6.2 Flashcards
State Expansion
Definition of Imperialism
When an empire extends power/influence into another nation using force or diplomacy
The Scramble for Africa
Imperialism efforts for Africa increased tension and conflict between imperialistic states, and a war was impending. Otto Von Bismark of Germany organized the Berlin Conference in 1884, where European leaders discussed and established imperialistic boundaries so that war between them would be avoided.
These colonial boundaries separated unified African societies and mashed together rival African societies, and therefore was a source of colonial unrest in Africa.
General imperialism in Africa
Previous to the 19th century: European influence was largely restricted to trading posts.
The British (and Europeans in general) desired a shorter sea-based route to Asia, so the Suez Canal was constructed and completed in 1869.
France drove the Ottomans from Algeria in 1830, and established a settler colony. This led to the mass immigration of French, Spanish and Italian people to Algeria.
Suez Canal
Built in 1869 as a result of European desires for a shorter sea-based route to Asia. Went across Egypt, connected the Mediterranean and Red Sea.
In 1882, the British seized control of the Suez Canal from the Ottomans as a result of unrest and conflict in that area.
British imperialism in Africa
Colonies in: Sierra Leone, Lagos, Gambia, Gold Coast
British already had diplomatic and mutually beneficial agreements with African leaders due to interaction from previous centuries, but when they began to expand they encountered resistance from Africans. So, they resorted to military force.
What is a settler colony?
A colony where residents of the imperial state move and live there permanently
Belgian imperialism
Major imperialistic efforts began around 1875 in the Congo. King Leopold II took personal authority over the Congo; this meant that it was not officially a “state” colony. He got super rich off of brutal policies that exploited the indigenous populations (people of the Congo = the Congolese).
- forced labor to collect ivory and rubber caused over 8 million deaths
Pictures of mutilated children circulated to Europe and sparked outrage and a scandal, so the Belgium state officially took control of the Congo in 1908, and conditions improved slightly.
British imperialism in India
British East India company claimed more territory from the weakened Mughal Empire, conquered India entirely. Originally, they used British troops to expand, but then they used sepoys as their efforts expanded.
What are sepoys?
Indian soldiers/troops operating under the authority of foreign leaders (especially seen through British imperialistic expansion in India)
Imperialism in China
Qing Dynasty.
Economic imperialism, not political imperialism.
China was unstable due to internal rebellions and natural disasters of the time. Western powers demanded trading rights with China, and China agreed given their military weakness in comparison.
Due to the large trade deficit between Britain and China (as the British were buying large sums of silk, tea, porcelain, spices, and the Chinese weren’t buying British goods in bulk), the British began importing opium to the Chinese population. This became an epidemic of addiction, and as Qing authorities cracked down on the illegal sale of opium (especially under Lin Zexu) the Opium Wars were waged. Britain won, due to their industrialized military, and demanded unequal trading rights. Other European powers saw this and began carving out spheres of influence in China as well, where particular European entities had exclusive trading rights and the ability to buy Chinese land as well as travel freely. Moreover, these agreements stifled China’s development of industrial society, because European manufactured goods were flooding into their economies and competing with their own. Also, the sale of opium in China altered it’s economic position as a “silver drain”, as now, they were exporting large amounts of silver to obtain the drug.
Japan
Japan became a colonizer, largely due to the Meiji Restoration. This gave them power and the desire for raw materials, and they expanded into:
- Korea
- Pacific Islands
- Southeast Asia
- Pieces of China
Dutch colonization
Southeast Asia: the Dutch East India company.
The Dutch East India Co. was corrupt, and did not last long; it was taken over by the Dutch government
British colonization in New Zealand and Australia
Australia: penal colony, where the British put their convicts beginning in 1788. Australia was completely conquered by the 1820s.
It later became a generic settler colony when regular people moved there bc of:
- the realization that Australia’s climate was desirable for the production of wool
- the discovery of gold and copper under the surface of the ground
New Zealand: settler colony, indigenous people called the Maori.
The Maori were separated intentionally by the British, who desired that they live in a separate sphere from the Europeans. The Maori tribes untied and rebelled in the New Zealand Wars and lost, which led to resentment towards the colonizers.
U.S. Imperialism
1st Wave: in the Americas
- Manifest Destiny: the belief that God had appointed American land to the U.S., so they could justifiably take it
- Pushed westward, gained territory from Pacific to Atlantic
- Natives resisted but never succeeded
*1830: U.S. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act
2nd Wave: overseas imperialism, late 19th century
- Spanish-American War of 1898: the U.S. won the Philippines, Guam, Cuba, and Puerto Rico
Indian Removal Act
Passed by U.S. Congress in 1830. Designed to remove Native Americans from the East and put them in Midwest reservations, known as the “Trail of Tears” due to the abuse and death of the journey
