Late-19th Century European Imperialism

The New Imperialism

• Industrial demand for raw materials

• Heated business rivalries for new markets

• Entrance of new colonial powers: USA, Japan, Germany

• Rudyard Kipling: “White Man’s Burden”

– Western nations’ duty to civilize others

– Bring Christianity, prosperity, dress, social customs, education, behavior

Scramble for Africa (by 1914)• Industrialism drove

demand for raw materials: palm oil, cotton, rubber, cocoa, metals, diamonds

• Europeans connected political control and economic control: conquest

• Alarmed Bismarck called for 1885 Berlin conference:

– Coastal settlements guaranteed rights to internal territory

– Strictly linear dissections of continent, irrespective of national or ethnic boundaries

Asia by 1914

The Raj: Britain in India• Originally, Britain colonized India for

commercial results only• East India Company sought profits

in laissez faire political attitude• Gradually EIC increased influence

and control:– Railroads– Taxation– Colonial army

• Many wealthy Indians profited hugely from trade

• 1857 Sepoy Mutiny took Delhi, but was crushed by UK

• UK took direct control of India• 1876: Victoria crowned empress of

India

The Boer Wars: 1899-1902• Cecil Rhodes: prime minister of

Cape Town colony• Transvaal was a part of the

colony controlled by Boers, Dutch descendents

• Rhodes led raid into Transvaal to defeat Boers and assert British control; Boers defeated Rhodes

• UK sent large military presence to defeat Boers

• 1902: Defeated Boers, but at huge cost of lives and national English demoralization due to realization of colonial brutality

Europeans in China• Bloody civil war in 1840-1864 caused

Qing dynasty to enlist UK and French help

– 20 Million Chinese died– At end, UK and France controlled

much of Chinese customs service– Unlimited European access to

China• 1900: Boxer Rebellion

– “Boxers” = Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists

– Believed ritual boxing would protect them from evil and bullets

– Encouraged by Qing ruler, Boxers killed European missionaries and Chinese Christians

– Europeans powers crushed uprising

• Sun Yat-Sen overthrew discredited Qing dynasty in 1911, weakening European presence in China

Paradoxes of Imperialism• Although designed to make

European nations more economically secure, imperialism intensified distrust in international politics and thus threatened everyone.

• Imperialism was claimed to bring great riches, but cost of empire was great

• Empire created jobs for Europeans in port cities and colonies, but cost all taxpayers for military, navy bureaucracy

• Professed opportunity for international study, but Europeans were usually tinged with heavy bias against colonized cultures