Imperialism Europe Reaches Out

1. ImperialismEurope Reaches Out

2. Imperialism • Imperialism refers to the political and economic control of one area or country by another • In ancient times, Persia and Rome built large empires by conquering neighbors • In the 15th century, European nations developed the first overseas empires in the Americas • In the 19th century, the European Great Powers suddenly acquired vast colonial empires in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific

3. Imperialism • European countries had invested great efforts in building colonial empires in the Americas from the 16th to 18th centuries • The independence of the U.S. and Latin America presented a great setback for European imperialism • European rulers questioned the value of colonies if they could suddenly declare independence • But imperialism never totally died out…it continued in India, South Africa and the East Indies

4. The British “Raj” (Reign) in India • During the 18th century, the British had defeated France and many local rulers to extend their control throughout much of the Indian Subcontinent • British rule brought many changes • Old customs like the suicide of widows when their husbands died were stamped out • The first railway in India was built in 1853 • Muslims and Hindus lived peacefully together • European missionaries spread Christianity • British schools and colleges opened • English became the language of the government • Despite the benefits brought by the British, many Indians were still upset by this challenge to their traditional ways

5. The British “Raj” (Reign) in India The Sepoy Mutiny (1857) • The British were able to control India because the Indians were divided among themselves • The British had better weapons and used trained Indian soldiers, known as “sepoys” • In 1857, a large number of sepoys rebelled • The rebellion quickly spread, but British crushed the revolt using loyal Indian soldiers • After the mutiny, the British government took over formal control of India and abolished the East India Company • India officially became a British possession • Queen Victoria of England became the Empress of India

6. The Impact of British Rule

7. Apply it! • What were the advantages of British rule in India? • From the Indian perspective • From the British perspective • What were the disadvantages of British rule in India? • From the Indian perspective • From the British perspective

8. Other British Colonies • Britain also held several other colonies outside of India • Cape Colony on the tip of South Africa • Several islands in the West Indies • Canada • Australia • New Zealand • Singapore

9. Other European Colonies • At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, France regained some of its colonies in the West Indies, as well as some trading posts on the coast of West Africa and India • France conquered Algeria in North Africa • The French also intervened in Indochina in the 1860s • Meanwhile, the Dutch continued to rule over the Dutch East Indies • Spain held onto its few remaining colonial possessions in the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico

10. The New Imperialism • At the end of the 18th century, imperialism appeared to be on the decline • Britain lost most its colonies in America • Spain and Portugal had lost most of Latin America • Just a hundred years later, the world witnessed a new wave of imperialism • From 1880 to 1900, almost every corner of the Earth came to be claimed by European powers • Africa was suddenly divided up like a cake to be eaten by hungry European powers

11. The New Imperialism • Why did European imperialism suddenly revive? • New technological developments, based on the Industrial Revolution

12. The New Imperialism • The Steamboat made it possible to go upstream, reaching the interior of Africa and other places previously too difficult to reach • The telegram made it possible to communicate with new settlements deep in the interior regions of Africa and Asia • Railroads were used to ship goods and raw materials to and from colonies • New medicines like quinine to treat malaria and antiseptics, and a better understanding of disease made it possible to explore the tropics with less risk • Military technology like rifles could be used to control local people

13. The New Imperialism • There were many motives for imperialism • New countries such as Belgium, Germany, and Italy sought colonial empires of their own to establish their power on the world stage • Even older colonial powers like France and Britain joined the scramble for colonies • Britain seized control of Egypt to protect the Suez Canal which provided the shortest route from Britain to India

14. The New Imperialism • European powers were also anxious to preserve the “balance of power” between themselves • European powers also hoped to obtain natural resources and markets to sell their goods • Finally, imperialists such as Rudyard Kipling spoke of the “White Man’s Burden”—the duty of Europeans to spread their culture to areas of Africa and Asia

15. Apply it! • Why was their a renewed interest in Imperialism? • What technologies helped the growth of imperialism? • What economic policy did imperialism promote?

16. Reasons for Renewed Interest in Imperialism • Technology • New technology such as steamships, rifles, telegraphs and better medicines, made it possible to penetrate deeply into Africa, Asia and the Pacific nations • Political Motives • Europeans wished to acquire colonies to demonstrate their power. European countries also sought to preserve the balance of power among themselves. When one country obtained a new colony, others felt it necessary to do the same

17. Reasons for Renewed Interest in Imperialism • Economic Motives • European industries needed raw materials to keep their factories busy. Industrialists sought new markets in which to sell their manufactured goods • Social Motives • Many Europeans believed in Social Darwinism—the theory that some societies were more successful because their cultures were superior. Other Europeans wanted to spread Christianity • In some places, imperialists were met with fierce local resistance. The British fought wars in the Sudan, South Africa and elsewhere to gain control

18. Apply it! • There were two different time periods when imperialism occurred. The first wave of imperialism lasted from 1500 to 1800. The second wave of New Imperialism, generally lasted from 1870 to 1950. Describe some of the differences between these two periods of imperialism…

19. The Scramble for Africa • In 1870, Europeans still controlled very little actual territory in Africa • France controlled Algeria in the northwest • Britain controlled South Africa • Otherwise, European activity was mainly limited to coastal trading ports and thus communities in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa remained isolated. • They represented an immense diversity of cultures with many different types of political structures

20. The Scramble for Africa • During the next twenty years, this picture changed dramatically • Africa became under the control of the European powers • European explorers mapped out the interior of Africa for the first time

21. The Scramble for Africa • In the early 1880s, a local revolt threatened European use of the Suez Canal • This canal, completed by French engineers in 1869, was the shortest route from Europe to East Africa, India and East Asia • It was the lifeline between Britain and India • The British quickly moved to put down the revolt and take over Egypt, then later, Sudan.

22. The Scramble for Africa • Other powers, France, Italy, Germany and Belgium—eyed British actions jealously • They wanted parts of Africa for themselves • Diamonds, gold and other valuable resources were also discovered in Africa in the late 19th century • In 1884, at the Berlin Conference, Bismarck and other European leaders divided up the remaining parts of Africa • By 1890, only Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent • Morocco was under French Influence

23. Apply it! • Why was Africa such an easy target for imperialism? • Why was it a worthy target?

24. Major Imperial Powers • King Leopold II of Belgium ruled the Congo in the center of Africa as his private estate • He treated natives harshly, killing millions to increase production on his rubber plantations • Cecil Rhodes, a leading British imperialist, planned to build a railway down the eastern side of Africa from Cairo in Egypt to Capetown, South Africa

25. The Legacy of Imperialism in Africa • In their scramble for Africa, European powers paid no attention at all to existing tribal boundaries • Whenever possible, they established mining operations or cultivated cash crops to be sold to Europe • Natives were used as cheap workforce • Europeans also introduced advanced Western technology and ideas and thus had both positive and negative effects on Africa

26. The Legacy of Imperialism in Africa • Positive Effects • European medicine and improved nutrition increased the life-span of Africans. This led to an explosion in the population • Europeans introduced modern transportation and communications, such as telegraphs, railroads and telephones • A Small minority of Africans received improved education and greater economic opportunities. Some served as administrators or in the army

27. The Legacy of Imperialism in Africa • Negative Effects • European domination led to an erosion of traditional African values and destroyed many existing social relationships • African peoples were treated as inferior to Europeans. Native peoples were forced to work long hours for low pay under horrible conditions • Europeans divided Africa artificially, ignoring tribal, ethnic and cultural boundaries. This has led to continuing tribal conflicts in many African nations

28. Informal Imperialism • Even in areas where they did not establish direct rule, European powers often dominated an area’s economy. Historians refer to this as informal imperialism

29. The European Powers and China • China was a different situation than India or Africa • China had been united under powerful emperors for thousands of years • Nevertheless, China had remained isolated from the world • China also lacked military technology to oppose Western Imperialism

30. The European Powers and China • Western nations showed an interest in China because its huge population offered a potential market for European manufactured goods • It also possessed valuable raw materials and local goods sought by Europeans • In China, European powers developed a system of informal imperialism where Chinese rulers remained in power but became subject to foreign pressure

31. The Opium Wars1839-1842 • In the 1800s, Britain began selling opium in China to obtain money to buy tea • The government of China tried to stop this practice by sentencing Chinese opium dealers to death • The British reacted by declaring war and won with superior military technology • The Chinese were forced to continue to the sale of opium, damaging the Chinese economy and creating political instability

32. The Opium Wars • China was forced to open several “treaty ports” giving the British new trading privileges • The British established several “spheres of influence”—areas of China under their exclusive economic control • A flood of cheap British textiles hurt Chinese industry

33. The Opium Wars • Increasing European interference was extremely unpopular in China and weakened the prestige of the ruling Qing (or Manchu) Dynasty • The defeat of the Chinese army in the Opium Wars proved to the Chinese that they were no longer the “Heavenly Middle Kingdom” and thus Manchu rulers faced a series of revolts • Millions of Chinese were killed when China’s rulers put down the Taiping Rebellions with European help

34. Americas Open Door Policy • Fearing it would be shut out of China’s profitable trade, the United States proposed equal trading rights for all nations in China in 1899

35. Boxer Rebellion1899-1900 • A Chines group, calling themselves the “Boxers”, rebelled against the spread of foreign influence in China • Hundreds of foreigners living in Chinese cities were killed during riots led by the Boxers • An international force, composed of troops from foreign powers, finally crushed the Boxer rebellion

36. Boxer Rebellion • The U.S. played a key role in suppressing the rebellion because of the large number of U.S. ships and troops to the nearby Philippines • However, the U.S. sought to preserve China as an independent country • American policy prevented European powers from further dividing up China and kept it open to trade with all nations

37. Apply it! • Why was China viewed as so valuable? • Why were the Boxers so angry?

38. The Opening of Japan • Japan’s rulers, fearing foreign influences, had cut itself off from European trade in 1639 • Japanese were forbidden to travel to other countries and foreigners were banned from Japan except for one Dutch outpost

39. The United States Opens Japan • In 1853, the US Government sent a naval squadron commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan • In addition to requesting better treatment for shipwrecked sailors, the Americans sought to develop new markets and to establish a port where their ships to China cold stop to obtain supplies • Fearing the example of what happened to China, Japanese leaders opened their doors to American trade • Within a few years, the British, Russians and Dutch negotiated similarly favorable treaties

40. The Meiji Restoration1868-1912 • The Japanese samurai and daimyos criticized the Shogun, the Japanese ruler, for opening Japan to the West • Under this criticism, the Shogunate collapsed and the Japanese emperor, who had been a mere puppet for over a thousand years, was suddenly restored to power

41. The Meiji Restoration • Emperor Meiji, the new ruler, was convinced that Japan had to adopt Western ways if it was to escape future domination by the Western powers • He sent scholars to other countries to learn advanced technologies and foreign customs, and received visits from foreign ministers • Steamboats and railroads were built and a new constitution was decreed • Japan became the first non-Western country to successfully copy and adapt Western ways

42. Apply it! • Why was Japan a “different story” than China? • How did Japan end up losing much of its culture in order to maintain its independence?

43. Latin America • Although Spain had lost most of its colonies in the Americas in the early 19th century, it kept control over Cuba, Puerto Rico and a few other islands in the Caribbean • Cubans rebelled against the harsh conditions of its sugar cane workers in the 1890s • A Spanish army was sent to Cuba to crush the rebellion with a brutal force • Many Americans were sympathetic to the plight of the Cuban rebels

44. Latin America • In 1898, the USS Maine was mysteriously blown up in Havana harbor, killing 250 American sailors • The United States declared war and quickly defeated Spain • As a result of the Spanish-American War, America acquired its first colonies—Puerto Rico in the Caribbean and Guam and the Philippines in the Pacific • Cuba became independent in name but was under American influence

45. Latin America • Americans also annexed Hawaii as part of their new colonial empire • Many Americans opposed taking colonies, but others argued it was necessary to copy the imperial powers of Europe

46. Latin America • Meanwhile, the independent nations of Latin America—in Mexico, central and South America—became dependent on both Britain and the United States for their trade and economic prosperity • Latin American elites studied Europe and sold their cash crops there • Britain invested heavily in Latin America and thus became part of a system of “informal” or economic imperialism • Sometimes, Caudillos (military strong men) were needed to keep order while maintaining trading ties with Europe

47. The Panama Canal • The operation of “informal” imperialism was especially illustrated in the case of Colombia • The American ships that sought to travel between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Oceans had to go 16,000 miles around the southern tip of South America

48. The Panama Canal • The United States sought easier access between these two oceans by building a canal across the narrow isthmus of Panama • This would cut the length and time of the journey but Panama was still a part of Columbia and the government of Colombia asked a high price for permission to build the canal

49. The Panama Canal • American President Theodore Roosevelt encouraged Panamanian rebels to declare their independence form Columbia in 1904 • Roosevelt protected the rebels, who gave rights to the Panama Canal Zone—a ten mile strip of jungle through the center of Panama—to the US on advantageous terms • The US then applied advanced technologies to dig the canal, which took 10 years to complete

50. The Panama Canal • Protection of the canal became an important strategic priority for the United States • On the basis of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) and its need to protect the Panama Canal, American Presidents repeatedly sent armed forces to intervene in the Caribbean area in the early 20th century