The Age of Imperialism 1850-1914 study guide summary chapters

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The Age of Imperialism 1850-1914 study guide summary chapters

Chapter 27 - The Age of Imperialism 1850-1914

Empire Building –

The Industrial Revolution gave European nations the necessary technology to dominate other people
During the 1800s - The European powers competed with one another to claim parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, India, and the Pacific

Economics –

The imperialists regarded their colonies as captive markets as well as sources of raw materials and trade goods
The colonizers (another word for imperialist) demanded production of cash crops as the expense of peasants own subsistence agriculture

Power and Authority

Colonizers were divided on the best method of rule

Britain and the U.S. ruled indirectly

Using local leaders and institutions

The French and others ruled the colonies directly

Using a central authority from France

Section 1 – Imperialists Divide Africa

Industrialized countries in Europe looked to countries in Africa and Asia as a source of raw materials and as markets for cloth, plows, guns, and other industrial products

Africa Before Imperialism

In the mid 1800s African people were divided into hundreds of ethnic and linguistic groups
Some had converted to Islam or Christianity while other followed traditional beliefs
There were more than 1,000 languages in Africa
Powerful African armies were able to keep the Europeans out of Africa for 400 years
As late as 1880 Europeans controlled only 10 percent of the continents land – mainly on the coast
Africans had a large and specialized trade network

Nations Compete for Overseas Empires

The Congo Sparks Interest

David Livingstone – a minister from Scotland went on a search in Africa for the source of the Nile River

Livingstone went missing for several years
Reporter Henry Stanley from U.S was sent to find him

1871 Stanley found Livingstone at Lake Tanganyika
1882 Stanley returns to Africa – the Congo River Valley with Treaties giving King Leopold II of Belgium personal account of the land
Leopold exploited the natural resource of the Rubber trees –

He forced Africans to collect sap from the rubber trees – which made it impossible for them to tend to their own food crops
Leopold abused the native Congonese population by excessive tax and forced labor

Belgium’s control of the Belgium Congo Sparked interest from the rest of Europe to claim land in Africa

Britain, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain would soon claim land in Africa

Motives Driving Imperialism

Economic, political, and social forces accelerated the drive to take over land in all parts of the globe
Imperialism - The takeover of a country or territory by a stronger nation with the intent of dominating the political, economic, and social life of the people of that nation

As European countries industrialized, they searched for new markets and raw materials to improve their economy

National pride and economic competition were two reasons why countries wanted to colonize

Europeans viewed an empire as a measure of national greatness

Europeans believed that they were better than other people because of their technological advancements

This belief was Racism – The idea that one race is superior to others
Social Darwinism – Charles Darwin’s ideas about evolution and survival of the fittest were applied to social change

Those who were fittest for survival enjoyed wealth and success and were considered superior to others
Non-Europeans were considered to be on the lower scale of cultural and physical development – because they did not have the technology that Europeans had

Europeans believed that they had the right and the duty to bring their technology to other lands
Missionaries also worked to Christianize the people of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands

Missionaries also wanted to ‘civilize’ ,‘westernize’ or modernize the people of foreign lands

European Motives for Imperialism

Nationalism
Economic Competition
European Racism
Missionary impulse

Forces Enabling Imperialism

External and internal forces contributed to the Europeans’ conquest of Africa
External Forces – created by Europeans’ technological superiority

Maxim Gun – 1889 First automatic machine gun

Africans were forced to rely on outdated weapons

The Railroads and Steamship

The invention of the steam engine allowed Europeans to easily travel upstream to establish bases of control – Railroads allowed for easy communication w/i a colony and between the colony and controlling nation

Cure for Malaria

Europeans were highly susceptible to Malaria – the drug quinine protected Europeans from attacks of the disease caused by mosquitoes

Internal Forces

Variety of cultures and languages

Discouraged Unity among the various nations of Africa

Lowe level of technology

Africans did not have the weapons or technology the Europeans had

Ethnic strife

Wars fought over land, water, and trade rights also prevented a unified stand

African Land Become European Colonies

The scramble for African Territory began in 1880

Berlin Conference Divides Africa

Competition over African land was so fierce that European countries feared war amongst themselves
To prevent fighting 14 European nations met at the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 to lay down the ground rules for the division of Africa

The nations agreed to:

Any European country could claim land in Africa by notifying other nations of their claims and showing they could control the area

They divided the rest of the continent with little thought to how African ethnic or linguist groups were distributed
No African ruler attended the Berlin Conference
By 1914 only Ethiopia and Liberia were free of European control

Demand for Product Shapes Colonies

Many Europeans thought that once they had colonized an area Africans would be buying European goods in large quantities

This did not happen

Europeans shifted to exploiting their African lands for raw materials and cash – crops such as peanuts, palm oil, cocoa, and rubber

These products displace the food crops grown by farmers to feed their families

The great source of wealth in Africa was its rich mineral resources – copper, tin, gold and diamonds

Three Groups Clash over South Africa

Africans, Dutch, and British clashed over land and resources

Zulu Expansion

From late 1700s to the late 1800s a series of local wars shook southern Africa
Shaka – a Zulu Chief used highly disciplined warriors and good military organization to create a large centralized state

He was unable to keep out the British and they ended up controlling South Africa in 1887

Boers and British Settle in the Cape

Dutch were the first Europeans to visit the Cape of Good Hope in 1652

Dutch Settlers known as Boers gradually took over native Africans’ land

British colonist and the Dutch Boers clashed on many issues (regarding land and slaves)

The Boers tried to escape British control by fleeing to the Northern part of South Africa – this fleeing is known as the Great Trek
Because of the fleeing of the cape the Boers went north and face opposition of the Zulus and other African groups whose land they were trying to take over because of their displacement

The Boer War

Diamonds and gold were discovered in South Africa in the 1860s and 1880s
Thousands of people flooded South Africa to claim fortunes
The Boers tried to keep them out but were not entirely successful – they blamed the British
The Boer Wars were between the British and the Dutch in 1899

Britain Won the war in 1902 and South Africa was controlled by the British

Section 2 - Imperialism – Case Study: Nigeria

In splitting up Africa Europeans paid little attention to historical political divisions such as kingdom or caliphates, or to ethnic and language groupings
Europeans wanted to control land, its people and their resources

Colonial Control Takes Many Forms

Forms of Colonial Control

Each European nationa had certain policies and goals for establishing colonies
Over time 4 forms of colonial control emerged:

Colony
Protectorate
Sphere of Influence
Economic Imperialism

Sometimes when trying to control an area a European nation would use multiple forms of Imperialism
Colony – A country or region governed internally by a foreign power

An example is Somaliland - (east Africa) – was a French Colony

Protectorate – A country or territory with its own internal government but under the control of an outside power

An example is the Niger River Delta – Britain established a Protectorate

Sphere of Influence – An area in which an outside power claims exclusive investment or trading privileges

An example is Liberia – Under the Sphere of Influence of United States

Economic Imperialism – Independent but less developed nations controlled by private business interests rather than by other governments

An example is – Dole Fruit company controlled pineapple trade in Hawaii

Patterns of Imperialist Management

European rulers need to develop methods of day-to-day management of the colony
Two forms of Internal management emerged:

Indirect Control (Britain, and the U.S)
Direct Control (France, and most of Europe)

Indirect Control

Indirect control relied on existing political rulers

Local officials handled most of the daily management of the colony

Each colony had a legislative council which included colonial officials along with local merchants and professionals
Characteristics of Indirect Control:

Local government officials were used
Limited self-rule
Goal: To develop future leaders
Government institutions are based on European styles but may have local rules

Examples:

British Colonies in Nigeria, India, and Burma

Direct Control

The French and other European powers preferred a more direct control of their colonies.
The Europeans developed a policy of paternalism – governing people in a fatherly way by providing for their needs but not giving them rights
Europeans brought in their own bureaucrats and did not train local people in European methods of government
French supported assimilation – in time the local populations would become absorbed into French culture
With time France realized that Africans would not assimilate to their culture and they settled with association
Characteristics of Direct Control:

Foreign officials brought in to rule
No Self Rule
Goal: Assimilation
Government institutions are based only on European Styles

Examples:

French Colonies in Somaliland, Vietnam
German colonies in Tanganyika
Portuguese colonies in Angola

African Resistance

Across Africa, European attempt to colonize the lands were met with resistance
With the single case of Ethiopia all of the attempts at resistance ultimately failed
The unsuccessful resistance attempts included active resistance and religious movements

Ethiopia: A Successful Resistance

Ethiopia was the only African nation to successfully resist the Europeans
Menelik II – Emperor of Ethiopia in 1889 credited with the successful resistance to Europe
He played Italians, French and British against each other – each wanted to colonize Ethiopia
He built up a large supply of modern weapons purchased from France and Russia
Menelik declared war with Italy over a misunderstanding of terminology in a treaty

At the Battle of Adowa – Ethiopian forces successfully defeated the Italians and maintained their national identity

Impact of Colonial Rule

European colonial rule forever altered Africans’ lives
For the most part the effects were negative, but there were some positive outcomes
Positive Outcomes

Colonialism reduced local warfare

Raids between rival tribes were reduced

Humanitarian efforts in some colonies improved sanitation and brought hospitals and schools

Life span increased and literacy rates improved

Economic Expansion

African Products came to be valued on the international market
Gained railroads, dams, and telephone and telegraph lines

Negative Outcomes

Africans lost control of their land and their independence
Many died of new diseases such as small pox
Thousands of Africans were killed in the resistance of Europe
Famines resulted from the change to cash crops in place of subsistence farming
Breakdown of their traditional culture

Traditional authority figures were replaced

The most troublesome political legacy from the colonial period was the dividing of the African continent

The artificial boundaries that combined or unnaturally divided groups created problems that plagued African colonies during European occupation – problems continue today

Section 3 Muslim Lands Fall to Imperialist Demands

The European powers who carved up Africa among themselves also looked elsewhere to see what other lands they could control

Ottoman Empire Loses Power

The Ottoman Empire at its peak stretched from Hungary in the North, through Greece around the Black Sea, south through Syria, and across Egypt all the way west to the border of Morocco

During the empire’s last 300 years it steadily declined in power

Reforms Fail

After 1566 the Ottoman’s had a series of week Sultans

Weakening power led to other problems

Corruption and theft led to financial problems
Money was devalued leading to inflation

The Ottoman Empire fell further and further behind Europe
1789 Selim III came to power and tried to modernize the army – people resisted and Selim was overthrown – reform was abandoned
Regions such as Greece and Serbia gained independence from the Ottoman Empire ins 1830

Europe took this as a sign of weakness and looked for ways to gain territory

Europeans Grab Territory

Geopolitics – an interest in or taking of land for its strategic location or products

Played an important role in the fate of the Ottoman Empire – world powers were interested in the Ottoman Empires strategic location

Ottoman’s controlled access to the Mediterranean and Atlantic sea trade

Russia and the Crimean War

Each Russian czar launched a war on the Ottomans to try to gain land on the Black Sea – (For trading purposes)
1853 War broke out between the Russians and the Ottomans – This war is known as the Crimean War – after a peninsula in the the Black Sea where most of the war was fought

Britain and France helped the Ottomans because they did not want Russia gaining any valuable land in the Empire

Britain, France, and the Ottomans defeated Russia

First war in which women led by Florence Nightingale were practicing nurses
Revealed the Ottoman’s military weakness
Despite help from France and Britain the Ottoman Empire lost lots of land

Egypt Tries Reform

Modernization came to Egypt as a result of the interest in the area created by the French Revolution

After Napoleon failed to win Egypt a new leader emerged: Muhammad Ali

Ali and his heirs were recognized as the hereditary rulers of Eygpt
Ali began a series of reforms in the military and in the economy

Shifted agriculture to a cash crop – cotton – bringing Egypt into the world marketplace

Mohammad Ali was followed by his Grandson – Isma’il

Isma’il supported the construction of the Suez Canal – The canal was a manmade waterway that cut through the Isthmus of Suez connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean

Isma’il’s modernization efforts were very expensive – Egypt was $450 million in debt
British insisted on overseeing financial controls of Egypt and in 1882 Britain occupied the country
The Suez Canal was important to Britain because it allowed Britain quicker access to colonies in Africa and Asia

Persia Pressured to Change

Russia and Britain competed to exploit Persia commercially and to bring that country under their own sphere of Influence
Britain’s interest in Persia increased greatly after the discovery of oil in 1908
Persia lacked the capital to develop its own resources

The Persian Ruler began granting concessions to Western businesses

Businesses earned the right to operate in certain areas or develop a certain product

Tension arouse between corrupt rulers, who wanted to sell concessions to Europeans, and the people

The people feared change and disliked Western influence
1906 a group of revolutionaries forced the ruler to establish a constitution
1907 Russia and Britain took over the country and divided it into spheres of influence

In Muslim lands, the European imperialists gained control by using economic imperialism and creating spheres of influence

Section 4 British Imperialism in India

British economic interest in India began in the 1600s

British Expand Control Over India

East India Company Dominates

The British government regulated the East India Company’s efforts both in London and in India
The East India Company had its own army led by British officers and staffed by Sepoys

Sepoys – or Indian Soldiers – Some British military leaders were worried that the Sepoys army could turn on them

‘Jewel in the Crown’ Produces Trade Products

India was a major supplier of raw materials during the industrial revolution
India was known as the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ – or the most valuable of all of Britain’s colonies because of raw materials and the large population of 300 million people to purchase British goods
British policies called for India to produce raw materials for British manufacturing and to buy British finished goods
India could not compete with British finished good products
India became economically valuable only after the British established a railroad network

Transported raw products from the interior to the ports and manufactured goods back to the interior
Plantations crops were grown in India – tea, indigo, coffee, cotton and jute

Impact of Colonialism

India both benefited from and was oppressed by British Colonialism
Positive Impacts:

British laid the third largest railroad network in India

Enabled India to develop a modern economy and brought unity to the connected regions

Modern road network, telephone and telegraph lines, dams, bridges and irrigation canals enabled India to modernize
Sanitation and public health improved
Schools and colleges funded

Literacy rates improved

British troops put an end to local warfare among competing local rules

Negative Impacts

Britain held much of the political and economic power
Emphasis on cash crops resulted in reduced food production – causing famines in the late 1800s

Indians Rebel

By 1850, the British controlled most of the Indian subcontinent

Many pockets of discontent about racism and control

Sepoy Rebellion

As economic problems increased for Indians, so did feelings of resentment and nationalism
Sepoy Army is informed that the new guns used cartridges that were sealed with beef and pork fat

Hindus believed that the cow is sacred and Muslims do not eat pork
Sepoys were outraged and 85 out of 90 refused to accept the new cartridges

These soldiers were jailed
May 10, 1857 the day after the Soldiers were jailed they rebelled
They captured the city of Dehli à The Rebellion then spread to Northern and central India à Rebellion is know as Sepoy Mutiny
Both sides Britain and India tried to slaughter each others army
It took a year for the East India company to regain control of the Country

Indians could not unite because of weak leadership and the split between Hindus and Muslims
Hindus did not want the Muslims to control India à Some Hindus preferred British rule to Muslim Rule

Turning Point

The mutiny marked a turning point in Indian History

Result of Mutiny:

1858 the British Government took direct command of India
The Raj – referred to the part of India that was under direct British Rule from 1757 - 1947

A cabinet minister in London directed policy and a British governor- general in India carried out the government’s orders

The Sepoy Mutiny fueled the racist attitude of the English
The mutiny increased the distrust between the British and the Indians

Indian Nationalist Movements Begin

In the early 1800s, some Indians began demanding more modernization and a greater role in governing themselves
Ram Mohun Roy – sometimes called the ‘Father of Modern India’ called for India to modernize

He saw to abolish widow suicide, child marriages and the rigid caste separation
He founded a social reform movement to change India

Besides modernization and westernization, nationalist feelings started to surface in India

Indians resented a system that made them second class citizens in their own country

Indians were barred from top positions in the Indian Civil Service
Indians were paid less than Europeans

Two nationalist groups were founded in India: The Indian National Congress in 1885 and the Muslim League in 1906

By 1900 these nationalist groups were calling for self government

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