Download Why Imperialism?

European
Imperialism
1850-1914
Queen Victoria
Imperialism
or
Nationalism
?
In your group,
decide whether the
picture depicts
imperialism or
nationalism and tell
why you chose as
you did.
Introduction
Imperialism – The social,
economic, and political
domination of one nation
by another.
 Between 1815 and 1914,
the West (Europe and
America) increased their
control of the world’s land
mass from 35% - 85%
The 19th Century was truly an “age of Empire”

Why Imperialism?
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Empire Building
Economics
Political and Military
Interests
Power and Authority
Nineteenth Century –
1800s
British Dominance called the Victorian Era
after Queen Victoria
who ruled for 64 years
Introduction

Western imperialism was not new;
Europeans had been influencing or
conquering part of the world since
the 1400’s
• US grew from coast to coast during the
1700s
• Aggressive imperialism dominated the
scene in the 1800s – New Imperialism
The Sun Never Sets on the
British Empire
Examine the map below and then decide
in your groups what the title means.
Forces Enabling African and
Indian Imperialism

European technological superiority
•
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Steamboats
Automatic machine gun
Locomotive
Telegraph
Europeans had the means to control their
empires
• Easy travel
• Wide spread communication

African and Indian disunity
• Huge variety of cultures
• Fighting among cultures
• Huge business interests and support from
companies
Remains one of the most controversial
legacies of the Western world

Although the West’s
domination was
impressive, and it made
Europe and the US rich
and powerful, there was a
negative flip side
• Bloodshed; racial prejudice,
slavery, and violence often
broke out vs. natives.
• English Writer Joseph
Conrad

“The conquest of the earth,
which mostly means the
taking away from those who
have a different complexion
or slightly flatter noses than
ourselves is not pretty thing
when you look into it too
much.”
Heart of Darkness
Causes of Imperialism

Economic
• Industrialization gave the
West the ability to conquer
other parts of the world, but
more reasons to do so, too.
• Large-Scale industrial
production made Western
factories demand more raw
materials, which could be
seized from less powerful
nations.
• Also, Western nations needed
markets for goods produced.

Colonies would serve as
Potential markets.
• Immense wealth allowed
Western world to conquer farflung places
Causes of Imperialism

Military Factors
• Industrialization bestowed
new weaponry of all types
upon the armies and navies of
the West:
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Ocean-going fleets
Modern rifles and rapid-fire
artillery.
• Occasions were rare that
native populations could
resist Western military forces.
• Growing need of Western
nations to maintain bases and
coal/oil stations around the
world for naval and civilian
fleets

Ships required repairs and
refueling stations at strategic
locations globally.
Causes of Imperialism

Social factors
• Europe’s rapid
population growth
during the 1800’splayed a role in
prompting imperial
activity.
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Emigration to the
Americas was an outlet
Millions came to the
Americas
Another outlet was to
leave home for colonial
life.
• Ambitious or
desperate families
attempted to make
their fortunes this
way.
Causes of Imperialism
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Role of science and Technology
• Instrumental in allowing West
to conquer and colonize.
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Knowledge was power
Advances in transportation,
communication, and warfare
brought by the I.R. enabled
Western nations to build
empires.
New wave of exploration
allowed for better knowledge
of the geography of the world.
Medical advances
• Made possible for Europs and
Americans to press into
tropical regions.
 Quinine helped relieve
symtoms of malaria and
yellow fever.
Causes of Imperialism

Cultural Factors
• Sense of racial
superiority was
widespread among
Westerners.

Created a sense that
Western nations were
entitled to conquer and
colonize areas that
appeared “backwards”
or “primitive”.
• Cecil Rhodes, Brisish
imperialist, “I
contend that we are
the finest race in the
world, and the more
of it we inhabit, the
better.”
Causes of Imperialism

Cultural Factors
• In some cases, the belief
was “justified” in crude and
prejudiced ways.
• In other ways, the theory
of Social Darwinism was
used to argue in favor of
imperialism.

Misguided application of
“survival of the fittest” and
natural selection.
• People who were tech. and
culturally advanced were
permitted to conquer those
who were less.
Causes of Imperialism

Cultural Factors
• Genuine conviction that it was the
duty of white Westerners to teach
and modernize the darkerskinned, supposedly “primitive”
people of Africa and Asia.

English poet Rudyard Kipling,
“White man’s Burden”
• Attitude was well-meaning and
heartfelt, but also condescending.
• Euro and American missionaries,
doctors, and scientists, and
colonial officials sometimes did
much good in the places they
visited.
 Did so out of a subconscious
sense of racial superiority,
and often trampled on the
beliefs and ideas of the
natives.
Europe’s Overseas Empire
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Western Approaches
• Britain’s was the largest and most powerful
colonial establishment.

France, Belgium, and the Netherlands also had
sizable colonies.
• Various approaches to governing

British considered to have most “enlightened”
approach to colonization.
• Did take their colonies by force and exploited them
economically and were prone to the same sense of
racial superiority as the others.
 Yet, they interfered as little as possible with local
customs.
 Introduced positive social reforms and
scientific/tech. knowledge.
Territories Colonized by European Powers
Europe’s Overseas Empire

Various
Approaches to
governing
• Portuguese and
Belgians were
known to be
especially harsh,
even cruel,
masters,
particularly in
Africa.

Germany and Italy
were also brutal.
Europe’s Overseas Empire

SE Asia
• Colonized and influence by a variety of
powers
• Dutch controlled Indonesia.
• Napoleon III led France into overtaking
Indochina.
• British controlled Burma, Malay
Peninsula, and Australia.
• Philippines was given to the US in 1898
after the Spanish-American War.
Europe’s Overseas Empire
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India
• Had been a source of
conflict between France
and Britain for much of
the 18th and 19th century.

Britain gained control of
most of India by 1850;
but was not directly ruled
by the British government
but the BEIC.
• Sepoy Mutiny of 1857,
which shocked the
British badly-convinced
the government to
assume full control over
the colony.
• Very important to Britain
in terms of pride,
strategic location, and
economic benefit
British in India
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British East India company controlled
much of India using sepoys.
Sepoys – Native Hindu or Muslim
mercenary private police
Crops: opium poppies for sale in China
and cotton and tea for sale in the rest of
the British empire
Cotton textile making outlawed in India
India was so profitable, it was called the
“Jewel in the Crown.”
Imperialism and Empire - India
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The Sepoy Rebellion
allowed British soldiers to
invade and control all of
India
The British established
control of India and its
neighbors by 1914.
The British controlled
Australia, New Zealand
and much of the far east.
The worlds’ biggest
empire!
Europe’s Overseas Empire
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China
• Despite its vast size and immense
population, China fell victim to nearly
every Euro nation and the US
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Not technically colonized
Thanks to military defeat at the hands
of the Brits and others, compelled to
open its borders and trade with
others in a highly disadvantageous
setting.
Gave up territory (eg. Hong Kong to
the British)
British, French, Americans, Russians,
Germans, and others were allowed to
establish concessions on the Chinese
coast.
• Large districts where Western law
prevailed
• 1911: manchu dynasty, weakened b/c
of foreign meddling, collapsed.
• Foreign ships could sail up rives as
fast as they wanted
• 1900: Chinese rose up in Boxer
Rebellion to resist foreign domination.
Imperialism in China
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Because of repeated
attempts at invasion,
China distrusted
foreigners and tried to
remain isolationist.
They were unsuccessful.
Britain gained spheres of
influence in China
through smuggling
opium. Resulted in
Opium War and Boxer
Uprising.
Europe’s Overseas Empire
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Japan
• Was able to resist Western
imperialism
• Isolated until 1853, when
US Navy forced it to
resume diplomatic and
economic relation with the
world.
• Japan chose to adopt the
science, technology, and
military know-how of the
West.
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Not only avoided takeover,
but began to build its own
empire.
• 1894-95: Defeated China
• 1904-05: Defeated Russia
Europe’s Overseas Empire
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The Middle East
Had been in the
hands of the
Ottoman Empire
for 100’s of years.
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Was collapsing
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The “Eastern
Question”
• How to fill in the
power vacuum left
by the Ottoman
decline
• Became a central
question in global
politics
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During last half of
1800, large portions
were seized by Euros
(French and British)
Europe’s Overseas Empire
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Middle East
• Perhaps most important territory was Egypt.
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Became a British protectorate in 1880’s.
France and Britain both vied for Egypt, mainly b/c of
the financing of the Suez Canal (1869).
• Control over the canal – a vital link between Med. And
Red Sea/Indian Ocean – was crucial, British used eco.
Pressure to gain more political control over Egypt.
• Persia too became important, namely between
Britain and Russia
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Because of geo position and large petroleum reserves
found in 1908.
Suez Canal - 1875
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Europeans needed a faster way to
get from the Mediterranean to the
Indian Ocean
The French and the Egyptians, with
funding from France, began a canal
to connect the two water bodies.
Because Egypt could not pay their
canal debts, they sold their shares
to Great Britain
1882 – Egyptian nationalists rebel
against foreign influence. British
make Egypt a protectorate and take
over control of the canal.
Scramble For Africa
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Scramble for Africa
• Experienced the most intense
burst of Euro imperialism
• After 1880, African
colonization moved away from
gold and slave trade to one of
taking over territory.
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Thanks to better maps,
industrial era weapons and
medicines, European armies
and colonizers were able to
penetrate every part of the
“Dark Continent.”
Almost led to war amongst the
nations of Europe several
times –Berlin Conference of
1884-5 was held
• Presided over by Bismarck
• Laid down guidelines for
African expansion and played
a certain role in keeping the
peace.
Scramble for Africa
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Scramble for Africa
• Competition over African territory
caused a number of diplomatic crises
among the European powers.
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Boer War (1899-1902)
Africans suffered greatly; tribe after tribe,
country after country fell to the Europeans.
• By 1914, only Ethiopia and Liberia were
independent.
Imperialism and Empire - Africa
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1880 – Most of
Africa consisted of
independent
states
1914 – With the
exception of
Ethiopia and
Liberia, all of
Africa was
controlled by
Europeans
Imperialism in Africa
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King Leopold II of Belgium brought Sir
Stanley into his services to acquire as
much land in the Congo Basin as possible.
South Africa share of world gold
production increased from 0% to 25%
from 1880 to 1900.
In the early 1900, Tripoli became the
target of imperialist expansion of Italy.
Push back
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The Young Turks were a reformist and
nationalist party that was founded in the
latter part of the 19th century and was the
dominant political party in Turkey that
fought against imperialism.
Ismail Pasha in Egypt refused to pay debts
incurred during the war with Ethiopia and
from building the Suez Canal. – This
brought more European intervention.
Imperialism in America
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Early imperialism called Manifest Destiny – to expand
from “sea to shining sea.” Indian wars, the Mexican War
and the Civil War have been called examples of such
imperialism. (page 609)
Americans moved out into the Pacific Ocean in the
nineteenth century (1800s). Took control of Hawaii.
Japan – in 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry opened up
trade with Japan by threatening military action (page
645).
Japanese opened up trade to everyone. By 1830, Japan
itself was an imperialist power, taking control of the
Pacific. This led to American involvement in WWII.
Fought a war with Spain in 1898. Acquired the
Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico. (Spanish American
War)
The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914
Causes
Nationalism
To gain power, European
nations compete for
colonies and trade.
Economic Competition
Demand for raw
materials and new
markets spurs a search
for colonies.
Missionary Spirit
Europeans believe they
must spread their
Christian teachings to
the world.
Europeans
exerted influence
over the economic,
political, and social
lives of people they
colonized.
The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914
Effects
Colonization
Europeans control land
and people in areas of
Africa, Asia, and Latin
America.
Europeans
exerted influence
over the economic,
political, and social
lives of people they
colonized.
Colonial Economics
Europeans control trade
in the colonies and set
up dependent cash-crop
economies.
Christianization
Christianity is spread to
Africa, India, and Asia.