ehhh magazine?

BUY NOW!TAIPING REBELLION

SPHERES OF INFLUENCE AND UNEQUAL TREATIES IN CHINA

DISCOVERY OF OIL IN IRAN

MEIJI RESTORATION OF JAPAN

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Opium War

Boxer Rebellion

Jose Rizal of the Philippines (ad)

Indian National Congress and the Muslim League of India (ad)

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THIS MONTH ISSUE

Table of Contents

Feburary 2015

IMPERIAL JOURNALIMPERIALJOURNAL.COM

01

China: Spheres of Influence and Unequal Treaties

Emilio Aguinaldo of the Philippines

East India Company and the Sepoy Rebellion

Taiping Rebellion

Discovery of Oil in Iran

Suez Canal

Crossword

Map

21-22

23

24

28-29

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Magazine ProducersDavid Zhao, Serena Huang, Katie Lei, and Justin Shiu

Executive DirectorsDavid Zhao, Serena Huang, Katie Lei, and Justin Shiu

Art DirectorsSerena Huang and David Zhao

Digital Design byKatie Lei and Justin Shiu

Printed by Imperial Journal On: Febuary 1, 2015 at Office Max Co.

Special Thanks To: Mr. Michael Nemeth

Contacts and informationsEmail us at: [email protected]

Table of Contents Cont.

FEBRUARY ‘15ISSUE N. X1IV

02

14Boer War

Cecil Rhodes (ad)

Meiji Restoration of Japan

Commodore Perry and Trade with Japan

15

17-18

19-20

Panama Canal

Imperial Quotes25-26

Menelik II (ad)16

Taiping REBELLION In the 19th century, the Taiping Rebellion was the most important crisis in China. Ironically, Taiping, meaning “great peace,” destroyed 17 provinces and took about 20 million lives from the early 1850s to 1864. This crisis changed the Qing Dynasty. The Taiping Rebellion was under the control of Hong Xiuquan, a young man from southern China. Hong was a disap-pointed civil service candidate who was influ-enced by Christian teaching and believed that he was sent from God to reform China. Hong‘s friend, Feng Yunshan, formed a religious group, called the God Worshippers’ Society, among the

poor peasants of the Guangxi province based on his believes. In the mid-19th century, the Qing Dynasty suffered from many disasters, problems, and the defeats from Western powers. This led to Hong joining Feng and the God Worshippers and leading them to rebellion in 1850. On January 1, 1851, Hong announced his new dynasty, the “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace” and took the title of “Heavenly King.” Hong wanted to use his kingdom to replace the corrupt Manchu Qing Dynasty. Their belief was to share prop-erty commonly. This attracted many hungry peasants, workers, and miners because China was overpopulated with about 430 million people and food production decreased. Their propaganda against the Manchu Dynasty also attracted many followers. Taiping grew from a few thousand followers to more the 1 million disciplined and eager soldiers, separated into two divisions: men and women. The soldiers swept north, through the Yangtze River Valley, and reached China’s greatest eastern city, Nanjing. Nanjing was captured by the Taipings on March 10, 1853. Nanjing was renamed to Tianjing, or “Heavenly Capital.” After capturing Nanjing, another expedition was dispatched to capture the Qing capital in Beijing. Capturing the Qing capital failed, but another expedition was launched into the upper Yangtze River. As Taiping began to develop more power, internal conflicts grew. Yang Xiuqing, Taiping minister of state, tried to seize Hong’s power. Thus, Yang and his thousands of followers were slain. The general who killed Yang, Wei Changhui, became arrogant and con-ceited. Because he was a threat to Hong’s power, Hong ordered Wei to be killed. These problems caused Shi Dakai, another general, to fear his life, thus abandoning Hong with his followers. Taipings attempted to regain power by taking Shanghai in 1860. They were stopped by the “Ever-Victorious Army” commanded by Frederick Warm (American) and Charles Gordon (British). Soon, the people who supported the Taipings were cut off and organized under Zeng Guofan, a Chinese official in the Qing government. Zeng

surrounded Nanjing by 1862 and the city fell apart in July 1864. Sickened Hong refused to leave Nanjing and committed suicide in June. His fifteen year old son was appointed as Tianwang before his death. Until 1868, Taiping resistance continued in parts of China. After the capture of Nanjing by Zeng, nearly all of the 100,000 Taiping followers preferred death over capture. Under the rule of Taipings from the early 1850s to 1864, China was influenced to a great extent by the growth of modern imperialism. Because of the rule of Taipings, simplified Chinese developed and the equali-ty between men and women was encouraged. Modernized Taiping leaders proposed devel-opment in industry and a Taiping democracy. The Taiping Rebellion allowed the Chinese to see the world in a different perspective, and to walk xaway from their isolated point of views. Because of this important eye-open-ing crisis, China was able to develop into a powerful country in the world today.

// KATIE LEIOUR REPORTER From the United States, with a degree on World History.


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PICTURE CREDITS // KATIE LEI

INCOMING

// Katie Lei

OUR REPORTER From the United States, with a degree on World History.

In 1839, the Opium War between the British and Chinese was a result of Britain refusing to stop trading opium. China was filled with their self-sufficiency and had little interest with trading with the West. As a result only a southern port of Guangzhou was used for foreign business. Opium is a narcotic drug made from poppy plant, and Chi-nese doctors used it to relieve pain. Britain was determined to trade opium with China, but because China’s self-sufficiency, British smugglers had to smuggle it in. Smuggled opium wasn’t used for medical purposes, and opium smoking caught on after a few decades. By 1835, about 12 million Chinese were addicted. Qing emperor’s highest ad-visers wrote to Queen Victoria stating that opium is restricted in Britain, and therefore, it shouldn’t be used to pass harm to other countries. “I have heard that the smoking of opium is very strictly forbidden by your country; that is because the harm caused by opium is clearly understood. Since it is not permitted to do hard to your country, then even less should you let it be passed on to the harm of other countries.” (p.372) Queen Victoria never answered China’s pleas for stopping opium trade, so war resulted. Many of the battles were at sea. China was no match for Britain because of their outdated ships; Britain had steam-powered gunboats. Thus, China was quickly defeated. As a

result, the Treaty of Nanjing was signed in 1842. The Treaty of Nanjing gave Britain Hong Kong. In 1844, another treaty was signed to give the United States and other foreign citizens extraterritorial rights. These rights allowed foreigners not to be under the law of the Chinese at Guangzhou and four other Chinese ports. Because of this, the Chinese strongly resented foreigners for their opium trade. The main intent of the Opium War was to stop Britain’s influence and trade with China, but it resulted in the spread of British ideas and land. Therefore, the Opium War helped promote the idea of modern imperialism in China.


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OPIUM WAR

WAR!


06

BOXER REBELLION

// Katie Lei


In the spring of 1900, an uprising was created to drive away foreigners from China, called the Boxer Rebellion. The traditional Chinese peasants and workers disapproved many special privileges given to foreigners, thus they formed a Chinese society known as the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists. They soon became known as the “Boxers.” This group also disapproved of Chinese Christians because of their foreign faith to Christianity. The Boxer’s first revolt was their campaign against the Dowager Empress’s rule and special foreign privileges. This revolt was known as the “Boxer Rebel-lion.” The Boxer Rebellion was a result of Guangxu, China’s emperor, trying to modernize China by reorganizing the educational system, strengthening the economy, modernizing the military, and streamlining the government. Guangxu’s modernization posed a threat to many Qing officials. As a result, the officials brought the Dowager Empress to the im-perial court to reverse Guangxu’s reforms. She immediately arrested Guangxu and took control of the government, but foreigners continued to have their special privileges. The

Chinese’s anger and frustration continued to grow, causing the Boxer Rebellion. In the spring, Boxers went to Beijing and kept it under blockade for a few months. “Shouting ‘Death to the foreign devils,’ the Box-ers surrounded the European section of the city.” (p.375) The Dowager Empress gave her support through words, but didn’t provide military power. Thus, a force of 19,000 multinational troops marched to Beijing and defeated the Boxers in August. Although the Boxer Rebellion failed, it gave a powerful sense of nation-alism in China. The Chinese noticed that foreign intervention must be better resisted in the future. Because the Chinese believed that foreign intervention must be opposed, the development of modern imperialism in China was well prevented.

China: Spheres of Influence in China and Unequal Treaties

// David ZhaoOUR REPORTER From the United States, with a degree on World History.

As a result of achieving a healthy agricultural economy throughout the centuries, China had achieved the ability to become self-sufficient. Because of this, China was able to limit trade with foreigners at only a minor amount of ports such as the Guangzhou port. Resolute on entering China’s market, many European nations attempted discover a product the Chinese could not refuse in order to disrupt the balance of trade greatly in China’s favor - opium. Op-posed to the introduction of opium, the Qing Emperor sent an unrequited letter to England’s Queen Victoria leading up to the Opium War. Due to the quantum leap in technology in the West, China was sorely humiliated in the Opium War by steel ships that China could not match. Consequently, Britain, along with other countries, gained

extraterritorial rights within China from unfair treaties. The treaty, signed in 1844, forwarded imperialism for foreign nations, giving special rights to foreigners in China against their laws. Thus the beginning of the spheres of influence in China began. Within China, many problems arose over the decades. Perhaps the most major of them all was China’s alarm-ing growth in population. Over the same timespan, the population grew significantly upwards to 450 million by the late 1800s while food production remained stagnant. Outraged and dismayed over the hunger, the people became even more attracted to opium and various resistance movements against the Qing Dynasty came forth in later years. The weakness exhibited by China proved to be all too captivating for other foreign powers. Interested in capitalizing on China’s struggles, various foreign nations attacked China in order to gain a foothold for control over China’s economy. Known as the spheres of influence, it allowed the footholds held by foreign nations to control trade and investment within their area. Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia were all part of China’s spheres of influence. To add insult to injury, China was forced to open ports in favor of foreign nations. China was at the mercy of the industrialized powers. In order to combat any further expansion into the country, the United States, a long time trading partner, assisted China in order to prevent the country from being split into colonies by the European powers. They an-nounced the Open Door Policy, a proposal agreed upon other European nations that allowed trade to be conduct-ed by all nations. From then on, China was free from any more advancement in colonization by the industrialized nations. After the whole debacle with the spheres of influence, the Chinese became frustrated with their govern-ment, and rightfully so. Because of the torment induced upon the Chinese by foreign imperialism, it took dec-ades for them to truly get back on their feet as a rivaling world power. In a sense, one could say the spheres of influence in China contributed to the development of Modern imperialism to a large extent. Both imperialism and China coincided with one another to further growth. The exploitation of China allowed imperial nations to conquer and expand territories for their self-benefit. Expansion and spheres of influence in China set a prec-edent that creating new markets while gaining territories brought great benefits to the conquerors. In cause-and-effect, China responded by wholly reforming their government when emperor Guangxu (gwhang-shoo) and later the Dowager Empress took over as leaders amid the crisis. The two went along hand-in-hand up until World War 1 in which imperialism duly ended in 1914.


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FEBRUARY‘15ISSUE N. X1IV

08


09

EMILIO AGUINALDO

// David Zhao

OUR REPORTER

From the United

States, with

a degree

on World Histo

ry.

Back in the late 16th century, Spain had begun utiliz

ing imperialism

by implanting

colonies onto the Pacifi

c archipelago, sp

ecifically

in the Philippines. F

or the most

part, Spanish

rule was unquestio

nably dominant up until t

he Philippine Revolution

that began in 1896. Perhaps the greatest c

atalyst for th

e rebellion was th

e open-

ing of the Suez C

anal which

exposed new ideas to the Filip

inos. Spearheaded by

secret organisation, th

e Katipunan, fronted by E

milio Aguinaldo (1869-1964) and

Andres Bonifacio

, they w

ere able to provide rights f

or the Philip

pines through -

-treaties w

ith the occupating foreign nations. E

milio Aguinaldo played a massiv

e role

in the journey towards th

eir freedom, first

known as the leader of th

e Cavite province,

and later hailed as “The First

President of th

e Philippines”. I

n spite of th

e eventual

death of his partn

er on March 1897, B

onifacio, Aguinaldo co

ntinued to persevere for

the sake of his country

as the leader of th

e nationalist group. Their m

ovement spread

across t

he country

and soon enough, th

e whole country

was against the im

perialistic

Spanish force

s. In additio

n to the inauguration of Emilio as le

ader of the group, th

e U.S.

decided to su

pport the sid

e of the Philip

pines to defeat Spain. The tw

o forces co

llided

with one another for co

ntrol of th

e nation in a war known as the Spanish

-American

War. Emilio

Aguinaldo along with his group and reinforce

ments from America

n forces

brought an end to Spain’s longsta

nding colony w

ith the Treaty of Paris

in 1899. In doing

so, Aguinaldo expedited conflict

with the U.S. when the U.S. promptly rejecte

d the new

government. Outra

ged and frustra

ted with their betra

yal, Emilio

lead yet another war,

this time against t

he United States. The sit

uation proved to yet again be a herculean

task for Aguinaldo in the ensuing Philippine-America

n war. This t

ime, however, no force

s

were able to back up the Filipino nationalist

s. Lastin

g just over th

ree years from 1899

to 1902, the Philip

pine forces w

ere severely annihilated. After fighting for years f

or the

sake of independance, Emilio

Aguinaldo was captured by th

e U.S. in 1901 and decla

red

his allegiance to the U.S. th

rough an oath. Shortly after, th

e war ended in 1902 with

major casualtie

s on both sid

es. However, A

guinaldo’s efforts

were not in vain. Eventu-

ally, decades after th

e end of both wars, the Philip

pines gained its

independence. At last,

Emilio Aguinaldo’s s

incere intentions of acquirin

g independence for his people were

realized.


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FEBRUARY ‘15

12

ISSUE N. X1IV

East India Company THE SEPOY REBELLION

// David Zhao


The Sepoy Rebellion demonstrated the overwhelming dominance of imperialism by the British, but at the same time, it also illustrated the animus of unwanted occupation. Years before the beginnings of the Sepoy Rebellion, Britain had imposed imperialism onto India when British owned company East India Company expanded into India. The stock company came to rule large areas of India with its superior private army, using both explicit and threat of force. Colonization in India first began as an economic venture in an attempt to abuse the land for large profits. As a result, the East India Company controlled a profuse number of territories in India. Because of this, more troops were required in order to control the unrest within the colonies. To amend this problem, the stock company acquired more sepoys to police the territories. However, this move-ment would prove to be a fatal decision for the British Empire controlling India. The Sepoys found themselves more often than not fighting with their own people or groups they would not consider true enemies. Additionally, the British enforced laws that conflicted with the primary religion in the colony and affected the sepoys financially, such as rejecting retired sepoys a pen-sion. Resentment towards the British gradually grew until various mutinies sprouted, beginning in May 10, 1857. The Sepoy Rebellion spread across the British territories and the massacre on both ends stimulated reprisal against the British. Even then, Britain’s staggering military might proved to be far too great for the sepoys and the Rebellion eventually subsided. Yet the financial costs of the Rebellion resulted in the formal withdrawal of the East India Company from. Instead, Queen Victoria assumed control of India on November 1, 1858, acting as the “Empress of India” appointing a viceroy to oversee the nation. The Sepoy Rebellion served as a reminder of what imperialism can do if handled ineptly. Expansion and the ensuing political control in India lead to a devastating rebellion that affected both sides - the inhabitants (sepoys) and the British Empire.

APRIL ‘13ISSUE N. X1IV

1635

BOER WAR The Boer War began in 1899 in Southern Africa between the British and the Dutch- Afrikaner settlers, Boers. With the discovery of gold and diamonds in the Boers’ territories, the British came in search of wealth, and planned to imperialize the land. The British had refused for disputes between the two nations should be settled arbitrarily. The British troops on the border were to withdraw, while the troops headed to South Africa by ship were ordered to disembark. In addi-tion, the British peoples’ rights, and the Boers’ refusal to join Britain provoked them into fighting. Australian colonies and black people also participated in the war, joining each side, and attacked in five stages, which had a great impact on the war. Early in the war, British armies were defeated by mounted troops, but in 1900, the British counter attack resulted in the capture of major towns and cities in South Africa. Conditions were harsh, and many died from diseases, battle, exhaustion, and hunger. From 1900- 1902, the war was based on guerrillas, and the British captured civilians, placing them

in concentration camps. The war ended on May 31, 1902, and helped the British develop tactics up to World War 1. The use of rifles and artillery, belief in a fire zone, and the covering of attackers, would eventually be useful tactics in future battles, that would spread imperialism in Britain.

// Serena Huang



14


MEIJIRESTORATION

// Justin Shiu


During the mid 19th century, Japan devised a plan to strengthen its country to the extent of the Imperial powers. Realization of a needed change first struck Japan when Commodore Perry and his imperial fleet arrived at Japan to force a treaty of trade. It was then when Japan was introduced to the technological difference between them and the other world powers. The Tokugawa Shogunate, the military government at the time, ended on November 9, 1867 when the 15th Tokugawa Shogun gave the emperor his power at his disposal and resigned 10 days after. It was not until January 3, 1868 when the emperor made an official declaration of the restoration of his power. He proclaimed that he “shall henceforward exercise all supreme

authority in all the internal and external affairs of the country” and that it is “desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement.” On May of 1869, the emperor and his supporters defeat the last of the Tokugawa Shogunate, thus marking a complete restoration of political power to the emperor. With this power, Emperor Meiji reformed Japan’s political, social, and economic structures. Under Emperor Meiji’s reign, Japan rapidly developed into a mature and respectable Imperial nation.

Emperor Meiji evolves Japan’s political structure by incorpo-rating imperial ideas to reformations. Before the period of the Meiji Restoration, Japan was under the political system of Feudalism. In the years 1868-1869, Feudalism in Japan was dissolved peacefully with the reformers buying up land owned by the daimyos. Japan was introduced to several political systems, one being a representative government. Itagaki Taisuke was a major factor in the upbringing of the new political system. His push for a strong representative government instead of an oligarchy was heard, resulting in the establishment of a national assembly in 1890. -

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18

- Ito Hirobumi was another reformer who believed that the Prussian Model of government was the way to go. He was responsible for drafting Japan’s constitution. He called the U.S.’s constitution way too liberal and that the British government had too much control over the monarchy from Parliament. He also rejected the French and Spanish systems, claiming they were heading towards despotism. A new constitution in 1889 created a constitutional monarchy for Japan that ended feudalism officially, dissolving old bureaucratic institutions, outlawing samurai, and promoting individual rights. The constitution introduced a new Western approach to government and created a legal code. A variety of influences came from Germany under the leader, Otto Bismark. The Meiji leaders also improved foreign policy to make Japan a recognizable force internationally. By the beginning of the 20th century, the new Japanese government had officially developed into a modern imperial strength, feared, yet respected on the world stage. Economic and Industrial reforms sweeps through Japan as it develops into a modern imperial power. When Japan first starts modernizing, it had only one major product for trade; this product was silk. By using technological advances, Japan was able to obtain new forms of machinery to make the quality of silk better and the quantity of silk more. As a result, Japan became the world’s number one exporter of silk in 1909. The economic growth and the profits from the silk trade was used to upgrade the Japanese navy. The new Japanese government adopted the concept of supply and demand from the British and American economy and accepted the idea of free enterprise capitalism. These concepts boosted the Japanese economy as a whole because it opened Japan’s market to different cultures and a different perspective to trade. The government also

reformed the economy by the unified currency to yen, introduced the process of banking and stock exchanges, tax laws, and a communications network. Finally, the economy boosted through a network of “modern factories” that expanded Japan’s industry in the first 20 years of the Meiji period. Through the modernization of trade and industry, Japan’s economy found itself in a very profitable state throughout the Meiji Restoration period. Cultural and Social lives of the Japanese also were reshaped from the modernization of Japan. The Japanese gov-ernment committed itself in improving the education and the overall aspect of life for its citizens. Before the revolution of Japan, only fifty percent of all and fifteen percent of all girls could read and write. However, by the end of the Meiji Resto-ration Era, 1908 to be specific, education was valued throughout the Japanese lifestyle resulting in an educated society. The Meiji Restoration also acted as a revival point in time for traditional imperial arts such as haiku and waka poetry. It also sparked an interest in Western fine art, which included paintings and sculptures. In turn, Westerners were also excited about the Japanese culture more so about buying silk and porcelain. A negative factor during the Meiji Period was the exportation of Japanese prostitutes overseas to China, Southeast Asia, Siberia, India, and Africa. A majority of these prosti-tutes were illiterate and came from the poor side of society. With the change of cultural and social lifestyles, Imperialism in Japan continued to grow.

Under Emperor Meiji, from 1868-1912, Japan grew in favor of modern imperialism politically, economically, and socially/culturally. Japan helped Imperialism to a great extent, because it accepted and adopted the Imperialist ideas of the different imperial superpowers of its time, such as the U.S., Prussia, Germany, France, etc. With these ideas, Emperor Meiji modernized Japan, introducing new concepts and putting away traditional ones. Because of the Meiji Restoration, Japan was able to match up with the world by the beginning of the 20th century in terms of imperial power. The death of Emperor Meiji in 1912 marked the end of this great era. Although the Emperor Meiji died in 1912, his accomplishments in the Meiji Restoration will live on forever. Even to this day, his feats are recognized and are used in that of modern Japan. Following his death, Japan’s involvement in WWII stopped Imperialism to a full extent.


COMMODORE PER

RY

and Tr

ade with

Japan

// Justin ShiuOUR REPORTER

From the United

States, with a degree

on World History.

Matthew Calbraith Perry was a sailor, diplomat, and a reformer

who served in the U.S. navy for forty-two years. He first joined the

navy as a simple sailor/soldier. He was then appointed Lieutenant

Perry of brig Chippewa. Following this promotion, he was appointed

yet another title. He was given the title of First Lieutenant Perry

of the Cyane. In 1821, Perry earned the rank of first in command

on the USS Shark and was transferred to North Carolina where he

commanded the Brooklyn Naval Yards. On the year of 1851, after

Commodore Aulick was relieved of his position as commander of

the Japan fleet, Perry headed an expedition to Japan. Commodore

Perry did not allow any diplomats on the trip because he stated that

it would ruin the expedition as a whole. Commodore Aulick also

suggested the use of three first class steamships and a sloop of war

(ship) with the purpose of speed and to scare the Japanese with

the weapons aboard. On the day of July 8, 1853, Commodore Perry

of the United States sailed his navy into the harbor of Tokyo (Edo),

Japan’s capital, demanding a treaty that allowed U.S. merchant ships

to dock in Japanese harbors. In Perry’s first attempt in demanding

the treaty, he was turned down. On February 1854, he returned to

Japan with a fleet of ships which included: seven ships, four sailing

ships, three steamers, and 1,600 men.-

19

- Because of this a

ction, the japanese harbor defenses were

activated, sending soldiers to the harbors. T

wo japanese guard

ships approached Perry but were sent to Captain Henry Adams

because Commodore Perry was suffering fro

m an arthritis

attack. Once he recovered, Perry accepted Japan’s demands

and left, but he also commanded that all n

egotiations would

be held at Edo (Tokyo) and that trade must b

egin soon. This

was considered a serious th

reat by the Japanese because

Perry threatened that if demands w

eren’t met so

on, they’d

begin to move their fleet up towards Edo and shell th

e city

to make themselves clear. Because Japan did not have a navy

at the tim

e, they were powerless to the Western superpow-

ers that were seeking to open new ports

internationally to

trade manufactured goods and raw materials for in

dustry. On

March 31, 1854, after much negotiations, Ja

pan gave in and

signed the Treaty of Kanagawa. It required Japan to save any

shipwrecked Americans that docked at Nagasaki and also

guaranteed rights fo

r the U.S. to build a consulate in Shimoda.

The Japanese agreed to all these policies, but disagreed to

trading. Later on, the treaty was changed and tra

ding would

be allowed. Commodore Perry’s navy was small and was not

enough to cause any dire situations. H

owever, the Japanese

knew that his action was ju

st the sta

rt of what was to

come in

the near future. Soon after, sh

ips from Russia

, Britain, Neth-

erlands, and France began to sail their n

avies into Japan to

impose unfair treaties of tra

de.The direct effects of th

e U.S.

and the treaty were for a coaling base, good tre

atment of

American shipwrecked sailors, and tra

de, but as indirect ef-

fects, Japan was exposed and exploited by the major powers

and their navies, th

e loss of iso

lation from the world, exposed

diversity to culture, and the loss o

f independence. Japan was

dominated by world powers through tre

aties, supportin

g the

idea of imperialism

.


20

DISCOVERY OF OIL IN

IRAN

// Serena Huang

OUR REPORTER

From the United

States, with a degree

on World History.

In attempt to find oil and make fortunes, a millionaire socialite, William D’Arcy, compromised an

oil concession with Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar of Persia, in 1901. He secured the right to explore

the vast majority of Iran for 60 years to search, exploit, and export oil, in exchange for 20,000

pounds and 16% of the company’s future profits.

To begin the search, D’Arcy hired a geologist, George Bernard Reynolds, to explore the Iranian

Desert. Conditions were brutal, with smallpox spreading, water getting scarce, bandits, and high

temperatures. Years passed with no oil discovered, and D’Arcy’s fortune dropped tremendously.

As a result, he sold most of his rights to the Burmah Oil Company. In 1908, oil was still not found,

and they decided to cease operations in Iran. They ordered Reynolds to stop working, however, he

delayed the order, and miraculously struck oil on May 26, 1908.

On April 14, 1909, the Burmah Oil Company formed the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC)

in London to manage all of D’Arcy’s rights and responsibilities. Oil products began production in

1913 from a refinery built in Abadan, the largest oil refinery in the world. APOC gained a new client

in 1913, Winston Churchill, who was the First Lord of the Admiralty. Churchill wished to modern-

ize Britain’s Royal Navy by dismissing the use of coal powered steamships, and choosing oil fueled

ships instead. Also, he wanted Britain to abandon the Standard Oil and Royal Dutch Shell compa-

nies to sign new contracts with other oil companies. Eventually, the government invested more

money into the company in exchange for stable supplies of oil, and signed a contract with APOC

that would last 20 years. The idea of imperialism began spreading in Britain, with the valuable

resource of oil in Iran. Britain wanted Iran in their territory, and as a result, the British government

bought 51 percent of APOC’s stocks, and regarded Persia

- highly for its importance in the Constantinople Agreement of 1915. This agreement gave Russia control of

the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits, the only waterways from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. As a result,

Britain incorporated southern Persia into its sphere of influence, in order to protect India and the valuable oil

resources. Amidst the sea of negotiations and agreements, World War 1 also began that hindered the nation.

In the 1920s, opposition towards the oil concession and contract terms, where Iran only received 16% of

the profits began spreading. The government’s lack of control over the oil industry sparked the idea of a revi-

sion for the agreements. Attempts to revise the terms to benefit Iran led to negotiations in Tehran, Lausanne,

London, and Paris between Iran’s Minister of Court, Abdolhossein Teymourtash, and the Chairman of APOC, John

Cadman. Iran demanded 25% of APOC’s total profit, arguing that the money flowing in from around the coun-

try was not the company’s accurate total profit, and that rights to transport oil be given to the government.

Eventually In 1930, the Iranian National Consultative Assembly passed a bill that required foreign companies

to pay 4% tax for profits earned in Iran. Teymourtash worked diligently for four years, in hopes of concluding

the negotiations, but proved to end unsuccessfully. In 1931, the mass production of oil and Great Depression

caused the economy’s downfall, reducing profits to one-fifth of the previous year. In order to resolve negotia-

tions, Reza Shah and the monarch, sent a letter to the cabinet, cancelling the D’Arcy agreement. However, the

British government brought the case to the Permanent Court of International Justice at the Hague, and a new

agreement was reached after Cadman visited Iran in 1933.

The new agreement would provide a new 60 year concession, reduce the area under APOC’s control,

require annual payments for Iranian tax, and guarantee a minimum annual payment to the Iranian government.

This agreement extended the concession for an additional 32 years, and Iran resolved the negotiation by using

an arbitration process to settle disputes. The company continued its business for years and changed its name

from APOC to AIOC in 1935, and eventually controlled all oil in Iran.

Although imperialism spread around because of oil in Iran, countries did not use threats or force to

expand their territory. Instead, they compromised with other nations and made agreements in order to protect

their resources. It helped the development of imperialism throughout the world, causing nations’ to engage in

wars, and promptly end imperialism in 1914, due to the beginning of World War 1.

21

- highly for its importance in the Constantinople Agreement of 1915. This agreement gave Russia control of

the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits, the only waterways from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. As a result,

Britain incorporated southern Persia into its sphere of influence, in order to protect India and the valuable oil

resources. Amidst the sea of negotiations and agreements, World War 1 also began that hindered the nation.

In the 1920s, opposition towards the oil concession and contract terms, where Iran only received 16% of

the profits began spreading. The government’s lack of control over the oil industry sparked the idea of a revi-

sion for the agreements. Attempts to revise the terms to benefit Iran led to negotiations in Tehran, Lausanne,

London, and Paris between Iran’s Minister of Court, Abdolhossein Teymourtash, and the Chairman of APOC, John

Cadman. Iran demanded 25% of APOC’s total profit, arguing that the money flowing in from around the coun-

try was not the company’s accurate total profit, and that rights to transport oil be given to the government.

Eventually In 1930, the Iranian National Consultative Assembly passed a bill that required foreign companies

to pay 4% tax for profits earned in Iran. Teymourtash worked diligently for four years, in hopes of concluding

the negotiations, but proved to end unsuccessfully. In 1931, the mass production of oil and Great Depression

caused the economy’s downfall, reducing profits to one-fifth of the previous year. In order to resolve negotia-

tions, Reza Shah and the monarch, sent a letter to the cabinet, cancelling the D’Arcy agreement. However, the

British government brought the case to the Permanent Court of International Justice at the Hague, and a new

agreement was reached after Cadman visited Iran in 1933.

The new agreement would provide a new 60 year concession, reduce the area under APOC’s control,

require annual payments for Iranian tax, and guarantee a minimum annual payment to the Iranian government.

This agreement extended the concession for an additional 32 years, and Iran resolved the negotiation by using

an arbitration process to settle disputes. The company continued its business for years and changed its name

from APOC to AIOC in 1935, and eventually controlled all oil in Iran.

Although imperialism spread around because of oil in Iran, countries did not use threats or force to

expand their territory. Instead, they compromised with other nations and made agreements in order to protect

their resources. It helped the development of imperialism throughout the world, causing nations’ to engage in

wars, and promptly end imperialism in 1914, due to the beginning of World War 1.


22

CAN

AL

SUEZ

// Serena Huang


The Suez Canal was created in 1869 in Egypt, that connected the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. It created a shortcut that allowed goods to be transported around the world faster. However, in 1875, Egypt went into debt and was forced to sell ownership of the canal to the United Kingdom. Only an international debate allowed all ships from any country to use the canal in 1888. Throughout the years, countless issues arose over the owner-ship and use of the canal. In 1936, the U.K. was given the right to place military troops and main-tain order at the entries. With the creation of Israel in 1948, Egypt’s government banned ships from going and coming through the canal. But in 1954,

Egypt made an agreement with U.K. to recall the British forces from the canal and let Egypt take control. In addition to the 1950s, an incident known as the Suez Crisis occurred. The Aswan High Dam was financially supported by the U.S. and the U.K. , but both nations retracted their money, and Egypt’s government seized control of the canal to enforce passage fees in 1956. In October, Egypt was invad-ed by Israel, and two days later, passage through the canal became free. However, Egypt responded by blocking the canal, intentionally sinking 40 ships. The crisis ended in November, when the United Nations helped make a truce between the four nations. The canal eventually reopened in 1957, but various incidents caused the canal to close, because of issues between Egypt and Israel in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Finally in 1962, Egypt completed its payment for the canal to the original owners, and took full ownership of the Suez Canal.

PICTURE CREDITS //


23

PANAMA Canal

// Justin ShiuOUR REPORTER From the United States, with a degree on World History.

The Panama Canal, built in the time span of 1881-1914, revolutionized the imperial world creating the greatest engineering accomplish-ment of its time. Alexander Van Humboldt began the construction project in 1881, which eventually took about 33 years to complete due to a lack of money and support. The pro-ject originally started with the French, but was later continued by the United States under the support of President Roosevelt. The engineers faced harsh conditions, such as floods and high temperatures throughout the construction pro-cess. However, the major problem from build-ing the canal came from the disease-carrying insects that infested the region. As a result, the United States started a movement to extermi-nate mosquitoes that carried malaria and yel-low fever along with the rats that carried the bubonic plague. This movement to control the insects eventually was successful, but thou--

-sands of workers died building the entirety of the Panama Canal. The Canal was finally com-pleted and opened in 1914 by the U.S. Using this route, ships would be able to cut through the Isthmus of Panama instead of looping around the tip of South America at Cape Horn to get to their destination. The Canal proved very beneficial to the U.S. and made a hand-some amount of profits from traders and merchants. To this day, the United States is still utilizing the Panama Canal for transports and trade with other nations such as China, Britain, Japan, etc. Being the largest U.S. construction project in history, around $8,600,000,000 has been spent to renovate, and build the canal. The Panama Canal connected the Pacific to the Atlantic becoming a major world trading loca-tion between the imperial superpowers.


24

IMPERIALQUOTES


25

“We do not admire the man

of timid peace. We admire the

man who embodies victorious

effort.” -Theodore Roosevelt

1899 from his book, The

Strenuous Life

“This time they’re mak-

ing sure they can hold

what they take: con-

quest is always easier

than subjugation.”

-Yoon ha Lee

“Most future wars will be

conflicts for commerce. The

power thats rules the Pacific,

therefore, is the power that

rules the world.” -Albert J.

Beveridge, U.S senator from

Indiana (1898)

“Best be yourself, impe-

rial, plain and true!”

- Elizabeth Barrett

Browning

PRO-IMPERIALISM QUOTES

IMPERIALQUOTES


26

“I hate imperialism. I detest coloni-

alism. And I fear the consequences

of their last bitter struggle for life.

We are determined, that our nation,

and the world as a whole, shall not

be the play thing of one small cor-

ner of the world” ― Sukarno,

first president of Indonesia

“What do nations care about the cost

of war, if by spending a few hundred

millions in steel and gunpowder they

can gain a thousand millions in dia-

monds and cocoa?” ―W. E. B.”

Du Bois, American

“When the white man

turns tyrant, it is his

own freedom that

he destroys.” ―

George Orwell

“Like a cyclone, impe-

rialism spins across

the globe; militarism

crushes peoples and

sucks their blood like a

vampire.” -Karl Lieb-

ANTI- IMPERIALISM QUOTES

27

Imperialism spreads throughout the world!

// Serena Huang


WORLD MAP

MATCH LOCATIONS WITH LETTERS ON THE MAP //

A - USA O - GuangzhouB - Panama Canal P - PhillipinesC - Britain Q - JapanD - England R - AustraliaE - Germany S - South AfricaF - France T - RussiaG - Spain U - BeijingH - Egypt V - ShanghaiI - Suez Canal W - NanjingJ - Netherlands X - Hong KongK - Israel Y - Guangxi ProvinceL - Iran Z - Belgian CongoM - IndiaN - China

27

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IMPERIALISM ANSWER KEY

IMPERIALISM ANSWER KEY

ehhh magazine?

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