Download Old vs. New Imperialism Revised 2016 Stevenson

Old versus New Imperialism
– “Old Imperialism”, European powers did not usually
acquire territory (except for Spain in Americas and
Portugal in Brazil) but rather built a series of trading
stations
• Respected and frequently cooperated with local rulers
in India, China, Japan, Indonesia, and other areas where
trade flourished between locals and European coastal
trading centers.
– “New Imperialism” direct conquest and formal empire
• Africa and Asia had seen limited Euro. intrusion and
most contacts had been coastal in nature…entire
continents now came under Euro. influence
Pre-19c European Trade with Africa
• In the mid-1800s before European domination African
peoples were divided into hundreds of ethnic and linguistic
groups.
• Europeans had contact with sub-Saharan peoples, but large
African armies kept Europeans out of Africa for 400 years.
• European travel was hindered by difficult rivers and African
diseases like malaria.
• Nations Compete for Overseas Empires
– Europeans who did penetrate the interior of Africa were
explorers, missionaries, or humanitarians who opposed
the slave trade.
– Travel books, newspapers, and magazines encouraged
interest in Africa
Industrial
Revolution
Markets for
Finished
Goods
European
Nationalism
Source for
Raw
Materials
European
Motives
For New Imperialism
Military
& Naval
Bases
Social
Darwinism
Places to
Dump
Unwanted/
Excess Popul.
European
Racism
“White
Man’s
Burden”
Humanitarian
Reasons
(Missionary,
Scientific)
Soc. & Eco.
Opportunities: Excitement
& Adventure
Excitement and Dangers of Exploration
Doctor
Livingstone,
I Presume?
Sir Henry
Morton Stanley
Dr. David Livingstone
CECIL RHODES (1853-1902)
• British businessman, politician in
southern Africa
•fortune from African diamond mines
•Est. South African Company (Land later
became Rhodesia/Zimbabwe)
•Prime minister of Cape Colony (1890-1896)
–Wanted Brit. control over South Africa
–Wanted Cape-to-Cairo Railroad
•Architect Brit. Imperialism southern Africa
The Rhodes Colossus Striding
From Cape Town to Cairo
New Technologies
• Advances in technology gave Europeans huge
military advantage
• Steam-powered gunboats could attack even
inland targets
• Repeating rifles, machine guns, exploding shells
made European armies more lethal than ever
• Communication with ocean steamships, cables
• Asian, African weapon makers could not match
technologies
Weakening Empire
• Great empires of Asia, Africa weakening; Europeans took
advantage
• India’s Mughal Empire took deep decline after 1707
• Ottoman Empire lost strength, had weak grasp on North
African provinces throughout 1700s
• China’s Qing dynasty faced rebellions; by late 1700s European
armies faced limited resistance as they claimed new territories
Economic Interests
Raw Materials
Entrepreneurial Colonization
• Before early 1800s, several European
nations profited from slave trade in
Africa
• To gather, export natural resources,
European entrepreneurs developed
own mines, plantations, trade routes
• After some nations passed laws
abolishing slave trade, Europeans
looked to Africa as source for raw
materials
• Entrepreneurs sometimes called on
home countries to protect economic
interests from European competitors
• Materials like coal, metals needed to
manufacture goods during Industrial
Revolution (rubber, tin, copper, oil)
• Needs fueled Europeans’ desire for land
with natural resources—available in
Africa
• In this way, drive for colonization came
from ambitious individuals, not just
European governments
• European countries not
invest primarily in
colonies
-10% French
-5% Germans
• Trade followed the
same pattern
-25% of British
-11% French
-4% Germans
• Utilize profits from
Industrial Revolution
• European countries
greatest business
volume with each
other
• Economic motivations:
revived mercantilism
Natural Resources
•
Angola: cotton, palm oil, coffee, and sugar for fabrics, soap, candles, food products, and
food processing
•
Congo Free State: rubber, palm oil and ivory for waterproof clothes, tires, electrical
insulation, soap, candles, some food products, handles, piano keys, and billiard balls
•
French West Africa: gum, palm oil, cotton, peanuts, bananas, coffee, and cocoa for
cosmetics, drugs, food products, soap, candles, some food products, fabrics, and food
processing
•
Rhodesia: copper, zinc, lead, and coal for coins, metal alloys, electrical wiring, rust
protection, ammunition, and fuel
•
South Africa: gold and diamonds for banking, national currencies, jewelry, industrial cutting
tools
•
Tanganyika: sisal, coffee, rubber and cotton for rope, twine, food preserving, waterproof
clothes, tires, electrical insulation, and fabrics
Increased Trade
• soap from African
palm, tea, coffee, and
cocoa, bananas,
oranges, melons, and
other exotic fruits
made their way to
European markets
• tools, weapons, and
clothing flowed out of
the factories and back
to the colonies
Political Competition
• Imperialism in Africa reflected struggles for power
in Europe, such as long-term rivalry between
France, Britain
• France expanded control over West, Central
Africa; Britain began to expand colonial empire to
block French
• Need more naval bases
Nationalism a Factor
• Rise of Germany, Italy as powers contributed to the new
imperialism
• Both nations jumped into race for colonization to assert
status
• Nationalism also contributed to rise of new imperialism
• European leaders believed controlling colonies would
gain them more respect from other leaders
Cultural Motives
Rule Justified
•European imperialists felt superior to
non-Europeans
•some Europeans believed rule in Africa
justified
•argue humanity divided into distinct
peoples, races
•teaching Africans good government
•claimed biological differences between
races
•Racist view—people of European
descent superior to people of African,
Asian descent
•imperialists believed actions noble, their
duty to educate those considered inferior
•referred to their influence in Africa as “the
white man’s burden,” after poem by Rudyard
Kipling
Social Darwinism
• apply Charles Darwin’s theory of natural
selection to struggle between nations,
races
• believed “fit” nations came to rule over
“less fit” nations, often showed
discrimination against citizens of ruled
nations