Imperialism Intro

Goal of Today• The goal of today will be to begin to understand

some of motives and reasons that European Imperialism.

• Terms to know• Colony• Protectorate• Sphere of Influence

Definition• Imperialism- the policy, practice, or advocacy of

extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas ; broadly : the extension or imposition of power, authority, or influence

Five Forms of Imperial Control

• Colony• Protectorate• Sphere of Influence•Annex• Economic/Military Aid

• Territory settled and ruled by people of another land

1. COLONY

• Country with its own government but under the control of an outside power.

• “Puppet Government”

• “Satellite”

2. PROTECTORATE

3. SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

• Area in which an outside power claims exclusive investment or trading privileges.

4. ANNEX• Add a territory onto an existing state or

country.

5. ECONOMIC/MILITARY AID

• One country isn’t simply trying to help another but is trying to gain a small amount of control.

Why did countries colonize

EuropeanMotives

For Colonization

EuropeanMotives

For Colonization

Missionary/ Humanitarian

Activity

Missionary/ Humanitarian

Activity

EuropeanNationalismEuropean

NationalismSource forRaw

Materials

Source forRaw

Materials

IndustrialRevolutionIndustrialRevolution

Markets forFinishedGoods

Markets forFinishedGoods

SocialDarwinism

SocialDarwinism

EuropeanRacism

EuropeanRacism “White

Man’sBurden”

“WhiteMan’s

Burden”

Soc. & Eco.Opportunities

Soc. & Eco.Opportunities

Places toDump

Unwanted/Excess Popul.

Places toDump

Unwanted/Excess Popul.

Military& NavalBases

Military& NavalBases

• Imperialism did not begin in the nineteenth century. A number of European states, most notably Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, had carved out large overseas empires in the age of exploration.

• The new technologies of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century encouraged imperial growth.- ie raw materials

• When the value of these raw materials became apparent, the states of Europe began to take control of large swathes of territory in Africa and Asia, heralding in a new era of imperialism.

European Nationalism

• This is the idea of one upping another country. Ex. If Great Britain had a colony in Africa than France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, and Portugal, had to have one too.

• There was a huge desire to compete with other countries.

• Missionaries– Catholic and Protestant missionaries followed the

explorers– Built schools and medical clinics– Saw Africans as children in need of guidance

(paternalistic view)

In this period there was a push to spread the Christian religion to the newly formed colonies so missionaries set out to these places to help convert the native peoples.

Closely related to the missionary motives of Europeans there was also the idea that the people of the advanced Western nations had the duty to transmit Western ideas and techniques to more “backward” people. People were considered backward if their religion or their culture differed from those of the West.

Missionaries also spread education and helped improve medicine in these countries. This meant people in these countries improved their knowledge of medicine, hygiene, and sanitation.

The “White Man’s Burden”

Dictionary Term • White Man's Burden• The phrase "white man's burden" referred to the

perceived responsibility of Europeans to civilize and Christianize the nonwhite people of the world. It was primarily used by the British to justify their colonization efforts, which were usually motivated by economics rather than the white man's burden.

The “White Man’s Burden” appeared in children’s books and even in advertisements of the time period.

• Text on bottom read “The first step towards lightening the White Man’s Burden is through teaching the virtues of cleanliness. Pear Soap is a potent factor in brightening the dark corners of the earth.:

Charles Darwin

• Theory of natural selection– Resources of the environment are

limited

– No two members of the same species are alike.

– Organisms that have useful traits reproduce in greater number, those that do not have those traits die off- survival of the fittest.

– Nature selects different traits at different times.

Social Darwinism• Many writers applied Darwin’s theory to sociology.

These theories became Social Darwinism.

“Within the human species, nations are locked in a struggle for survival. Everywhere, civilized nations are supplanting barbarous nations. Advanced civilization, obviously, has inherited valuable traits from its ancestors. Underdeveloped cultures, except in hostile climates, will soon die off. Therefore, natural order obligates powerful, civilized nations to appropriate the limited resources of the weak.”

Does it adhere to the principles of Darwin's theory? Why or why not?

Social Darwinism

• Josiah Strong, an influential American clergyman, wrote the following argument for expansion in 1897. Is it logical? How does it differ from the previous passage? Does it follow Darwin's line of reasoning?

• The two great ideas of mankind are Christianity and civil liberty. The Anglo-Saxon civilization is the great representative of these two great ideas. Add to this the fact of his rapidly increasing strength in modern times, and we have a demonstration of his destiny.There can be no doubt that North America is to be the great home of Anglo-Saxon power. It is not unlikely that before the close of the next century, this race will outnumber all other civilized races of the earth. But the widening waves of migration meet today on its Pacific coast. The unoccupied arable lands of the world are limited and will soon be taken.The time is coming when the pressure of population will . . . force the final competition of races. The United States will assert itself, having developed aggressive traits necessary to impress its institutions upon mankind. Can anyone doubt that the result of this competition will be the survival of the fittest?

• Cecil Rhodes (who is British) said- “ I contend that we are the first race in the world, and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race.”

• Gordon Sprigg( a politician in Cape Colony- South Africa) in referring to local tribes- “The Government feels that, like the rest of the natives in South Africa, you posses very much the character of children, and the Government knows that children cannot at all times be trusted

Rudyard Kipling 1865- 1936• A British author who

wrote about early colonial life in India.

• Supported imperialism.• Wrote “Jungle Book”

1895

His Poem • In February 1899 the poem appeared in an issue of

McClure’s Magazine • It was written to encourage the US to take up the

“burden” that other European countries had and colonize the Philippine Islands.

• The release of the poem coincided with the beginning of the Philippine- American War and the US Senate ratification of the treaty that placed Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines under US control.

• This poem became the slogan of imperialism.

• Read Rudyard Kipling: "The White Man's Burden" poem (1899) ,and answer the following questions:

• 1 What was "the white man's burden"?

• 2 What did Kipling mean by "exile"? What does that say about where they are going? 

• 3 Who were the "captives"?

• 4 What is meant by the phrase "To seek another's profit, And work another's gain"?

• 5 What does Kipling predict will happen "when your goal is nearest"?

• 6 What reward did Kipling suggest the "White Man" gets for carrying his "burden"?

• At the time, Kipling's peers debated the meaning of this poem—was it reflecting imperialistic or anti-imperialistic sentiments- Was he pro imperialism or against imperialism?  Reread the poem, and decide which interpretation you agree with. Then, making reference to specific excerpts from the poem, write a paragraph explaining your point of view.

• What Allowed the Europeans to take Control of Africa and Asia

Technological Advances

• The steam engine• Better transportation• Increased exploration• Improvements in communication

The steamboat Herald (with mounted machine guns) on the Zambezi river in Africa

One of the first steam engines

British troops fighting forces in Benin in 1897

The Maxim Gun

Remember?

“Whatever happens, we have gotthe Maxim gun, and they have not.”

When Africans rebelled, Europeans killed thousands of Yao, Zulu, Asante, Shona, Herero, and Maji-Maji people.

Ethiopia was the only exception…