The West and the World

ImperialismFueled

industrialization; industrialized nations had a “leg up” on most of the world

They used their technological advantage to subdue non-Western nations

Contrasting Colonialism and ImperialismColonialism:

Indirect rule; get raw materials and ship them to the mother country; have similar if not equal rights; settlements; older form of European relationships with non-Western world

Imperialism:– Direct rule; occupation; territories have few

rights; exist to serve as market for the mother country; starts in mid-late 19th century

Imperialist AmbitionsStarts after the unification

ofGermany and ItalyNew problem: Central

Europe is no longer a playground for the great powers of Europe

Imperialism: expansion of empire by gaining territories to rule as a sign of prestigeInherent in imperialism

is racial superiority; European nations believed themselves to be better because of their “dominant” culture (military and technological)

Attitudes and Foundations of ImperialismSocial Darwinism led

many to believe that they were superior because of their advancements

Technological superiority enabled European states to take over less advanced states

“Improving impulse” fueled imperialists, who desired to raise the rest of the world to European levels of culture (considered to be the best and highest form of human life)

Belief in racial superiority: ex. British assimilated themselves at the top of the Indian caste system

European Economic DominanceAs industry continues to grow, new

markets and raw material sources were sought

European nations found overseas possessions to be the answer to both problems

By owning these lands, European powers continued to enrich themselves and simultaneously export their own culture and ideals

Economic imperialism: businesses invested where most profitable not necessarily where own country had colonial empiresBrits had more trade with Belgium than

with all of Africa in 1890s

Communication ImprovementsTelegraph, telephone and rapid sea transit

through steam powered vessels makes ruling easier

European monarchs and presidents are able to rule through intermediaries such as viceroys and other people immediately accountable to the heads of state

European dominance asserted through impressive military victories and native peoples are subdued (ex. Omdurman)

Opening ChinaChinese government has

been tremendously inward looking since th 1450’s and uninterested in overseas nations only in trading for gold and silver in exchange for porcelain, jade, tea, and lacquered goods

Europeans have been interested in Chinese trade since Marco Polo’s accounts in the 13th

centuryOnce Europeans

established a clear technological advantage, they forced increasingly uncomfortable changes on China through military force

e

Opium Wars (1839-42)British sought markets for their opium crops

in Afghanistan and a means of balancing tradePlead with Queen Victoria to stop after

millions addictedChinese destroyed British opium

warehouses in China and starts warDefeated China – took control of Hong Kong

and had them open 5 ports for trade

Opening JapanHistorically, Japanese

had expelledall EuropeansMainly feudal societyOne Japanese port

remained open once a year to European trade with the Dutch

United States asserts itself in 1853Recovering

shipwrecked sailors from maltreatment

Commodore Matthew C. Perry sailed into Edo bay with a major gunship force to open negotiations

Edo was location of new shogunate

Some daimyo tried to fight USforces and were demolished

EgyptConstruction of the Suez

Canal byFrance leads to British interest

British work with Egyptian leaders descended from those who overthrew Ottoman Turks under Muhammad Ali (born in Albania)

British want to maintain control over Suez Canal as main link between Indian possessions and homeland

Occupied Egypt completely in 1882

European MigrationEuropeans migrated in huge numbers

seeking economic opportunity and civil freedoms

Not only to the United States, but also:South America – Uruguay, Argentina,

BrazilAsia – Hong Kong, Southeast AsiaAustralia and New ZealandAfrica – Kenya, South Africa,

Mozambique

The Scramble for AfricaExplored by David

Livingstone and Henry Stanley (Christian missionaries)Their reports became basis

for European nations’ African land lust

British, French, Spanish, Italians, Belgians, Dutch, and Germans carved up Africa amongst themselves at Berlin Conference,1880Central Africa – King

Leopold IIColonial possessions played

well at homeOnly Liberia and Ethiopia

remained free

Boer Wars• Dutch settlers of the Cape Colony

fought British troops 1899-1902 in the Boer War

• Most Dutch were Calvinist Protestants who coupled their beliefs with a strong anti-black racism

• Could not accept equal status with• black Africans

• Boers great opponent due to guerilla tactics• 450,000 British needed to

defeat 87,000 Boers at cost of 22,000 British deaths

• High casualties, brutalities against Boer women and kids caused public outcry and antiwar sentiment at home• 450,000 British needed to

defeat 87,000 Boers at cost of 22,000 British deaths

Opposition to ImperialismSocialists critiqued imperialism for

exploiting new workers and failing to care adequately for original working class people

Native peoples who were educated in European liberties and freedoms saw the inequality of their own situationsModernizers and westernizers vs.

traditionalistsExamples:

Sepoy Mutiny (Sepoy Rebellion)Russo-JapaneseWarBoxer Rebellion

Sepoy Rebellion (Mutiny)Native Indian troops, both Muslim and

Hindu, rebelled at rumors of usage of animal fat-greased gunpowder packing

British East India Company lost control of India to the British crownPM Benjamin Disraeli presented Queen

Victoria with title “Empress of India”British introduced many improvements to

modernize India and make it like the rest of BritainBad superiority complex

Educated Hindus formed the Indian National Congress to press for greater rights of native peoples

Japanese AdvanceUnder Meiji Restoration,

Japan embarked on efforts to attain level of industrialization of Western Europe

Studied European governments,modeled theirs after Prussia

New state was unified, powerful,militaristic and expansionist

Took over Korea and parts of China

Humiliated Russian forces in a series of battles during the Russo- JapaneseWar, 1904-1905

Chinese Revolution and Boxer RebellionThe humiliation of China by the

Western powers led to much antiforeign violence, but Westerners used this lawlessness as an excuse to extort further concessions from the Chinese

Qing dynasty collapses, 1890’s under Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi who had managed to maintain some stability during European encroachment

Key concepts:Law of extraterritorialityOpen Door policy

Boxer Rebellion: anti-foreigner, anti-Christian movement; put down by international invasion force (1900-03)