The Age of Imperialism

1850-1914

Motives for Imperialism•Economic- need for new

markets and raw materials, wealth

•Political– boost national pride, expand territory, exercise military force

•Social- racism, Social Darwinism, spread Christianity, “White Man’s burden”

Forms of Colonial ControlForms of

ImperialismCharacteristics Example

Colony Country governed internally by a foreign power

Somaliland by France

Protectorate Country with its own internal government but under the control of an outside power

Niger River Delta by Britain

Sphere of Influence Area in which an outside power claims exclusive investment or trading privileges

Liberia by the United States

Management MethodsIndirect Control Direct Control

Characteristics-Local officials were used-Limited self-rule-Goal to develop future leaders-Govt’s based on European styles, but may have local rulers

Characteristics-Foreign officials brought into rule- No self-rule-Gold assimilation-Govt’s institutions based only on European styles

Examples-British colonies such as Nigeria, India, Burma-U.S. colonies on Pacific Islands

Examples-French colonies such as Somaliland, Vietnam-German colonies such as Tanganyika

Scramble for Africa

King Leopold

Berlin Conference

Berlin Conference

Scramble for Africa•1880- Scramble for Africa begins•1882- King Leopold II of Belgium claims

the Congo▫Claims to end slavery

•Berlin Conference in 1884-85▫Africa divided with little thought to how

African ethnic or linguistic groups were distributed

•By 1914 only Liberia and Ethiopia remained free from European control

Africa 1914

African Conflicts•South Africa

▫1816- Shaka Zulu▫Boers and the Great Trek▫Boer War 1899-1902

•Ethiopia▫Menelik II▫Battle of Adowa-

Ethiopians defeat Italians

Impacts on Africa•Positive

▫Reduced Local Warfare▫Improved Sanitation▫Life Span and Literacy Rates Increased

•Negative▫Loss of land and independence▫Breakdown of traditional culture▫Division of Continent

“Heart of Darkness”

Imperialism in India•Fall of Mughal Empire- Controlled by

British East India Company (“Jewel in the Crown”)

•Negative Impacts▫Loss of self-sufficiency▫Cash crops leads to famine▫Indian companies go out of business▫Loss of traditional culture

•Positive Impacts▫Industrialization▫Education▫Sanitation

Sepoy Rebellion•Sepoys- Indian soldiers in British Army

(mainly Muslim and Hindu)•Rifle Cartridges greased with beef and

pork fat•Leads to Sepoy Rebellion•Failed Rebellion leads to Direct Rule (Raj)•New Direct Rule (Raj) paid by Salt Tax•Growing Indian Nationalism /

Modernization▫Ram Mohun Roy▫Indian National Congress▫Muslim League

Southeast AsiaPower Lands Claimed Major Trade

Products

Dutch Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Bali

Oil, Tin, rubber

British Malaysia, Burma Tin, Rubber

French Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia

Rice

Americans Philippines, Hawaii

Sugar, Bananas, Pineapples

China Rejects Trade with the WestIn 1759, Emperor Qianlong had restricted European commercial presence to Guangzhou, a port in the southeastern part of China.

Europeans had very little that the Chinese wanted to buy, even though the reverse was far from true.

Opium War•Began after the Qing refused to listen to

British protests of the trade ban.• The British sent well-armed infantry and

gunboats to attack first Chinese coastal villages, and eventually towns along the Grant Canal.

•The British used the Canal to reach inland areas, fought the ill-equipped villagers all the way to the Yellow River, when the Qing surrendered.

•Although the British did not take over the government, they forced the Qing to sign a treaty allowing the trade.

Unequal Treaties

• The Treaty of Nanjing▫ Chinese agreed to allow the trade of opium and open other

ports to exclusive trade with Britain. ▫ Gave the British control of Hong Kong (near Guangzhou).▫ Released Korea, Vietnam, and Burma from Chinese control.

• The Taiping Rebellion - 1850-1864▫ The Qing Dynasty was significantly weakened by the

Taiping Rebellion, a revolt led by Hong Xiuquan.• The 1900 Boxer Rebellion,

▫ a group called the Boxers led an army against the Qing with the express purpose of recovering "China for the Chinese." The Boxers laid the foundations for the 1911 Chinese Revolution that finally ended the Qing Dynasty.

• Many unequal treaties signed by Asians with European nations eventually led to "spheres of influence." China was

divided up into trading spheres, giving each competing European nation exclusive trading rights in a particular areas. By the early 20th century, virtually all of China was split into

these areas, and the Qing government was virtually powerless.

Great Britian“The Sun never sets on the British Empire.”

• This was a saying referring to the fact that Britain had colonies all around the world. So as the earth rotated the Sun continually shone on British territory.

• In the 19th century, especially during the Victorian era, the phrase resurged, when it became popular to apply it to the British Empire a time when British world maps showed the empire in red or pink to vividly highlight British imperial power spanning the globe.

• The 19th-century politician Lord Salisbury complained that the £1.5 million spent on colonial defense by Britain in 1861 merely enabled the nation "to furnish an agreeable variety of stations to our soldiers, and to indulge in the sentiment that the sun never sets on our Empire". A Sri Lankan news source credits Colvin R. de Silva with coining the response: "That's because God does not trust the British in the dark".

United States• 19th century industrialization enriched and empowered the

United States to began to experiment with imperialism. • Began with the purchase of Alaska from Russia.• Followed with a coup of the native government in Hawaii.

▫Both Alaska and Hawaii became territories. • The United States defeated Spain in the Spanish American

War in 1898.▫The peace treaty gave the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and

the Pacific island of Guam to the United States.▫Also got considerable economic control of Cuba.

• President Theodore Roosevelt advocates the building of a powerful American navy.

• United States sponsors the building of the Panama Canal to allow the new Great White Fleet access to both east and west coasts of the country.

Japan•Matthew Perry and the Treaty of Kanagawa

▫Perry arrived with demands for an opening of Japan to trade with the United States through an "unequal treaty.“

•Begins the Meiji Era▫Modernized gov’t▫Modernized army▫Modernized education▫Modernized economy / Industrialization

Imperial Japan•Sino-Japanese War

▫Gained Taiwan and Pescadores Islands

•Russo-Japanese War▫Disputed land of Manchuria and Korea▫Defeated Russians (great humiliation)▫Japan annexes Korea in 1910

Imperialism, industrialism and nationalism

• The era from 1750-1914 was clearly one of growing European power

and domination of the globe. Industrialization created unprecedented

wealth, and new western political ideas spawned strong, centralized

states that directed empires around the world. However, the new

political ideas encouraged nationalism, which on the one hand

strengthened the industrialized countries, but on the other hand

caused the people that they dominated to resent their control. The

potential for worldwide power and riches also intensified the conflict

and competition that had long existed among European states. In

1914 these conflicts came to the surface and erupted into a Great War

that ushered in the new, very different era of the 20th century.