Imperialism
The takeover of a country or a
territory by a stronger nation with
the intent of dominating the
political, economic, and social life
of the people of that country.
“OLD” IMPERIALISM:
Beginnings and Basic Structures
1500s-1700s
Colonialism
Spain, Portugal,
England, France,
and the Netherlands
Wars over colonies in
North and South America
OLD IMPERIALISM:
Beginnings and Basic Structures
Age of Exploration
↓
Europeans raced for overseas colonies
↓
Growth of European commerce and
trade worldwide
↓
Commercial Revolution
Mercantilism
INTERLUDE:
Mid 1700s – Late 1800s
Europeans were preoccupied with
happenings on the European continent
and in their existing colonies.
American Revolution
French Revolution
Napoleonic Wars
Latin American Wars for Independence
Growth of Nationalism
Industrial Revolution
What is “NEW” Imperialism?
•No longer about solely setting up
colonies or exercising direct control
over areas
•Became largely economic
•Possession or control of an area for
economic gain
•Spheres of influence and
extraterritoriality rather than
colonial settlement
“New” Imperialism
•Beginning circa 1875
•Renewed race for colonies
•Spurred by needs created by the Industrial
Revolution
•New markets for finished goods
•New sources of raw materials
•Nationalism
•Colonies = economic and political power
•Social Darwinism = racist justification
CAUSES OF NEW
IMPERIALISM
• Economics
– Need for natural resources & control sources
– Raw materials from colonies
– Desire to expand markets
– Desire to invest profits
– Outlet needed for growing populations
– Economies strengthened by Industrial
Revolution
– Break monopolies of other European
countries on raw materials
ECONOMIC EXAMPLES:
Markets for finished goods
•Products of British Industrial Revolution sold in
China and India
Sources of raw materials
•Egypt – cotton
•Malaya – rubber and tin
•Middle East – oil
Capital investments
•Profits from Industrial Revolution invested in
mines, railroads, etc., in unindustrialized areas
CAUSES OF NEW
IMPERIALISM
• Social & Religious
– Belief in European racial superiority
– Belief in Social Darwinism
– Increased European self-confidence
– Desire to spread Christianity
– Missionaries in Africa, Asia, and
Pacific Islands
CAUSES OF NEW
IMPERIALISM
• Social & Religious
“White Man’s Burden”
Rudyard Kipling’s poetry and prose
– Desire to share Western civilization
– Whites morally obligated to bring the
“blessings of civilization” to
“backward” peoples
– Imperialism is “philanthropy plus
five percent” – Cecil Rhodes
CAUSES OF NEW
IMPERIALISM
• Political & Military
– Nationalism
– Exploration
– Military bases needed for merchant &
naval vessels
– National security
– Protecting water routes (Suez Canal)
– Prestige of global empire
CAUSES OF NEW
IMPERIALISM
• Technological
– Improved medical knowledge- quinine
– Botanical investigations
– Advances in weaponry- machine gun
– Advances in communication-telegraph
– Advances in overseas travel
IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA
IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA
• 1879: Belgium, under Leopold II, sent
Henry Stanley to explore the Congo in
central Africa.
• Leopold planned to explore and “civilize”
the region for his own private use.
• Other European nations were fearful
Leopold & the Belgian government would
extend control into Southern Africa.
• 1875: Britain acquires controlling interest
in the Suez Canal, with France.
• Water route through Egypt; connects
Mediterranean Sea with Indian OceanShorter route to India.
• British occupy Egypt in 1882, extend
control into Sudan.
• Set off “African fever” in Europe
1884-1885: Congress of Berlin
• Fourteen European countries, through the
organization of Germany and France, met in
Berlin to establish the “rules” for occupying
African territory.
• Occupation needed to be recognized by other
nations, and no single power could claim the
African continent.
• Great Britain & France claimed most of Africa.
Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal
divided the rest. (The Netherlands had no African territory)
• Great Britain had acquired Egypt and
Sudan earlier. Were attempting to control
all territory south to South Africa.
Destroyed the Zulu natives, and defeated
the Boers (original Dutch settlers) in the
Boer War (1899-1912).
The South African region contained
valuable minerals, such as gold and
diamonds. Influenced by Cecil Rhodes
• France had the largest African empire in
northwestern Africa.
France acquired Algeria, Tunisia,
Morocco, West Africa, and Equatorial
Africa from 1881-1912
Were attempting to control all north
African territory from west to east
• Germany took land in eastern and
southwestern Africa.
• Italy took Libya and parts of eastern
Africa near the Red Sea.
Lost a war for control of Ethiopia in 1896.
• Portugal created large colonies in Angola
(southwest coast) and Mozambique
(southeast coast)
• Spain took small territory in
northwestern Africa.
IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA
Only Liberia
and Ethiopia
were still
independent
by 1900
IMPERIALISM IN ASIA
•Britain: controlled India and neighboring
territory, Burma, Malay States
•France: Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia)
•Netherlands: Indonesia
•Japan: Korea, Formosa (Taiwan)
•U.S.: Philippines
•Russia: Mongolia, Manchuria, Northern Persia
•Germany: Pacific Islands
•Kingdom of Thailand remained independent but
allied itself with Britain.
•Britain, France, Russia, Germany, and Japan all
had spheres of influence in China
IMPERIALISM IN ASIA
Thailand (Siam)
remained
independent
IMPERIALISM IN CHINA
OPEN DOOR POLICY
In 1899, the United States
proposed to the other
European powers an
“Open Door Policy”, which
would allow all nations to
trade freely with China in
the spheres of influence. All
the foreign powers could
benefit from China's wealth
with none of them in
control of that country.
Types of Imperialism
Sphere of Influence
Imperialism
Exclusive or special control over an area
•Examples
•British trading rights in China’s Yangtze
valley
•French trading rights in southeastern
China
•Japanese trading rights in Korea
Protectorate Imperialism
Foreign control exercised through
native “puppet” rulers
•French – Morocco (1906-1956)
•British – Egypt (1914-1968)
•Britain held a sphere of influence in Egypt
from 1882-1914
•Britain gained control of Egypt as Egypt’s
protectorate when the Ottoman empire
fell apart during World War I
Concession Imperialism
Economic privileges and rights given
for a specific purpose
•U.S. and British oil concessions throughout
the Middle East
•Ottoman Turks granted Germany
permission to build Berlin-to-Baghdad
Railroad
Leasehold Imperialism
Lease over an area
•Suez Canal Corporation
•Suez Canal built by French in 1860s
•Controlled by British shortly thereafter
until 1968
•Panama Canal- United States
•Germans, French, and British in Chinese
port cities.
Annexation Imperialism
Territory annexed and turned into a
colony under the complete control of
a foreign power
•German colonies in east and southwest
Africa – until 1918 and the end of World
War I
•French Indochina (Vietnam) – until 1955
•British Burma – until 1948
Mandate Imperialism
Victors of World War I gained
control over German possessions
under mandates or orders granted by
the League of Nations
•German East Africa → Great Britain
•Pacific islands north of the equator →
Japan
•Syria → France
An Imperialism Steamboat is….
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