Imperialism – Europe’s Motivation

On a fresh side of notebook paper write today’s date and the lesson title: “Imperialism – Europe’s Motivation”

Our Study• We will examine Europe’s motivation for

imperialism in Africa in two parts:• First we will examine the connection between

the Industrial Revolution and imperialism by refreshing our recollection about the Industrial Age and making some predictions

• Then we will examine in depth the reasons why European countries sought to dominate the economic and political life of Africa and the reasons why individual Europeans might have been interested in Africa

Part I - Connections between the Industrial Revolution and Imperialism

• Skip a line after the lesson title you wrote on a fresh side of notebook paper and write the heading you see at the top of this slide

Part I - Connections between the Industrial Revolution and Imperialism

• We have already studied the Industrial Revolution in the context of our unit on Revolutions.

• Since the Industrial Revolution took place just before the Age of Imperialism, we need to look at it again

• This time we are trying to determine the relationship between the Industrial Revolution and Imperialism

Review Part I - Imperialism

• Definition: The policy and practice of seeking to dominate the economic and political affairs of a weaker country

• In general imperialism involves a stronger country taking advantage of a weaker country - a stronger country using a weaker country for its advantage (often to the disadvantage of the weaker country)

Critical Attributes – Necessary CharacteristicsWhen the following are present, Imperialism is occurring

1. A more powerful country or group uses force or the threat of force to gain control of the territory of another country

2. The more powerful country uses the weaker one to get cheap raw materials

3. The more powerful country uses the weaker one as a market for finished goods.

4. The more powerful country establishes groups of its citizens within the weaker country to manage the extraction of raw materials

5. The more powerful country establishes groups of its citizens within the weaker country to manage the government, either directly or through a puppet leader

Review, Part II – Industrial Revolution

• Answer the following questions on your own in your notebooks. The page references in the questions will help you:1. How did we define the Industrial

Revolution? (717)2. How did we define “industrialization”?

(718)

Making Connections - 1

• Discuss the effects of industrialization:– What needs do you think were created by the

industrial manufacture of goods (remember that textiles were a major industry of Britain)?

– How did it affect the amount of goods produced?– What need did this effect create for the

manufacturers of goods?• Then, discuss and write down your answer to the

following:– What do your answers to the discussion questions

above have to do with imperialism? (HINT: review the critical attributes of imperialism)

Making Connections - 2• Individually – you may remember our discussions of the

hardships of early industrial life and the reactions to those hardships. To refresh your recollection review “Living Conditions” (724), “Working Conditions” (725), and the “Interact with History” exercise (716).

• As a group discuss the following, develop an answer and have each group member write it down: – Thinking about how the prospect of a new life might have

appealed to a member of the working class in the Industrial Age, what do you think might have been a connection between the hardships you read about and imperialism?

Making Connections - 3• Individually, read pp. “Continental Europe

Industrializes” and “The Impact of Industrialization” 731-733

• As a group, discuss, develop and write down answers to the following: 1. What effect do you think the spread of the Industrial

Revolution had on the relations between European countries?

2. How did the Industrial Revolution affect the world balance of power?.

3. How might your answers to the last two questions be connected to Imperialism?

Making Connections – 3(a):Using a Primary Source

• Discuss the following questions with a neighbor:– What do we mean by “primary source

documents”? (how are they different from secondary documents)

– What is the benefit of studying primary source documents? What can they tell us that secondary documents cannot?

Using a Primary Source “A Place in the Sun”, Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1901

Individually, read the selection

•As a group answer the following questions:– What do you think the Kaiser means by “a place in the

sun”?– What do you think the Kaiser is advocating that

Germans do?– What benefit do you think he sees for Germany?– What does this selection tell you about European

motivation for imperialism? Explain.•

Making Connections - 4• Individually, read about Charles Darwin and

his Theory of Evolution pp. 765

• As a group, discuss, develop and write down answers to the following questions:1. How might Darwin’s ideas about “natural

selection” and “survival of the fittest” be applied to society?

2. How might your answers to the last questions be connected to Imperialism?

Making Connections - 5• The harshness of the Industrial Age had an effect on religion:– Christianity promoted feelings of compassion and charity for

the less fortunate– Churches preached the “social gospel”: Christians have a

duty of social service– Organizations like the Salvation Army spread Christian

teachings

• As a group, discuss, develop and write down answers to the following question:– How might the above facts about religion in the Industrial

Age be connected to imperialism?

Making Connections - 6

• Primary Source #2 - “The White Man’s Burden”, Rudyard Kipling, 1899

• Individually, read the poem• As a group:– Analyze your assigned stanza. What is Kipling

saying?– Be prepared to report your interpretation to the

class

Explanation of the Poem• Individually read the handout which contains

a brief explanation of the poem• Then in light of our discussion of the poem

and the explanation discuss and develop an answer to the following question:–What does the poem tell you about

European motivation for imperialism?• Make sure each group member writes down

the group’s answer

Part II – National and Individual Motivation

• Skip a couple of lines after the last activity we did in class

• Then write the heading you see at the top of this slide

Today’s Guiding Question

• Our planned reading and discussion activities are meant to answer the following question:

• What social, economic, and political reasons might European countries have had to become involved in Africa in the late 1800’s?

Definitions – What Do You Know?

• Turn to a neighbor (or two) and discuss what you think is meant by each of the following terms:– Social– Economic– Political

Definitions - Social

• Having to do with interactions between people; activities involving religion, health, and education and people’s attitudes towards themselves and others fall into this category

Definitions – Economic

• Having to do with satisfying material needs; activities involving the acquisition of land and resources, acquiring wealth, taking care of what is necessary to sustain life at a particular level fit into this category

Definitions - Political

• Having to do with government and relations between nations or similar societies; activities involving making and enforcing rules and laws, rulers and leaders, military operations and the like fall into this category

Note taking Format (examples taken from our reading connecting the

Industrial Revolution to Imperialism)

Social

Social Darwinism – feelings of superiority justifies their domination of the Africans

Economic

Participating in imperialistic activities in Africa gave unsuccessful Europeans a chance to make their fortune

Political

Spreading Industrial Revolution created rivalries among the European nations; imperialism in Africa gave them a place to carry out this rivalry

Reading Activity – Part I•Even numbers will read pp. 773-775 (up to “The Division of Africa”)•Odd numbers will read the handout entitled “The New Imperialism”.

•Both will take notes on the reading using the 3 column format illustrated in the last slide: in each category write down evidence (facts and explanations) that could help answer our guiding question:

“What social, economic, and political reasons might European countries have had to become involved in Africa in the late 1800’s?”

Quote, paraphrase or summarize as necessary.

Reading Activity – Part 2

– Even number partners (those sharing the same letter) compare notes; make sure you have everything from your reading that is relevant to the guiding question.

– Odd number partners (those sharing the same letter) compare notes; make sure you have everything from your reading that is relevant to the guiding question.

Reading Activity – Part 3

• Meet in letter groups

• Odd numbers teach the even numbers what you learned from your reading; even numbers add what you are taught to your notes

• Even numbers teach the odd numbers what you learned from your reading; even numbers add what you are taught to your notes

Reading Activity Summary• As a group, review the social, economic, and political

motivations for imperialism that you discovered in your reading.

• Using the information on European motivation for imperialism, brainstorm as many “jobs” as you can think of that a European person during the Age of Imperialism might have had if he or she had gone to Africa.

• For each “job”, think of the activities that such a person would be doing and the type of interactions he or she would be having with the African people.

Example• Our reading showed that Christianity motivated

Europeans to go to Africa.• People motivated by their religion would be

doing the “job” of a missionary in Africa.• Their activities would include spreading the word

of the gospels and trying to convert the Africans to Christianity.

• (there are other things that a Christian missionary might do – what else can you think of based on your reading?)

Group Activity - Generating Ideas• Consider the “jobs” a European might have had in

Africa during the Age of Imperialism and the activities he or she might have been engaged in

• Discuss how one might promote other Europeans taking such “jobs’ or participating in such activities– What sort of publication might one use?– What type of material would one put into such a

publication?

• What do you think is the significance of this exercise?