Notes on Imperialism for Global History & Geography II.

1. Imperialism, 1850 - 1914

2. What is Imperialism?
• As European countries
industrialized, they needed
new markets and raw
materials to further improve
their economies.
(output=wealth!)
• In simplest terms, it is the
“domination and exploitation
of weaker states by stronger
ones.”

3. New Imperialism?
• Old imperialism was when
European nations
established colonies in the
Americas, India, and SE
Asia between 1500 and
1800.
• New imperialism was when
industrialized nations
focused on Asia and Africa
to expand their territories
between 1870 and 1914.
•
Prior to WWI

4. Justification:
(AKA reasons, rationale)
• Social Darwinism!
• Moral duty to pass on
European progress to the
less-advanced nonEuropeans
• (White Man’s Burden)
• Chance to “westernize” people
• Christianity!
• Best way to end slavery is
by helping them

5. Social Darwinism
• Applying Darwin’s theory of “survival
of the fittest” to human society
• It was natural for stronger nations to
dominate weaker ones.

6. White Man’s Burden
• Poem penned by
Rudyard Kipling
offered justification
for Imperialism
• Wrote it to remind
Americans of their
moral obligation to
educate lesser peoples
• It is the duty of all
white imperialists!

7. East India Company
• Since 1600s, East India Company
controlled Bombay, Madras, &
Calcutta to conduct trade ->
• British East India Company
governs directly the best
territory in India
• The company even had its own
army of Indian soldiers (sepoys)

8. Colonial Policies
• The British viewed
Indians as second class
citizens.
• Members of the Indian
Vaisya and Shudra
castes were servants to
British officers and their
families.
• Often showed disregard
for Hindu and Muslim
culture, exploit workers

9. Why was India valuable?
• India was “Jewel in the
Crown”- most valuable
of Britain’s colonies
• Valuable markets for
British goods, supplied
raw materials for
industrialized economy
• Plantation cash-crops
(tea, indigo, coffee,
cotton, OPIUM)

10. Sepoy Mutiny
• Cause - began when Indian
soldiers of the East India
Company (sepoys) were jailed
for refusing to accept rifle
cartridges that they believed
were greased with beef and
pork fat
• Cows are sacred to Hindus,
Muslims cannot eat pork
• Indians already mad at racism

11. Sepoy Mutiny
• Consequence - sepoys
rebelled and march on
Delhi, East India Company
takes over 1 year to
restore order.
• British government takes
over control of India from
E.I.Co.
• India now governed by a
British viceroy, with
authority from London

12. Berlin Conference
• 1884, in order to avoid
conflict among
themselves, European
leaders from 14 countries
met in Berlin, Germany
• Set up rules for colonizing
Africa
• Divided Africa with little
to no regard for the
people who lived there!

13. Boer War
• Dutch settlers
(Boer/Afrikaner) settled
in South Africa 1st, and
fought Zulus for control
of territory, 1700s
• British annexed the Boer
republics = Fight over
land, and British win 3
year war, despite heavy
losses
• Leaves feeling of hatred
in region

14. Resistance?
• Africans -> spears
• Europeans -> guns
• Enough said.
• Africans that were armed
with European guns (Menelik
II in Ethiopia) were able to
resist European domination

15. African Settlement
• In 1850, most of Africa had been free
• 70 years later, only Liberia and
Ethiopia were free.

16. China under the Qing
• Qing - Manchus from N.
China conquer Ming Dynasty
• Ethnocentrism - looked
down on all foreigners little interest in trading
with the West
• 1760 - restricted all foreign
trade to city of Canton
(Guangzhou)
• England was trading silver
for Chinese tea - specie
drain (running out of silver)

17. Qing Dynasty
• Had a Ministry of
Punishment to deal with
treatment of foreigners
• Westerners hated it
• British send Lord George
McCartney to Qing
emperor Qianlong to try
and expand trade
• NO - England has nothing
that China wants
(ethnocentrism!!!!)

18. Opium?
• Started to trade opium for
tea - stopped specie drain
• Opium is addictive, and
Chinese get hooked Prohibition Edicts in 1800
and 1813 make it illegal in
China
• But by 1835 - 12 million
hooked, & England
continues to trade it

19. • Cause - British
merchants ignored
China’s requests to stop
trading opium
• China confiscates a
shipment and dump it
into river, take a British
trade official hostage
• British are pushed from
Canton
Opium War!

20. Its on!
• British iron-clad ship Nemesis
blockades Canton, other ports,
then Nanjing (capital)
• Consequences - China suffers
humiliating defeat
• China forced to sign the Treaty
of Nanjing

21. Treaty of Nanjing
• 1) Treaty Ports - China forced to open new
ports to trade
• 2) fixed tariffs - low cost to trade
• 3) “most favored nation” status
• 4) Hong Kong - British property
• 5) indemnity - China must pay in silver the
cost of lost opium
• Other nations followed + extraterritoriality

22. Effects of Opium War
• Extraterritoriality:
Westerners could commit
crimes with impunity
• Western countries never
set up jails or courts
• Chinese grow to resent
foreigners, opium trade
they introduced

23. Reaction to
Europeans:
1st Take out the Qing!
• Taiping Rebellion - 1851-64 - led by Hong
Xiuquan, mili. & social movement tried to
overthrow Qing & estab. “Heavenly Kingdom
of Great Peace” - capture Nanjing in 1853
• Qing counterattacks backed by Western
tech. drive them out after 11 years - 20
million die

24. Boxer Rebellion
• China has internal
problems - food production
can’t keep up with pop.
• Widespread hunger
• Poor peasants resented
privileged foreigners,
Chinese Christians
• Rebelled against Qing
rulers, foreigners,
missionairies

25. Boxer Rebellion
• 1900-1901
• Slogan:“Revive the Qing,
destroy the foreign”
• Called Boxers due to
martial art practice
• Western military force put
down the rebellion
• Though defeated, Chinese
nationalism will emerge

26. Chinese Nationalism
• Sun-Yatsen (Sun Yixian)
• Led a secret movement
within the Chinese
military to overthrow
the Qing - succeeds in
1911 (Wuchang Uprising)
• His Revolutionary
Alliance becomes
Guomingdang (or the
Nationalists)

27. • Wanted to end foreign
domination
• Form a representative
govt
• Create economic
security for the Chinese
• Sun becomes President
of New Republic of
China, secures backing
by western countries
• End of Dynastic Cycle in
China
Sun Yat-sen