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World Politics in a New Era Imperialism and Its Victims Origins of Imperialism • Definition of imperialism • Three foundations of European imperialism – The search for trade routes to Asia – Strengthening the European home country – European superiority in technology (Example: Seafaring) • Some emphasized territorial conquest, whereas others concentrated on control of trade routes Spain and Portugal: Dividing the World • Avoid conflict over their competing expansion • Spain and Portugal established an imaginary line in 1494 • The Treaty of Tordesillas – Spain was granted possession of all lands to the west of this line – Portugal was granted all the lands to the east – Spain had authority in the New World except Brazil – Portugal gained supremacy over Africa and the Indian Ocean Spanish Colonial Administration • Emphasized the acquisition of territory • Aided by a number of factors – Gunpowder and muskets – Native Americans had less immunity to diseases – Foreign intervention was often welcome by the people • Large bureaucracy in the Spanish territories Portuguese Colonialism • Based on trade • Content to establish trading ports • In Brazil, the Portuguese turned to growing sugarcane – Large plantations – African slaves were imported to compensate for the lack of indigenous labor Independence from Spain and Portugal • Spain – – – – – The Napoleonic Wars Proscription on free trade Independence encouraged by Great Britain Fight for independence: 1810 through 1825 Simon Bolivar • Portugal – Brazil gained its independence with relatively little conflict – Colonies in Africa would wait until the 1970s Dutch Empire • Founding of the Dutch East India Company— 1602 • Controlling key strategic trading ports, straits, and coasts • Spices of the Dutch East Indies • Tea plantations on the island of Ceylon • Impact of the Napoleonic Wars • Lost the Dutch East Indies during World War II but retained some Caribbean islands Anglo-French Rivalry • Principal colonial competition for most of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries • Different strengths and weaknesses – – – – – – The British Isles made foreign invasion unlikely British trade for raw materials and food France had to devote large resources to its standing army France was more inward-looking in economic matters British population pressures encouraged emigration Britain had consistent advantages over France France’s Bid for Empire • Areas in North America, the western half of Hispaniola, and other Caribbean islands • Established trading posts in the Indian Ocean • Never attracted a great number of French settlers • Early empire collapsed as a result of the Seven Years’ War • France rebuilt an empire after the Napoleonic Wars in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific France’s Bid for Empire • Saw role as bringing culture and civilization to backwards people • Decolonization was a particularly difficult ordeal for the French empire • Precipitated by the disastrous results for France in World War II • Only a few Caribbean and Pacific islands remain “overseas departments” today British Empire • Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries • Jamestown, Virginia (1607) • Additional colonies in North America and the Caribbean • English hegemony in North America lasted only a few years • Nineteenth and twentieth centuries – Burma and Malaya; Australia and New Zealand – Self-government in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – Britain used its superior naval and strategic resources to secure the proverbial “lion’s share” – The Boer War (1899-1902) – By the eve of World War I, the “sun never set” on the British empire Twilight of the British Empire • The world wars – Independence by Ireland, Arab states, India, Burma, Ceylon, and Israel • In Africa, most colonies gained independence in the mid-1950s and early 1960s – Followed by most of the Caribbean and South Pacific island territories over the next decade • Decolonization was generally peacefully achieved The Russians • Relentless expansion (Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries) – East across Siberia and toward the Baltic Sea – Trade and contact with Europe remained limited • The reign of Alexander I (1801-1825) • Influence peaked during the Cold War – Massive military spending – Continued inability to compete • The Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991 – Collapse was rapid but mostly peaceful The United States • Expanded westward through North America in the nineteenth century • In 1898 entered the ranks of the overseas imperialist powers – Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Hawaii, Guam, and other Pacific islands – Major power in the Pacific • Informal control • “Friendly” governments in Third World countries often led to disaster Ottoman Empire • Major force for more than 500 years • Fourteenth through eighteenth centuries – Conquered Constantinople, the rest of Turkey, Greece, parts of Albania, and the Balkans (See Map 5.3) – Neutralized Persia and conquered most of the Middle East – Consolidated the claim to be the protector and benefactor of Islam – Brought economic gains • Nineteenth and twentieth centuries – Increasingly came under attack from Russia and Austria – The “sick man of Europe” deteriorated – Chaos sparked World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire German and Japanese Empires • Produced numerous bloody wars between 1860 and 1945 • Neither was effective in creating permanent structures • Consequence of defeat by other countries Decline of Imperialism • Most empires were unable to survive the two World Wars – Fragmenting pressure from the peoples subjected to their rule – Costs of long-distance administration – cCompetition from each other – Nationalism and political sovereignty • Empire became politically incorrect Social Impact • Two forms of colonialism – Settler colonialism • Examples: North America, the Caribbean, Australia – Elite colonialism • Example: South Asia • Role of geography and climate • East Asia avoided direct colonial rule – Japan – China Economic Consequences • Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific – North America: furs, timber, fish, tobacco, and cotton – South America: gold, silver, corn, and potatoes – Africa: slaves, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, tea, cotton, ivory, tropical hardwoods, copper, and gold – Australia and New Zealand: sheep and dairy • In Asia, the purpose was to control overseas trade routes • Create a degree of political and economic predictability Cultural and Ideological Impact • Colonialism and culture – Traditions of rule of law, private property, and individual rights – Divide and conquer in areas of elite colonialism – Creation of countries in Africa and parts of Asia that made little if any political sense • Colonialism and ideology – European notions of liberty and democracy – Anticolonialism