Europeanexpansionism.
- Early travel and trade
Europe wanted spices and silks from India and China. Until 1453 these were brought overland but, at that date, the Turks conquered Constantinople and closed the trading route.
The new trading route was by sailing ship around Cape Horne in the south of Africa. In order to make safe stopping places on this long journey, nations such as England and Portugal established informal communities along the coasts of Africa. They did not formally “take possession” at this stage.
- Discovery of America
At this time, people began to challenge the idea that the world was flat and brave sailors from Portugal and Spain sailed west to try to get to India and China by a shorter route. They discovered another continent – America. Spain and Portugal established colonies in the south where they found gold, silver, sugar and tobacco Britain and France competed for ownership of the North. Unfortunately European settlers took their diseases to the New World and much of the native population died. To work on the sugar and tobacco plantations they began to import slaves.
3. Colonising Africa and Asia
The United States won independence from England in 1776 and Spain and Portugal lost their American colonies at the beginning of the 19thC but European countries began to formalize their possessions in Africa and Asia. Italy was formally declared a united country in 1861 and Germany in 1871 and these countries also began to look for possessions abroad.
European countries had all experienced tremendous industrial growth in the 18thC and wanted to sell their products to new markets.
The Suez Canal was opened in 1869 making a shorter route to India and China. Britain wanted to protect this route and settled colonies in East Africa.
Steamships became faster and more economical. Railways opened up communication. (1st railroad in Argentina - 1857.)
Telegraph cables were laid to allow quick international communication (by Morse code).
4.Other reasons for the growth of Empires.
a) Advance in weapons. The rifle and the machine gun made victory easy.
b) Advance in communications made it easy to move wealth, troops and resources.
c) Tidal mood of mankind.
Racialism – superiority of Europeans – need to take civilization to inferior races.
Christian missionaries went to share the gospel.
Darwin’s ideas – strong is best. Europe was strong. They had a right to survive!
War is good to purify – both to eradicate the enemy and to clean away degeneracy in the soldiers.
d) Social and Political mood.
People wanted adventure stories from the great explorers. They wanted to feel the nation was advancing over the world.
The economy needed new markets.
e) Advances in tropical medicine made travel possible. E.g. cholera vaccine developed in 1892.
f) Sometimes they occupied countries just to stop others taking them!
5.European nations competed for new colonies.
1851 Great Exhibition, Crystal Palace, London. Many countries were invited to display new manufacturing and industry. It was really designed to show how advanced England was.
1884-1885 Berlin Conference. To ease the tension of competition, Bismark (Germany) called a meeting in Berlin to divide up Africa between Britain, France, Germany and Belgium. Italy was allowed only Libya and Abyssinia.
In 1870 1/10 of Africa was colonized. In 1900 only 1/10 was still free!
Britain owned 1/5 of the world’s land surface.
This competition abroad stopped them fighting at home but by 1904 there was no room left abroad for expansion and they began to compete at home. This eventually lead to “The Great War” (later known as the 1st World War).