21
The Height of Imperialism
I The New Imperialism
A. 1800’s – Eur nations begin new push of imperialism – extension of a nation’s power over other lands
B. new phase of Western expansion – trade w/ Af & Asia began 19th c – these countries seen as new source of raw materials for Indus production & new markets for Eur’s manuf goods
C. “new imperialism” – not just content to have trading posts & agreements (as in past), but now they want complete control over territories
D. strong econ motive for W nations to search for colonies after 1880 ® wanted direct control of raw materials & mkts in Asia, Af, & Lat Am
E. Eur nations also acquired colonies to gain an advantage over their rivals looking for colonies & world power ® having colonies was national prestige as well
F. New imperialism tied to racism & Social Darwinism
1. to Soc Darwinists, imperialist Eur nations were simply exerting themselves in their struggle to survive (the fittest) – the losing nations were racially inferior nations ( erroneous conclusion)
2. others believed W nations had a moral or relg duty to “civilize” Asian, Af. & Lat Am nations – really meant to Christianize them
II Colonial Takeover in SE Asia
A. 1900 – almost all of SE Asia under W rule
B. Grt Brit – led way w/imperial colonialism
1. 1819 – Grt Brit founded a colony on the island of Singapore
2. due to age of steamships, Singapore became a major port for traffic to & from China
C. Brit moved deeper into SE Asia ® during next 2 decades, they took control of Burma (Myanmar) to protect possessions in India and have land route to S China
D. Fr, alarmed by Brit movement into SE Asia, developed interests in Vietnam
1. to keep Brit out of Vietnam, Fr forced ppl of Vietnam to accept protection (1857)
2. 1884, Fr seized Hanoi & made Vietnamese Emp into a Fr protectorate - a pol unit that depends on another gov’t for protection
3. In 1880’s, Fr extended control over Laos, Cambodia, Ann am, & Ton kin
E. final quarter of 19th c – Fr & Brit tried to make Thailand into colony – 2 rulers prevented:
F.
1. King Mongut ( The King and I) and
2. his son, King Chulalongkorn – both promoted friendly relations w/ Westerners & their way of life
3. Fr & Brit agreed to maintain Thailand as indep buffer state b/w their possessions
G. US naval forces under Commodore George Dewey defeated Sp in Manila Bay in Philippines & Pres Wm McKinley felt his moral duty to “civilize” that part of world
1. this would also keep Japan from colonizing Philippines
2. also serve as a mid-point in trade w/ China
H. many Filipinos objected to colonization – esp Emilio Aguinaldo – leader of indep movement who led guerrilla forces which fought agst US & Sp – US won
III Colonial Regimes in SE Asia
A. chief goal of W powers in colonies was to exploit natural resources & open mkts for W manuf goods – colonial powers ruled either directly or indirectly
B. Indirect rule – allowed local rulers & political elites to use their authority in cooperation w/ the goals of W parent country – this approach was preferred route b/c made ruling easier & less costly
C. Esp when local elites resisted foreign conquest, indirect rule was not practicable
1. in these cases, new officials from mother country put in charge of taxes, law & order, & other gov’tal matters
2. this is direct rule - Brit used this in Burma & abolished the monarchy
D. Fr used direct & indirect rule in Indochina – it imposed direct rule in S provinces of Mekong delta which was ceded to Fr as colony after 1st war 1858 to 1862 – but in N parts of Vietnam, Fr used indirect rule (protectorate)
E. W powers often justified conquests by arguing they brought civilization & development – but they often feared indigenous ppl’s gaining political rights – natives might want full participation in gov’t or independence
F. Colonial powers did not want their colonists to develop their own industries – thus the parent countries stressed exporting raw materials ( teak, rubber, tin, spies, tea, coffee, sugar, & others)
G. In many places, native ppl worked as wage laborers on plantations owned by foreign investors – plantation owners kept wages at poverty level and made conditions horrible for workers – to add insult, colonial gov’ts levied taxes on the peasants
H. Colonial rule did bring benefits to SE Asia – began modern econ system & improved infrastructure ® expanded exports developed an entrepreneurial class in rural areas ( most of export profits went to mother country)
IV Resistance to Colonial Rule
A. initial resistance to col rule came from the ruling classes among the subject ppls – sometimes resistance took form of peasant revolts – peasants often driven of land to make way for plantation agriculture
B. Early resistance movements overcome by W powers
1. 20th c – new form of resistance emerged – based on nationalism
2. leaders often were a new class created by colonial rule: westernized intellectuals in cities
C. these new leaders were part of new urban middle class – merchants, clerks, students, & professionals ( they had been educated in W schools, spoke W languages, & knew W customs)
1. at first, resistance movements organized to protect relg traditions & econ interests
2. 1930’s – resistance movements began to demand national independence
Sect 2
I West Africa
A. Eur’s did not hesitate to deceive Af’s in order to get land & nat resources
B. Driven by rivalries, Eur (Grt Brit, Fr, Germ, Belg, It, Sp, & Port) placed all of Af under Eur rule b/w 1880 & 1890
C. W Af – particularly affected by slave trade – it only declined after declared illegal in Grt Brit & US – abolished in all major countries by 1890’s
D. After slavery, Eur took interests in other forms of trade ® traded manuf goods for: peanuts, timber, hides, & palm oil
1. early 19th c – Brit est settlements along Gold Coast & in Sierra Leone
2. growing presence in W Af caused tensions w/local Af gov’ts who feared for their indep
E. 1874 – Grt Brit annexed (to incorporate a country w/in a state) the west coastal states as the 1st Brit colony of Gold Coast – it then est a protectorate over warring Nigerian groups
F. Fr controlled the largest part of W Af and Germ controlled Togo, Cameroon, Germ SW Af, & Germ E Af
II North Africa
A. Egypt – part of the Ottoman Emp, but in 1805 an officer in Ottoman army named Muhammad Ali seized power & est a separate Egyptian state
B. Ali introduced a series of reforms to modernized Egypt – improved army, set up a public school system, & helped create small industries
C. Growing econ importance of Nile Valley & devl’mt of steamships gave Eur’s desire to build a canal east of Cairo to connect Mediterranean & Red Seas
1. 1854 – a Frenchman named Ferdinand de Lesseps signed a contract to build canal
2. Suez Canal – was completed in 1869
D. Grt Brit - bought Egypt’s share in Suez C – then in 1881, Brit suppressed a revolt agst foreign influence, & Egypt became a Brit protectorate 1914
E. Brit believed they should control Sudan (south of Egypt)
1. Muslim cleric Muhammad Ahmad seized control of Sudan & defeated Brit military force under Gen. Charles Gordon, 1885
2. Brit army wiped out at Khartoum & Gordon died in battle
3. Brit then seized the Sudan in 1898
F. Fr – had colonies in N Af ® about 150,000 in 1879 settled region of Algeria – Fr est control & made Morocco & Tunisia protectorates
G. Italy joined competition for N Af – tried to take over Ethiopia – but Ethiopian forces defeated It’s in 1896 – B/C of humiliation, It tried again in 1911 – they seized Turkish Tripoli & renamed Libya
III Central Africa
A. Eur explorers had generated interest in dense tropical jungles of C Af
B. David Livingstone – one such explorer who arrived in Af 1841 & trekked through unexplored interior for 30 yrs.
1. when he disappeared for a while, the New York Herald sent a young journalist to find him
2. when Henry Stanley found him, he said, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.”
C. although Stanley claimed he disliked the place, he stayed – in 1870’s he sailed down Congo River
1.encouraged Brit to send settlers to Congo R basin
2.when Brit refused, Stanley turned to King Leopold of Belg
D. Kg Leopold – real driving force behind colonization of C Af
1. Kg hired Stanley to set up Belg settlements in Congo
2. Now Belg’s vast territories in Congo worried other Eur states
E. Fr esp rushed to gain territories in C Af – while Belg ended up w/ terr around Congo, Fr occupied terr’s farther to north
IV East Africa
A. 1885 – Brit & Germ had become chief rivals in E Af
1. at first Bismarck ( has not been removed yet ) downplayed importance of colonies
2. he became convert to colonialism after more Germ’s called for a Germ Emp
B. Germ – one of many Eur nations interested in E Af colonies
1. 1884-1885 – Berlin Conference, the major Eur powers divided up E Af, giving recognition to Germ, Brit, & Port claims
2. the only thing is that there were NO Af delegates at the conference – HOW FAIR WAS THAT?!
V South Africa
A. Eur presence in Af grew most rapidly in south ® by 1865, 200,000 white ppl moved to So Af
B. Boers – also called Afrikaners – were descendants of original Dutch settlers who occupied Cape Town in So Af in 7th c
1. after Brit seized lands, Boers fled to escaped Brit rule
2. they went north & est indep free republics of Transvaal (later So Af Republic) and the Orange Free State
3. Boers believed white supremacy ordained by God, so they put indigenous ppls on reservations
C. Boers frequently battled the Zulu – the indigenous ppl – who had risen to great power under ruler Shaka, but were later defeated by Brit
D. 1880’s, Brit policy in So Af influenced by Cecil Rhodes who set up diamond mine & gold companies that made him wealthy and thus the name of the terr N of Transvall was named Rhodesia after himself
E. Rhode’s ambitions led to downfall 1896 (should have paid attention in history class about being greedy)
1. he planned to overthrow Boer gov’t of So Af Rep w/out Brit approval ( What was he thinking?)
2. the Brit forced him to resign prime minister of Cape Colony
3. this led to conflict b/w Brit & Boers and then war
F. Boer War – fought from 1899 to 1902 that was bloody and costly in terms of life
1. fierce guerilla resistance by Boers angered Brit who retaliated by burning crops
2. Brit also herded 120,000 Boer women & children into detention camps where 20,000 died
G. 1910 – Brit created indep Union of So Af, combining Cape Colony & the Boer republics – a self-governing nations w/in the Brit Emp AND to appease Boers, only whites & a few propertied Af’s could vote
VI Colonial Rule in South Africa
A. 1914 – only Liberia, created by freed United States slaves, and Ethiopia were Af nations free of Eur domination b/c native armed forces had been devastated by superior Eur forces
B. Brit – relied on existing pol elites & institutions to govern its colonies
1. indirect rule had its advantages – interfered much less w/ their traditions & customs
2. HOWEVER – most decisions came from mother country & local rulers endorsed to support their power
3. system – sowed seeds of later class & tribal tensions among native ppls
C. most other Eur gov’ts used direct rule in Af ® Fr appointed a governor-general & set up colonial bureaucracy
D. Fr ideal was to assimilate Af ppls – they did not want to preserve Af traditions
VII Rise of African Nationalism
A. new class of Af leaders emerged 20th c – they were mostly intellectuals who knew about West
1. they were educated in colonial or Western schools
2. they admired W culture & wanted the W ideas and institutions implemented b/c superior in many ways
B. these same ppl resented foreigners & their contempt for Af
1. they saw gap b/w W democratic theory & then W colonial practice (hypocrisy?)
2. Af’s had little chance to participate in colonial institutions & many lost farms for jobs in sweatshops or plantations
C. middle-class Af’s also had much to complain about – they had menial jobs in gov’t or bureaucracy & paid much less than whites – b/c Eur’s segregated most of society, it allowed for further degrading (“boy”)
D. During 1st quarter 20th c – resentment turned to action where educated natives began to organize pol parties & movements to end foreign rule
Section 3
I The Sepoy Mutiny
A. 18th c – Brit power while Mogul power and one such country that Brit rule was strong was in India through the East India Company
1. had its own soldiers and forts to protect and rule
2. also hired Indian soldiers, called sepoys – to protect the company’s interests
B. 1857 – Indians revolted agst Brit ® Sepoy Mutiny or Great Rebellion as known to Brit and to Indians known as First War of Independence