European Imperialism

1
European Imperialism
2
War on Iraq

• The government of Iraq, and the future of your
  country, will soon belong to you. ... We will end
  a brutal regime ... so that Iraqis can live in
  security. We will respect your great religious
  traditions, whose principles of equality and
  compassion are essential to Iraq's future. We
  will help you build a peaceful and representative
  government that protects the rights of all
  citizens. And then our military forces will
  leave. Iraq will go forward as a unified,
  independent, and sovereign nation that has
  regained a respected place in the world. You are
  a good and gifted people -- the heirs of a great
  civilization that contributes to all humanity.
• -- President George W. Bush to the people of
  Iraq, April 4, 2003

• Our armies do not come into your cities and lands
  as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators. ...
  It is not the wish of our government to
  impose upon you alien institutions. ... It is
  our wish that you should prosper even as in the
  past, when your lands were fertile, when your
  ancestors gave to the world literature, science,
  and art, and when Baghdad city was one of the
  wonders of the world. ... It is our hope that
  the aspirations of your philosophers and writers
  shall be realized and that once again the people
  of Baghdad shall flourish, enjoying their wealth
  and substance under institutions which are in
  consonance with their sacred laws and their
  racial ideals.
• -- General F. S. Maude to the people of
  Mesopotamia, March 19, 1917

3
Imperialism

• Imperialism process through which a state
  attempts to control the economic and/or political
  and cultural makeup of another state.
• Between 1815-1914 the West (Europe and America)
  increased their control of the worlds land mass
  from 35-85.

4
Do something no one has done
Source for Raw Materials
Exploration
Economic
Spread Christianity
Religious
Reasons for European Imperialism
Markets forFinishedGoods
SocialDarwinism
End Slavery
Political
Ideological
Gain Territory
Gain Power
Racism
WhiteMansBurden
Nationalism
5
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
  far-flung places.

6
Causes of Imperialism

• Political
• Power- What better way to show the world that you
  are a power than by taking over other countries.
• Nationalism- If my country has a huge empire, we
  must be powerful.
• Territory- The more territory we have the more
  powerful we are and the more resources we control

7
Causes of Imperialism

• Religion
• Christians feel it is their duty to convert
  others and show them the way to heaven.
• By this time most European countries had outlawed
  slavery on the belief than men were equal under
  God.
• Slavery still existed in other parts of the world
  and in Africa.
• The only way to enforce the ban was to control
  Africa.

8
Causes of Imperialism

• Ideological
• Social Darwinism- Application of Charles Darwins
  Theory of Survival of the Fittest to humans.
• The Lion eats the Gazelle. Lion lives to pass on
  its fast genes. Gazelle dies, doesnt pass on
  genes.
• ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE.
• This was natures way of improving the species.
• Therefore, the stronger humans (Whites) should
  take over the weaker ones (Natives).
• This was natures way of improving the species.

9
Causes of Imperialism

• Ideological
• White Mans Burden
• Named after a poem by Rudyard Kipling.
• It was the duty of the superior race (Whites) to
  help bring culture and civilization to the lesser
  races.
• Get rid of your ways and do it like us.
• Well meaning, but racist at the same time.
• A lot of good was done, but at the same time many
  natives lost their culture and heritage.

10
Causes of Imperialism

• Ideological
• Racism
• Created a sense that Western nations were
  entitled to conquer colonize areas that
  appeared backwards or primitive.
• White European culture is best and should be
  spread throughout the world.
• Wear clothes, speak language, act like the
  Whites.
• Cecil Rhodes, British imperialist, I contend
  that we are the finest race in the world, and the
  more of it we inhabit, the better.

11
Causes of Imperialism

• Exploration
• Since the beginning of time humans have wanted to
  do something that no one else has done before and
  explore their world.
• Follow in the footsteps of Columbus.
• Dr. Livingstone goes to Africa. No one hears from
  him
• Newspaperman Henry Stanley finds him and writes
  about it.
• Creates interest in Africa.

12
Western advantages

• Strong economies
• Well-organized governments
• Powerful armed forces
• Superior technology and medicine
• Maxim gun
• Quinine

13
Africa

• 1880, Europeans controlled 10 of Africa
• 1914 Europeans controlled all except Liberia
  Ethiopia

14
Africa Berlin Congress 1884-85

• Established the "rules" for conquest of Africa
• sought to prevent conflict over imperialism
• Congress coincided with Germany's rise as an
  imperial power
• Agreed to stop slavery and slave trade in Africa
• Germany took control of Cameroon, Togo, southwest
  Africa, East Africa
• France took control Tunisia, Algeria, French
  West Africa (including Morocco, Sahara, Sudan,
  Congo basin)
• Italy took control of Libya
• Belgium Took control of the Congo

15
The Congo "I do not want to risk...losing a fine
chance to secure for ourselves a slice of this
magnificent African cake.--Leopold II
16
King Leopold II of Belgium

• King Leopold II of Belgium was a figurehead
  without any actual say in the governement from
  18651909.
• He had great ambition to make Belgium, a
  relatively new and small nation, one of the great
  imperial powers of Europe.
• He thought that colonization was the best way to
  do this.
• Since history teaches that colonies are useful,
  that they play a great part in that which makes
  up the power and prosperity of states, let us
  strive to get one in our turn."

17
Leopolds Attempts at Acquiring Colonies

• He launched several unsuccesful schemes to buy
  colonies, but all of his attempts at aquiring
  territory were blocked by the Belgian government,
  which viewed colonization as a bad investment.
• Leopold decided that if the Belgian government
  would not support him, then he would do it
  himself.
• He set his sights on the Congo, a piece of land
  in the heart of Africa that had remained
  uncolonized by civilized society.

18
The African International Association

• In 1876 Leopold, using his own vast wealth, and
  acting completely independent of the Belgian
  state, sponsored a humanitarian conference as a
  front for his ambition to colonize, which
  resulted in the formation of the African
  International Association, of which he was the
  sole shareholder.
• The Association was given internation support in
  its quest to civilize the natives, through
  promises to end slavery in the Congo, protect the
  rights of the natives, and guarantee free trade,
  none of which he actually intended to do.

19
Stanleys Takeover of the Congo

• Leopold hired Henry Morton Stanley, a famous
  explorer who understood the customs and politics
  of the tribes and peoples of the Congo, to
  organize the takeover
• Stanley used guns and other modern weapons, cheap
  European goods to win over 450 local chiefs and
  their people and take over their land.

20
Cheating the Natives
Chiefs of Ngombi Mafela, in return for "one
piece of cloth per month to each of the
undersigned chiefs, besides present of cloth in
hand," they promised to "freely of their own
accord, for themselves and their heirs and
successors for ever...give up to the said
Association the sovereignty and all sovereign and
governing rights to all their territories...and
to assist by labour or otherwise, any works,
improvements or expeditions which the said
Association shall cause at any time to be carried
out in any part of these territories....All roads
and waterways running through this country, the
right of collecting tolls on the same, and all
game, fishing, mining and forest rights, are to
be the absolute property of the said
Association. --Treaty handing over land to
Leopold II
Henry Morton Stanley in his Stanley Cap which
he designed for exploring the tropics
21
The Congo Free State

• Through deceit and diplomacy, international
  conferences, and false promises to various
  nations, Leopold, who still did not formally own
  the land, was able to convince the international
  community in 1885 to allow him absolute control
  over a 90,000 square mile piece of land at the
  heart of the Congo, which was named the Congo
  Free State.
• He now officially owned 30 million people,
  without constitution, without international
  supervision, without ever having been to the
  Congo, and without more than a tiny handful of
  his citizens having heard of him. (Wikipedia)

22
Women kept hostage to force their husbands to go
and gather rubber. Rubber was harvested by
climbing the rubber tree, tapping into it and
letting the sap run all over the slaves body,
where it would congeal. Later he would peel the
rubber off his body, taking any body hair with
it. Rubber harvesters were given impossible
quotas to fill each month.
23
Two victims (l.) who lost their hands, one
because his wrists were tied too tightly, the
other because company militia cut it off to claim
him as killed and get a reward. Below, a father
looks at the severed hand and foot of his
daughter.
24
5-8 Million Victims! (50 of Popul.)
It is blood-curdling to see them (the soldiers)
returning with the hands of the slain, and to
find the hands of young children amongst the
bigger ones evidencing their bravery...The rubber
from this district has cost hundreds of lives,
and the scenes I have witnessed, while unable to
help the oppressed, have been almost enough to
make me wish I were dead... This rubber traffic
is steeped in blood, and if the natives were to
rise and sweep every white person on the Upper
Congo into eternity, there would still be left a
fearful balance to their credit. --
Belgian Official
25
Punishing Lazy Workers
26
Hands collected if rubber quotas not met

• In practice, soldiers sometimes "cheated" by
  simply cutting off the hand and leaving the
  victim to live or die. More than a few survivors
  later said that they had lived through a massacre
  by acting dead, not moving even when their hand
  was severed, and waiting till the soldiers left
  before seeking help.

27
Leopold Tries to Maintain His Image

• Despite his cruelty as a leader, ironically much
  of Leopolds success rested on his international
  image as a philanthropist, who was dedicated to
  improving the lives of the African people.
• In order to maintain this image, Leopold bribed
  many journalists and outlawed his employees from
  leaving the country

28
Belgiums Stranglehold on the Congo
29
(No Transcript)
30
The Reign of Terror Ends

• Leopold was ultimately unsuccessful in dispelling
  rumors about the awful conditions of life in the
  Congo Free State. By 1908 criticism of his rule
  and lobbying by the American Congo Reform
  Association forced his withdrawal as sovereign
  and the region was annexed to Belgium. Its name
  was later changed to Zaire and is now known as
  the Democratic Republic of Congo.

31
Europes Overseas Empire

• Western Approaches
• Britains 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 exploited them
  economically-and were prone to the same sense of
  racial superiority as the others

32
Europes Overseas Empires

• Egypt
• Perhaps most important territory was Egypt.
• Became a British protectorate in 1880s.
• France 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.

33
British Imperialism
34
European Interest in India

• Europeans need and have a high demand for spices,
  cotton, and other goods
• Europeans trade by land over what route?

SILK ROAD
35
India was a major supplier of raw materials
Indians must buy finished goods from Britain
Indians must produce raw materials for Britain
Jewel in the Crown
Tea, indigo, coffee, cotton, and jute, opium
36
British in India

• Set up trade in India
• Corrupt Mogul Empire in India
• ignores British gains
• British soon control India
• Export cotton from India to Britain
• Machine cotton spinning in Britain
• starts industrial revolution
• British empire expands
• Africa, Asia, Australia

37
British Rule in India

• The East India Company, a British owned company,
  established trading post in India.
• Establish colonies
• Make laws and collect taxes
• Have an army
• They fought with France as well as India over
  control of the sub-continent. Britain won.
• By 1857 the British were hiring Indian allies to
  protect British interest.

38
Problems of British Rule

• 1- Indians bought cheaper cloth from Britain
  which destroyed Indian textiles.
• 2-The British collected taxes from the Indians to
  keep the army in India. This caused some farmers
  to lose their farms.
• 3-Britain convinced many farmer to grow cotton
  instead of food which led to starvation.
• Educated Indians, predominantly Hindu, demanded
  increasing equality self-gov't
• India became independent in 1946 (just after
  WWII)

39
Why were the Indians so angry??

• Brits had changed traditional practices
• Indians Forced to buy British stuff
• Indians were treated as second class
• Not allowed to have best jobs
• Paid less for the same jobs as British
• Even educated people discriminated against
• Indian economy became dependent on Brits!
• How do you think some Indians feel about this??

40
I object to violence because when it appears to
do good, the good is only temporary the evil
it does is permanent. -Gandhi
41
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. -
Gandhi
42
British EmpireAt its peak controlled one sixth
of humanity
43

• Other European countries scramble to set up
  colonies all over world
• France
• Belgium
• Germany
• Denmark
• Great Britain- Opium Wars

44
Impact of Imperialism

• Positive Results
• Spread of Western thought, government, and ideas
  (end to slavery)
• Improved infastructure (Roads, Dams, etc)
• Improved Sanitation and public health
• Improved Education and Literacy
• End to local warfare

• Negative Results
• Became dependent on parent country
• Cash crops led to famine
• Racism
• Indians treated like second class citizens
• -Loss of traditional languages and cultures
• - of dead??????
• Problems with independence when colonial powers
  leave (Mid-East, Africa, SE Asia)

45
(No Transcript)
46
When India achieved independence in 1947, it was
separated from East and West Pakistan.