Download The Great Migrations, The Scramble for Africa

Jacob Schulman
March 4, 2007
AP Euro
Mr. Mumma
Day 3: The Great Migrations, The Scramble for Africa and Empire in India
I. A Great Migration:
A. Human drama was interwoven with economic expansionPeople left homelands
- Great movement of expansion was the saga of Western expansion
B. Great Migration: West’s impact on world in the 19th century was so powerful
The Pressure of Population:
A. Euro population increased (even with declining birthrates), medical revolution
- Population of Europe went from 188million in 1800 to 432 million in 1900
B. More than 60 million people left Europe- went to “areas of European settlement”
- Continued rapid growth (N&S America, Australia, Siberia)
- Europeans were 38% of the world’s population by start of WWI
C. Growing numbers increased desire for expansionForce behind emigration
- More people led to pressure on the land, led to land hunger, overpopulation
- Millions of countrypeople went to cities and abroad for work and economic opportunity
D. Migrants increased rapidly before WWI
- Different countries had different patterns of movement (Ireland and GB big)
Little migration from Germany; Italians left up to 1914 (slow industry)
- Mirrored social and economic problems in the respective areas
- Less than half of immigrants went to the USMore to Canada, Brazil, Argentina
European Migrants:
A. Typical migrant: small peasant landowner/village craftsman
- People trapped by List’s “Dwarf Economy”- tiny landownings, small industry
Could sell their land and move abroad in American Midwest (farmers)
B. Helpful to the lands that received them: young, unmarried- ready to work hard
C. Some moved from Europe to Europemost went home after some time somewhere else
- More people in the Balkans moved back
- Biggest factor: able to buy land at home?Russia- most non-Jews owned the land
D. Mass movement of Italians shows characteristics of European migration:
- Italy was agriculturalImports of cheap American grain hurt
- Italy wasn’t industrializing quick enoughJob shortageLowers standard of livinggo
Migration gave the possibility of more land
- Many went to the US, more to Argentina and Brazilcoffee plantations attracted Italians
(good wages); France- Italian population grew in France quickly
E. Swallows: Italian workers that farmed in Italy during season, went to Argentina to harvest in
the winter months, returned back to Italy when back in season
F. Family ties- formation of a “migration chain”- 1 man left, the rest followed and joined him
G. Some left due to revolt, search for independence- frustrated by small privileged classes
Sweden, Norway, Russian Jews, Italy- want to control church and gvt
- Migration was a radical way to “get out from under”
Asian Migrants:
A. Asian groups responded to rural hardship with temporary or permanent migration
- Most went as indentured laborers to work hard jobs on plantations
- Spanish government recruited Chinese laborers for Cuba in 1840s
B. Migration would have grown if employers could have actually hired as much as they
neededMany Asians fled for other better opportunities
- European settlers demanded a stopp of Asian migration
C. By 1800s: Americans and Australians- “Great While Walls”- laws to keep out Asians
- Part of Western dominance in the lopsided world
- Europeans reaped the benefits of migrationGot higher incomes than anywhere else
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II. Western Imperialism:
A. Expansion of Western society reached its highest point b/w 1800-1914
- Send massive amounts of migrants, money, goods; Political empires abroad
B. China and Japan were “opened” but politicall independent
C. New Imperialism: want to put as many people as possible under their flag
- New tensions among competing European states
- Aimed primarily at Africa and Asia
The Scramble for Africa:
A. Seizure of Africa: broke from previous patterns
- 18880- Europe controlled 10% of Africa; 1880- many European colonists settled there
B. South Africa: British took over Dutch Settlements of Cape Town during wars with Nap I
Dutch cattle rangers and farmers made “Great Trek” into Africa in 1835
C. After 1853: Afrikaners/Boers (Original Dutch in Cape Town) declared independence from
GB and defended it
- British, led by Cecil Rhodes, went over the Afrikaner states and established
protectorates over Bechuanaland, and Rhodesia
D. West Africa: European trading posts and forts
E. 1880-1900: GB, France, Germany, Italy scrambled for African possessions
- By 1900, only Ethiopia and Liberia were independent
F. British conquered white rivals in the bloody Boer War
- 1910: territories were united with Cape Colony and NatalUnion of South Africa
Allowed the Afrikaners to use numerical superiority to take political power back
G. Important events stand out in the European seizure of Africa:
- British occupation of Egypt in 1882New model of formal political control
- Leopold II of Belgium: energetic monarchy with lust for foreign territory
Focused on Central AfricaSend Henry M. Stanley to the Congo Basin
Formation of trading stations, and “treaties” with African chiefs
French send Pierre de Brazza: Treaty with the Teke tribe in 1880, beginning of a French
protectorate on the north bank of the Congo river
H. Jules Ferry of France and Otto von Bismarck make the Berlin Conference:
- Claims to African territory had to rest on “effective occupation”need to push in from all
sidesPrevented 1 nation from ruling the whole continent
- Acceptance of Leopold’s neutral free state; desire to stop the slave trade in Africa
Berlin Conference coincided with Germany’s emergence as an imperial power
- 1884-1885: Establishment of small protectorates over African kingdoms and tribes
Cooperated with the French against GBFrance pressed outward
- British attempts to push out were harmed by Muslim forces in Sudan in 1885
I. 1895: General Horatio H. Kitchener (GB) moved up the Nile, building a railroad
- Met Muslims at OmdurmanMuslim spears were nothing to the British machine gun
Met the British soon afterVerge of war (had been tension for a long time)
Dreyfus Affair forced the French to back down and let GB take over
J. Fate of the Muslims at Omdurman was similar to almost all native African people
Imperialism in Asia:
A. Europeans also extended control into AsiaThe Dutch bought thousands of miles of
islandshad to share with Britain and Germany
- 1880s- Jules Ferry took Indochina
B. Russia and the US got land in AsiaRussians got Muslim areas
- US conquest of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War
Natives rose in revolt and were suppressed eventually
Causes of New Imperialism:
A. Economic motives (Esp. for the British)Nations were industrializing behind tariffs
- GB was losing lead, and other potential markets due to tariffsGained land quickly after
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the other nations for fear that the other nations would seal off that land
B. Colonies didn’t even give major gains until after 1914too poor
- Still, land was never abandonedSeen as power, prestige
C. Colonies were essential to great nations
- Heinrich von Treitschke: “Every virile people has established colonial power”
- Social Darwinian theories of competition among racesNeed colonies to show strength
- Desire to conquer “inferior” races
D. Technological and military superiority: Machine gun; quinine (controlled malaria);
steamship and international telegraph
E. Social tensions and domestic political conflictsUse of colonial issues to divert attention
from a class struggle at home, false sense of national unity
- Stress that workers benefits (jobs, raw materials); use of tabloid press
F. Special interest groupsShipping companies wanting subsidies; white settlers want land
- Missionaries to spread religion, etc.
G. Additional arguments for justification:
- Europeans should “civilize” more primitive peopleNonwhites would eventually reap
benefits (economy, cities, medicine), could even get self-government
- Ideology of the “white man’s burden”Believed they had to rule other areas
- Peace and stability facilitated spread of ChristianityCompetition with Islam
Failure of missionary attempts in AsiaIslam was rooted in
Critics of Imperialism:
A. 1902: After the unpopular Boer War- English Economist- J. A. Hobson- Imperialism- said
that rush to get colonies was from economic needs of unregulated capitalism
- Said that colonies didn’t help the country on the whole, only some groups benefited
B. Critics struck home with moral condemnation of whites imperiously ruling others
- Joseph Conrad- Heart of Darkness- “pure selfishness” of Europeans “civilizing” Africa
C. Accused Europe of applying a double standard and failing to live up to their won ideals
- No rep government, liberties, no equality of opportunity
III. Responses to Western Imperialism:
A. Non-Europeans saw Western expansion as assaultThreatened tradition everywhere
B. Initial response of Asians/Africans: drive foreigners awayLed to violent reactions, but
Europe’s military technology was too strong
- Some gave in and started to believe that Europe was indeed better
C. Majority of Asians/Africans did accept imperial rulerestricted to small elites
Europeans governed smoothly and effectively
- Support for European rule by the ruled was not very strong
D. Leaders arose supported by those who were against the Europeans:
- Nonconformists had desire for human dignitynot possible with foreign rule
- Potential leaders found ideologies and justification in the Western world
Especially attracted to nationalism
- Anti-imperialist search for dignity drew strength from Western culture
Empire in India:
A. India was the jewel of GB EmpireRuled absolutely by Britain for a long time
- British East India Company conquered India by 1848
- Great Rebellion (1857-8): Insurrection by Muslim and Hindu mercenaries in the British
army spread through India even before it was conqueredRuled directly thereafter
B. After 1858: India ruled by English Parliament, administered by a tiny committee in India
- Small white elitegenerally well disposed toward the welfare of the people, still had job
discrimination, social segregation (saw the Indians as inferior)
British rose against a bill hat would allow Indian judges to try English people in India
C. Introduced many good changes into India: established a modern system of secondary
Education, government serviceGave opportunities for social/economic advance
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D. New bureaucratic elite emerged: High-caste Hindus between the people and British
- Crucial role in ecoinomic developmentIrrigation projects for agriculture, huge railroad
system, large tea plantations
- Indian masses improved littlepopulation increase matched production increase
E. Creation of a unified powerful state: English-speaking Indian bureaucracy
- Same general system of law and administration for all people
F. Reaction: Rise of nationalism among Indian eliteTop jobs, best of everything was still
held for the white Englishmen
- The well-educated, English speaking elite could not accept it
G. 1885: Indian National Congress- Hindu dominated; demands for equality and selfGovernment
- By 1907, radicals were calling for independence
Creation of a genuine movement for national independence
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