War
• British sold opium to China in
exchange for tea
• Chinese became addicted to opium
• Started trading silver for opium
• This badly hurt the Chinese economy
• China outlawed opium; told British to
stop trade
• British refused
Opium War
• 1839- British ships attacked Chinese
ships and ports- easily defeated
• 1842- Treaty of Nanjing (Nanking)China had to pay for war losses, give
Hong Kong to Britain (trade port),
open 5 ports to foreign trade, give
Britain extraterritoryiality in China
(right to live under British laws, tried in
their own courts)
Internal Problems
• Taiping Rebellion (1850-64)
• Peasants rebelled against the Qing
(ching)dynasty for 4 reasons:
• 1.irrigation/canals poorly maintained
• 2.massive flooding of rich farmlands
• 3.pop. Explosion
• 4.corrupt government
• Government finally crushed rebellion (led by
Hong Xiuquan (*)(she-shan)) 20-30 million
chinese killed
Taiping Rebellion
• Leaders of the rebellion promised:
• Equality for men and women
• Land reform
• Community ownership of property
Reform Efforts
• The “self-strengthening” movementChinese reformers imported western
technology, tried to modernize
• CiXi (*) (see-chee)- empress from
1862-1908- a conservative leadergave little support to movement,
blocked effort to modernize
War With Japan
• War with Japan: (1894) war broke out
(Japanese imperialists wanted control
of part of China)- Japan won, took
island of Taiwan from China.
• Spheres of Influence: by the late
1890’s, Britain, France, Germany,
Russia, Japan had carved up China
Hundred Days of Reform
• 1898- Guang Xu (shoe)- young
emperor- launched reform to
modernize nation
• Conservatives had him imprisoned
• Ci Xi (see-chee) regained the throne
The Qing Dynasty Falls
• Boxer Uprising: 1899-1900- Righteous
Harmonious Fists were a rebel group
who wanted to expel the “foreign
devils” from China
• The western powers and Japan
organized a military force to crush the
Boxers
Boxer Uprising
• Aftermath: Chinese conservatives
began to support modernization
• Education
• Expanded economy and industry
Three Principles of the People
• Sun Yixian (*) (yee-shee-on)- father of
modern China
• 1.Nationalism-free China from foreign
control
• 2.Democracy-representative gov’t
• 3.livelihood-economic security for all
Chinese
Birth of a Republic
• 1911- Qing (ching) dynasty toppled,
Sun Yixian named president of new
Chinese Republic
• China at war with itself/fighting off
foreign invasion for the next 37 years
Japan Modernizes
• Discontent in Tokugawa Japan – since
1600s, Japan maintained policy of
isolationism
• Feudal society
• No foreigners
• Japanese couldn’t travel overseas
• Military leaders (shoguns) no longer
strong leaders
Discontent in Japan
• Daimyo (nobles) suffered economic
hardship (no foreign trade), peasants
paid high taxes, merchants at bottom
of social ladder
• Samurai were no longer fighters but
bureaucrats- discontent all over Japan
• Loss of tradition: something had to
change
Opening up Japan
• External pressure and internal revolt1853- U.S. Commodore Matthew
Perry(*) sailed into Tokyo Bay,
demanded that Japan trade with U.S.
• Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854- shogun
agreed to open 2 Japanese ports to
U.S. ships, but not for trade
• US soon won trading rights, Euros followed
• Forced to sign the treaty (no match for US)
Meiji Restoration
• 1868-1912-means ‘enlightened rule’
• Japanese gov’t reformers wanted to
strengthen Japan
• Began to study western ways, learned
how to compete with westerners
• 1871-reformers traveled overseas to
learn about western gov’ts, economic
technology, customs
Meiji Restoration
• Experts from western nations came to
Japan
• Samurai sent to study abroad
• All done in the name of
MODERNIZATION
Reforms under the Meiji
• Govt.- Japan adopted the German
model: emperor would rule with a twohouse legislature (diet)
• Voting rights limited
• Set up dept’s of finance, army, navy,
education
• Used western tech. to strengthen army
Reforms Under the Meiji
• Economic reforms:
• Japan’s business class adopted western
methods
• Set up banking system, railroads
• Ports, telegraph, postal system
• Govt built factories and sold them to
families (Kawasaki family)who became
even wealthier
• 1890-Japan an industrial powerhouse
Growing Military Strength
• 1894- military gaining power
• Conflicts between Japan and China led
to Sino-Japanese War-gained Taiwan
again, gained access to Chinese ports
Russo-Japanese War
• 1904-1905:
• Russia and Japan fought over
Manchuria (region in N. China rich in
resources)
• Japan won, gained control of Korea
and parts of Manchuria
• 1st time in history an Asian military
power had defeated a Euro nation
Japan Rules Korea
• Ruled Korea for 35 years- Japan
colonized, modernized Korea, exploited
the land and its people
Southeast Asia and the Pacific
• Europeans colonize Southeast Asia:
• Why colonize SE Asia
• Raw materials, new markets, and
Christian converts
• Dutch-1600’s- Dutch East India
Company gained control of Spice
Islands, then the rest of Indonesia
Europeans Lay Claim to SE Asia
• British: early 1800’s-clashed with
rulers of Burma (Myanmar)
• 1886-Burma and Malaya, Singapore
become British colonies
Europeans Lay Claim to SE Asia
• French: early 1800’s-French
missionaries won converts in area that
is modern-day Vietnam
• Area had long been influenced by
Confucian traditions
• Vietnamese tried to suppress
Christianity by killing converts and
missionary priests
• French eventually controlled vietnam
Thailand Survives
• Siam Survives:
• Modern-day Thailand-ChulalongkornSiamese leader who modernized his
army, reformed the gov’t., hired
western experts to train Thais in new
tech., abolished slavery
• Britain and France saw Siam as a
buffer between their colonies,
guaranteed Siam its independence in
early 1900s
Imperial Powers in the Pacific
• Samoa- late 1800s- island archipelago
became a triple protectorate of US,
Germany, and Britain
• Hawaii- 1893- Queen Liliukalani(*) was
overthrown by American sugar
growers- they asked US to annex
Hawaii, which it did in 1898
US and Philippines
• Spain had ruled Philippines as a colony
since the 1500s
• 1898-Spanish-American War-US
destroyed Spanish fleet in PhilippinesFilipinos expected to gain
independence (Cuba)
• In treaty with Spain, US took
Philippines
A Promise Upended
• 1899-1901: Emilio Aguinaldo(*)Filipino rebel who fought against US
• American crushed the rebellion
• US modernized the Philippines
• education,
• Healthcare
• Economic reform,
• Dams
• Roads, RR
A Promise Upended
• US promised self-rule in the future
• Independence came in 1946