Imperialism: An Overview

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ImperialismAn Overview
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What is imperialism?

• The takeover of a country or territory by a
  stronger nation

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Why takeover?

• To dominate the political, economic, and social
  life of the people of that nation.

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The Colonies

• Cheap raw materials (ex. Cotton)
• strategic locations (ex. the Strait of Gibraltar,
  the Falkland Islands, the Philippines, and the
  Suez Canal.)
• Overseas bases

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Economic Motivations

• Trade
• New markets
• Raw materials and cheap labor,
• To compete for investments and resources
• To export industrial technology and
  transportation methods.

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Political Motivations

• POWER!!!
• to compete with other European countries
• to expand territory
• to exercise military force
• to gain prestige by winning colonies
• and to boost national pride and security.

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Religious Motivation

• To spread Christianity
• To protect European missionaries in other lands
• To spread European values and moral beliefs
• To educate peoples of other cultures
• To end slave trade in Africa.
• The first Americans to settle in Hawaii were
  missionaries.

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Exploratory Motives

• the desire to explore "unknown" or uncharted
  territory
• to conduct scientific research
• to conduct medical searches for the causes and
  treatment of diseases
• to go on an adventure
• to investigate "unknown" lands and cultures.
• Charles Darwin was on such a voyage when he
  gathered evidence for his book Origins of the
  Species.

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Ideological Motives

• motives were based on cultural values such as the
  belief that the white race was superior
• other cultures were "primitive," Europeans
  should "civilize" peoples in other parts of the
  world
• great nations should have empires
• only the strongest nations will survive (Social
  Darwinism)

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Conference of Berlin

• A meeting of the European powers to establish
  guidelines for maintaining overseas colonies in
  undeveloped area.
• This conference started what is called the
  Scramble for Africa.

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Africa by 1914

• In 1875, Europeans controlled less than 10
  percent of Africa. 
• By 1900, 90 percent of Africa was divided into
  colonies.
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Nationalism

• The advocates of imperialism used nationalist
  arguments to gain public support for empire
  building.
• They claimed that the mother country would gain
  glory and achieve "a place in the sun" by
  building a great empire.

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Imperialism in Asia

• Britain in India
• Britain also took Ceylon, the Malay Peninsula,
  Singapore, North Borneo, Burma, and Hong Kong.
• By 1914 France had Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia,
  Laos)
• the Dutch controlled the East Indies (Indonesia)
• the United States had the Philippines, and
• Germany had special rights in China.
• Only three Asian countries remained independent
  -- China, Japan, and Siam (Thailand).

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China Spheres of Influence

• After the Boxer rebellion (Chinese nationalist
  attempt to rid China of all foreigners)
• China was divided into Spheres of Influence.
• Spheres of Influence allowed a European power to
  control the economics of an area while allowing
  the local government to retain the semblance of
  power.

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Imperialism in the Pacific

• In the Pacific, several European countries took
  colonies. Great Britain took Australia and New
  Zealand. France colonized Tahiti, and Germany
  claimed the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana
  Islands.

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Europeans in Africa and the Middle East
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Long-term Impacts

• Imperialism continued throughout much of Africa
  until the 1960s
• Once resources were depleted, imperialist
  nations left and turned the land back over to the
  natives.
• The problem there are little or no natural
  resources left, the land is depleted, many of the
  people are uneducated the land and its people
  have been left devastated.

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The Middle East

• At one time much of the Middle East had been
  controlled by imperialist countries, such as
  Great Britain and France.
• Yet, they are not in the same condition that
  Africa is. Why do you think that is? What makes
  their situation different than Africas?

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In India.

• DIVIDE AND CONQUER, meaning cause problems
  between the Muslim and Hindus so that they will
  not work together to overthrow us
• To this day, Muslims and Hindus in India still
  cannot live peacefully together.

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How much of the problems in todays world, can be
traced back to Imperialism?

• Any solutions?
• What can be done?
• Why isnt more being done?

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Motives Revisited

• There were less selfish motives, though even
  these seem narrow-minded by today's standards.
• Many Europeans went overseas to offer the
  "blessings" of Western Civilization to the
  "pitiful heathens."
• There were many dedicated missionaries spreading
  Christianity and other humanitarians promoting
  public health and education.
• Bringing these blessings of Western culture to
  the "backward" peoples of Africa and Asia was a
  duty labeled by the British writer Rudyard
  Kipling as "The White Man's Burden."

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Take up the White Man's burden--Send forth the
best ye breed--Go bind your sons to exileTo
serve your captives' needTo wait in heavy
harness,On fluttered folk and wild--Your
new-caught, sullen peoples,Half-devil and
half-child.Take up the White Man's burden--In
patience to abide,To veil the threat of
terrorAnd check the show of prideBy open
speech and simple,An hundred times made plainTo
seek another's profit,And work another's gain.
Words used to describe Europeans Words used to
describe natives Words describing the WMs
Burden Words describing the natives response
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Take up the White Man's burden--The savage wars
of peace--Fill full the mouth of FamineAnd bid
the sickness ceaseAnd when your goal is
nearestThe end for others sought,Watch sloth
and heathen FollyBring all your hopes to nought.
Words used to describe Europeans Words used to
describe natives Words describing the WMs
Burden Words describing the natives response
Take up the White Man's burden--No tawdry rule
of kings,But toil of serf and sweeper--The tale
of common things.The ports ye shall not
enter,The roads ye shall not tread,Go mark them
with your living,And mark them with your dead.
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Take up the White Man's burden--And reap his old
rewardThe blame of those ye better,The hate of
those ye guard--The cry of hosts ye humour(Ah,
slowly!) toward the light--"Why brought he us
from bondage,Our loved Egyptian night?"
Words used to describe Europeans Words used to
describe natives Words describing the WMs
Burden Words describing the natives response
Take up the White Man's burden--Ye dare not
stoop to less--Nor call too loud on FreedomTo
cloak your wearinessBy all ye cry or
whisper,By all ye leave or do,The silent,
sullen peoplesShall weigh your gods and you.
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Take up the White Man's burden--Have done with
childish days--The lightly proferred laurel,The
easy, ungrudged praise.Comes now, to search your
manhoodThrough all the thankless yearsCold,
edged with dear-bought wisdom,The judgment of
your peers!
Words used to describe Europeans Words used to
describe natives Words describing the WMs
Burden Words describing the natives response
Rudyard Kipling
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