Imperialism

Admit Slip• You are a factory owner in Britain during the 1800’s (during

the Industrial Revolution). Your factory is in charge of manufacturing desks, doors, tables, and chairs (anything made of wood). Sales have recently declined due to a decrease in the amount of raw materials (lumber) used to make the finished products. In addition to the shortage of lumber, a shortage of coal in your region has caused your business to cut back production as well.

1.) Discuss in your groups what would be your plan to fix the issue described in the passage above?

Imperialism• Imperialism occurs when a strong nation takes over a weaker

nation or region and dominates its economic, political, or cultural life.

• The stronger nation usually takes advantage of the weaker nation because the weaker nation has something (resources, strategic geographic location) the stronger nation needs.

• This type of foreign policy was practiced by European nations and Japan throughout the 1800s and early 1900s.

• In every case, a nation would experience industrialization prior to practicing imperialism on a foreign nation or region.

• This was due to the nearly greedy demand for cheap raw materials and the need for markets to buy manufactured goods.

Industrial Roots• Abundant raw materials and vast markets are needed in order

to maintain an industrialized economy.• Raw materials such as iron and cotton can be turned into

products such as steel and textiles.• Finally, these products need to be sold to a market in order to

turn a profit.• The forces of industrialization caused nations to begin looking

outside of their borders for cheaper and more abundant raw materials.

• Foreign populations were also viewed as vast markets where goods produced in domestic factories could be sold.

Imperialism

Causes of Imperialism• Nationalism and Social Darwinism• Nationalism- promotes the idea of national superiority.• Imperialists felt that they had a right to take control of countries

that they viewed as weaker.• Social Darwinism was the idea of “survival of the fittest”, that it

was natural for stronger nations to dominate weaker nations.• Military Motives• Military motives were linked to nationalism, since military power

was a way to promote a nation’s goal.• Colonies (weaker countries) could be used as military bases for

trading and navy ships.• A nation with many colonies had power and security.• The more colonies a nation had, the more powerful they looked

to the world.

Causes of Imperialism• Economic Motives• Imperialists needed raw materials to supply their factories.• They needed foreign markets in which to sell their finished products.• They also needed places to invest their profits.• Colonies could provide all of these things.

• White Man’s Burden• Rudyard Kipling’s poem “White Man’s Burden” offered justification for

imperialism.• Kipling expressed that white imperialists had a moral duty to educate

people in nations they considered to be less developed.• Imperialists spread western ideas, customs, and religions to people in

Africa and Asia.• Some interpreted this poem to mean that it was the duty of

imperializing nations to bring western culture and sensibility to the savage native populations that were encountered in far off lands.

Summary of Causes

Summary of Causes

Imperialism in India• During the 1700s, a joint-stock company called the British East

India Company was chartered by Queen Elizabeth I of England.• The British East India Company controlled most of India during

the period of imperialism. • This company controlled the political, social, and economic life

in India for more than 200 years. • The company’s main objective was to make a profit for

shareholders by exploiting the abundant natural resources and gaining access to the markets in India.

• To do this, the British East India Company successfully used “divide and conquer” tactics to increase their control over entire regions of India.

• At the time, both Muslims and Hindus were living in India, and were employed as soldiers (Sepoys) by the British.

Sepoy Mutiny• So……..there are native peoples of India (Muslim and Hindu)

fighting in the British Army.• In 1857, tensions rose when the Sepoys became angry at the

British military leaders for demanding that they follow rules that were against their religious beliefs.

• The rifle cartridges that were distributed to the Sepoys had to be bitten to remove a cover before being inserted into a gun.

• Rumors circulated among the Sepoys that this cover had been greased with beef and pork fat.

• This angered Muslim Sepoys who were not supposed to consume pork, and the Hindu Sepoys who were not supposed to eat beef.

• The Sepoys rebelled against the British, however the Sepoys were easily defeated.

Result• The Sepoy Mutiny left bitter feelings• It caused the British to change their Imperialistic policies.• No longer was the British East India Company ruling over

India, now the British Government took direct command of India.

Scramble for Africa• In the 1870’s, King Leopold of Belgium sent a mission to the

interior of Africa to establish trade agreements with leaders in Africa.

• This act set off a scramble among other European powers to establish their presence in Africa.

Berlin Conference• In 1884, to avoid conflict among themselves, European leaders

met in Berlin, Germany, to set up rules for colonizing Africa.• European powers divided Africa with little regard for the

people who lived there, and no respect for ethnic boundaries

Battle for Southern Africa• An African leader named Shaka Zulu organized warriors to

fight against the European slave traders and ivory hunters.• The Zulus, as they were called, fought against a group of Dutch

farmers called the Boers.• The Zulus eventually came into conflict with the British as well.• The Zulus experienced victory in 1879, however were crushed

soon thereafter by the British and their superior weaponry• Other groups in Africa resisted the imperialistic efforts of the

Europeans.Boer War• War fought between the British and Boers (Dutch Farmers) over

land (British wanted to annex the Boer owned Cape Colony)

Imperialism in China• In the early 1800’s Britain was trading partners with China.• Britain was very dependent on tea, which they received from

China.• China was unhappy however because Britain did not have

anything of value to trade in exchange for the tea.• Britain had to find a product that China would view as valuable

to continue this trade relationship• To solve this trade imbalance Britain imported opium,

processed from poppy plants grown in the Crown Colony of India, into China.

Opium War• Chinese officials attempted to ban the importation of the

highly addictive opium, but ultimately failed. • The British declared war on China in a series of conflicts called

the Opium Wars.• Superior British military technology allowed them to claim

victory and subject the Chinese to a series of unequal treaties.

Unequal Treaties

Treaty of Nanjing• According to the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, the Chinese were to:• Reimburse Britain for costs incurred fighting the Chinese • Open several ports to British trade • Provide Britain with complete control of Hong Kong • Grant extraterritoriality to British citizens living in China

Extraterritoriality- A policy that guaranteed European citizens in China were only subject to the laws of their own nation and could only be tried by their own courts.

Spheres of Influence• Eventually several European nations followed suit, forcing China to sign a series of

unequal treaties. • Eventually western nations weary of governing foreign lands, established spheres of

influence within China which guaranteed specific trading privileges to each nation within its respective sphere.

Chinese ReactionTaiping Rebellion• Chinese citizens were disgusted with the lack of effort from the Chinese

government.• The government did little in ridding China of opium or foreign influence

after the Opium Wars (spheres of influence)• Citizens were additionally angered by the extraterritoriality granted to

non-Chinese citizens living in China.• Peasants became furious because of their poverty and the corrupt

officials of the Qing and Manchu Dynasty• So…… Chinese peasants fought back in an event known as the Taiping

Rebellion.

Taiping Rebellion- A revolt by the people of China against the ruling Manchu Dynasty because of their failure to deal effectively with the opium problem and the interference of foreigners (spheres of influence).

Chinese ReactionBoxer RebellionIn 1900, in what became known as the Boxer Rebellion (or the Boxer Uprising), a Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there. The rebels, referred to by Westerners as Boxers because they performed physical exercises they believed would make them able to withstand bullets, killed foreigners and Chinese Christians and destroyed foreign property. From June to August, the Boxers invaded the foreign district of Beijing (then called Peking), China’s capital, until an international force that included American troops subdued the uprising. By the terms of the Boxer Protocol, which officially ended the rebellion in 1901, China agreed to pay more than $330 million in reparations.

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