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Imperialism
Modern World History
New Imperialism
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For a few hundred years, European countries had been
taking control of different parts of the world, in the
search for spices and precious metals. However, this all
changed with the industrial revolution. After the
industrial revolution the push was to find natural
resources of coal, wood, oil, rubber, and various kinds
of metals (tin, copper, iron, etc.).
Imperialism is defined as the extension of a countries
power over other lands. This had been going on for a
number of years. What had changed however, was the
fact that these countries were no longer content setting
up a trading post, they wanted to dominate the entire
country.
New Imperialism
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As time goes on and tensions on the European
continent arise, the push to gain more colonial
territory was very high. More colonies meant
more resources and more respect.
Some people also believed in Social Darwinism.
This was the belief that the struggle between
cultures was necessary and that only the
strongest would survive.
Asia
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Britain – Britain’s new imperialism began in Asia in
1819. That year, they founded new city on the Malay
peninsula, Singapore. This city quick became a large
port for ships going to and from China. Next Britain
expanded into Burma. Controlling Burma gave Britain
access to Southern China and protected India.
France – France had watched British actions in this area
and were concerned that they would attempt to expand
even farther. In 1857, the French forced Vietnam to
accept their protection. By the 1880’s, France had
expanded their control over the area to include Laos,
Cambodia, Annam, and Tonkin. This area became
known as French Indo China.
Asia
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Thailand remained the
only country not under
control of a European
power. France and
England agreed to
keep it this way
because the King of
Thailand embraced
western learning and
society. This would
also allow Thailand to
act as a buffer between
the two regions.
Asia
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The United States – The United States also became
involved in establishing colonies in Southeast Asia.
During the late 1890’s the US was involved in the
Spanish American war. During this war, the US fought
with Spain over their presence in the Caribbean and
Latin America. The fighting spilled over into the last
part of the Spanish empire in Asia, The Philippines. In
1898, the US defeated the Spanish in Manila Bay. This
victory freed the island from Spanish control. The US
then decided it was their duty to colonize the island to
help the natives. It would also be used for a key
stopping point between the trade route from the US to
China.
Africa
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Europe had been involved in African affairs for a number of
years. However, it wasn’t until the late 1800’s that they began to
actually take over large sections of the country.
The colonization of Africa began in about 1874. West Africa had
been affected heavily by the slave trade, however it had died out
for the most part by 1865. The slave trade was replaced by the
exchange of manufactured items for natural resources. As this
exchange grew, Africa became more important to the
Europeans. This growing importance led to the Europeans
pushing for more control over the area. In 1874 Britain officially
established the colony of the Gold Coast. A short time after this
they took over Nigeria as well.
France and Germany also got in on the taking of land. France
established French West Africa, which was the largest part of
West Africa. The Germans took control of Togo, Cameroon,
German Southwest Africa, and German East Africa.
Africa
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North Africa – Egypt has been one of the most
important countries in this area for a long time.
In 1805, Egypt had broken away from the
Ottoman Empire and become independent. In
1854 the Suez Canal was built, creating a
shortcut around Africa. By the time the canal
was finished, the British felt that it was a vital
link to India. Initially, Britain purchased control
of the canal, however many Egyptians resisted
foreign control over part of their country and
began a violent resistance. Britain responded
militarily and had control of the entire country
within a few years.
Africa
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Once Britain became militarily involved in the
area, they also became interested in Sudan. After
a few years of fighting, Britain was also able to
take control of this area.
France and Italy also got involved in this area.
France was able to take control of Algeria,
Tunisia, and Morocco. Italy attempted to take
control of Ethiopia, but failed. They were
however successful in Lybia
Central Africa
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Explorers had been in Central Africa for a
number of years. The most famous of them was
David Livingstone. For 30 years he explored and
wrote about central Africa. It was thought for a
while that he was lost, it was then that a reporter
for the New York Herald, Henry Stanley, went
to find him. Stanley finally found him on the
shore of Lake Tanganyika.
Central Africa
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Belgium Congo – Stanley stayed with Livingstone to
explore with him. However, just a few years later,
Livingstone died. Even though both Stanley and
Livingstone were explorers, the two had very different
ideas about Africa. Livingstone respected the people
and the continent, while Stanley took a very
contemporary European view and thought the land
should be taken over. Stanley began to push the British
government to take over the Congo. Britain refused
and he turned to King Leopold II of Belgium. The
King liked the idea and the area quickly became the
Belgium Congo.
East and South Africa
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The Germans became involved in colonizing East
Africa. Bismarck didn’t like the idea of colonies, but the
public called for them and he listened to their demands.
Portugal and Britain also pushed for control of the area.
During the Napoleonic the British had gained control
of part of South Africa. This area had been inhabited by
the Dutch since the 1600’s. These Dutch descendents
were known as the Boers. The British pushed the Boers
north in the 1830’s where they clashed with native Zulu
tribes. After several years of fight the Boers won and
created to independent countries. Around the turn of
the century, British entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes
attempted to overthrow these territories which brought
the two countries to war. The British eventually won
and created the Union of South Africa.
Anti-Colonial Uprisings
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After a long period of control by European
countries, many of the natives that were now
subjects of these foreign countries felt that it
was time to break free. Throughout the world,
anti-colonial movements sprang up and often
led to active revolt. In most cases the country in
control of the area attempted to stop these
revolutions and were met with mixed results.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Latin
America
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The island of Hispaniola was one of the first places that
Columbus landed when he first came to the new world.
Even though Columbus claimed the entire island for
Spain, years of piracy forced them to abandon the west
side of the island. By the late 1600’s France and Spain
signed a treaty that gave France control of the western
third of the island.
Over the next century the French colony of Saint
Domingue became the most profitable French colony.
Sugar was the main export of the island, however such a
labor intensive crop required the use of slaves brought
over from Africa. By the late 1700’s slaves outnumbered
the European born French leaders by a factor of 10 to 1.
Anti-Colonial Movements in
Latin America
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With the revolution beginning in France, many of the
slaves and people with mixed race back grounds began to
push for rights. Confusion over whether or not new laws
applied to wealthy men of color led to the execution of
Vincent Oge, a wealthy free man of color. A few months
after the execution a slave rebellion began on the island.
Once the rebellion began, different European powers
were interested in taking over the most profitable colony
in the Western Hemisphere. Initially the slaves liked the
idea of the Spanish regaining control of the island, but
after a few years of fighting, France agreed that they
would free the slaves if they agreed to join them in
fighting to expel the Spanish and English forces.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Latin
America
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The most successful slave leader was self educated former
house slave, Toussaint Louverture. Louverture was a strict
military leader that also taught his men to avoid wholesale
slaughter. Louverture orginally fought in support of the
Spanish, but with the French willing to free the slaves
Louverture led his men in expelling the English and Spanish
by 1798.
With the fighting over, Louverture maintained a heavy hand in
the affairs of the country. In 1801, Louverture issued a
constitution for the country and named himself governor for
life. France responded by sending troops to regain control of
the country. Louverture resisted but agreed to integrate his
forces with the French after he was promised his freedom.
Unfortunately, Louverture was double crossed and died a few
years later in prison.
Anti-Colonial Movements in
Latin America
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In 1802, after a few months of French rule, it
became obvious that the French intended to bring
back slavery. Some of the other rebel leaders that
had integrated with the French Army split with
them and once again led people against the French.
With Napoleon’s interest in the Western
Hemisphere declining, French troops found
themselves without reinforcements and were
defeated. On January 1, 1804, Haiti became the
second independent country in the Western
Hemisphere and the only successful slave uprising
in the world.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Latin
America
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After the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Spain’s power in
world affairs had continuously declined. Despite this, they still
had control of many areas in Latin America. Over time, society
in these colonies had been split into three different groups;
peninsulares, creoles, and mestizos.
Peninsulares were officials that were born and raised on the
Spanish mainland that were sent to one of the countries
controlled by Spain in Latin America. These people were sent to
run the colonies and occupied the highest level of society. For
the most part, the peninsulares were in Latin America
temporarily. Most used their time in Latin America to gain favor
with the king which would benefit their standing when they
returned.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Latin
America
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Creoles were people of European decent, however they were
born in Latin America. This group was considered the middle of
the social classes. Creoles usually owned the land they lived on
and most had no plans of returning to Spain.
Mestizos were people who had a mixed heritage of native and
European. This group was the largest of the three groups but
was also at the bottom of the social ladder.
Natives were still referred to as Indians. The natives lacked any
real social standing but were still subject to the rule of the
Spanish and the peninsulares. It was illegal to use them as slaves,
but because they had no social standing, the jobs they were
limited to amounted to near slave like conditions.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Latin
America
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The divisions in Latin American society led to
tension in the areas controlled by the Spanish. In
1807 The Napoleonic Wars led to a change in
leadership in Spain. With this change, Spain had a
difficult time maintain control of areas that were so
distant.
Shortly after the Napoleonic wars began two men
began to led revolutions throughout Latin America.
Jose de San Martin of Argentina and Simon Bolivar
of Venezuela worked to free Latin America from
Spanish control. By the end of 1824, Peru, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia,
and Chile had all broken free.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Asia
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England’s influence over India
had continued to expand
throughout the 1700’s.
Officially, the British
government influenced Indian
affairs through the British East
India Company. This private
company was granted the
authority to become actively
involved in Indian political
and military affairs. In order to
accomplish their goals the
East India Company hired
Indians as soldiers. These
Indians were known as sepoys.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Asia
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The Sepoy Mutiny – 1857 a growing distrust of the
British led to a rumor that the British were having the
sepoys use bullets that were greased with pig and cow fat.
The Hindu sepoys believed that the cow was sacred,
while the Islamic sepoys believed that pigs were taboo.
When a unit of sepoys refused to load their guns with the
bullets, a revolt broke out. Despite outnumbering the
British 5 to 1, the sepoys were eventually defeated. The
sepoy rebellion was never well organized mainly because
the Islamic and Hindu sepoys couldn’t work together.
As a result of the rebellion, the authority of the British
East India Company’s authority was transferred over to
the British crown. In 1876, Queen Victory was bestowed
the title of Empress of India.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Asia
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By the 1800’s, Europe had been in contact with China for
over 200 years. However, there dealings were limited to
the city of Guangzhou. The British especially disliked this
policy and felt that it led to an unfavorable trade balance.
To displace the flow of silver out of Britain, the British
began to export opium to the region. The highly addictive
drug hooked many people from the area and upset the
Chinese government. After warning the British several
times to stop, the Chinese were forced to blockade the
foreign area of Guangzhou and confiscate opium that
they were there to sell. This led to the Opium War (18391842), war easily won by the British.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Asia
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After the Opium War, the British forced China to open
up five ports to them and give the control of the island of
Hong Kong.
The Qing Dynasty had ruled China since 1644, however
with their loss of the Opium War and the approach of the
British the Qing Dynasty began to weaken. Soon, this led
to other European countries carving out spheres of
influence in China for themselves. This upset the United
States who failed to carve out a sphere for themselves.
The US developed the Open Door Policy, which
eliminated most trade restriction between the different
spheres.
Anti-Colonial Movements in Asia
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With the growing influence of foreign countries in China,
many Chinese desired to expel them. To make this
happen, a secret organization known as the Society of
Righteous and Harmonious Fists was formed. This
organization believed that through martial arts training,
diet, and prayer, they could become immune to bullets
and swords.
With a since of impunity, the Boxers (this is what the
Europeans called them after they saw them
“shadowboxing”) began to roam the countryside and kill
foreigners that they ran across. The rebellion lasted from
November of 1899 to September of 1901. Soon after the
killings began an international coalition was formed to
put down the rebellion. After the uprising had been
crushed the Qing Dynasty was weaker than ever.
Anti-Colonial Movements in
Africa
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In the 1840’s, Britain took over the country of
Natal from the Boers. The Boers were
descendents of Dutch farmers who moved to
the area years earlier. Britain controlled the area
for a few decades before the neighboring
country of Zululand grew angry with the
presence of the Europeans. Conflicts over the
borders in the area led to an ultimatum from the
British. The ultimatum was written so that if the
Zulu King Cetshwayo went along with it, it
would break up Zulu society.
Anti-Colonial Movements in
Africa
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When Cetshwayo failed to respond to the ultimatum, the
British invaded. Under the lead of British General Lord
Chelmsford, the British advanced into Zululand. Lord
Chelmsford was over confident and the British forces
were surprised and defeated at the Battle of Isandlwana.
This defeat shock the British, including Queen Victoria
who had not given Lord Chelmsford to start the war.
Shortly after their victory at Isandlwana, a group of 4000
Zulu warriors were defeated at the Battle of Rorke’s
Drift. The victory at Rorke’s Drift was as improbable as
the defeat at Isandlwana.
The Zulu War lasted for a few months longer before the
Zulu’s faced their final defeat. The loss of the war was the
end of the Zulu’s independence.