Imperialism (1870-1914) Flashcards
old imperialism vs. new imperialism
OLD IMPERIALISM:
- 16th-18th c
- didn’t acquire overseas territories except in Americas, established colonies and trading stations
- largely respected and frequently cooperates with local rulers in India, China, Japan, and the Spice Islands (Indonesia)
- trade between locals and costal trading centers
NEW IMPERIALISM:
- colonized Africa and Asia
- used military force to take control of local governments
- exploited local economies
- imposed Western values on “backward” colonies
- spheres of influence (special commercial and legal priveleges without direct political involvement) or colonized outright
surplus capital
income level rises ==> invest surplus capital into domestic ventures
balance of power
nations used imperialism to maintain the European balance of power
white man’s burden
Rudyard Kipling, Western cultures have the duty to civilize backwards nations
Social Darwinism
some people/races are better fit for survival therefore they are better fit for ruling
Sepoy Mutiny
- 1857, mutiny of native troops against British East India Company, resulted in the transfer of power from the British East India Company to the British crown
- led by Hindu and Muslims who soldiers who believed their ammunition was forcing them to eat pig and cow fat
Cecil Rhodes
a wealthy industrialist who planned to build a railroad that crossed Africa (but didn’t), took natural resources from the continent without helping the locals/developing sustainable industry
Open Door Policy
- sponsored by the US in 1899
- urged Europeans to allow free trade with China
- wanted to open commerce to itself
Suez Canal
a vital link to Asia and India, the British established a protectorate in Egypt to have control over it.
The Boxer Rebellion
-uprising of Chinese nationalists against Western imperial powers, was put down
Opium Wars
- 1839-1842, 1856-1860
- British gained rights of extraterritoriality- to sell opium, to stay in China all year, and to trade without the co-Hong
Russo-Japanese War
- Japanese defeated the Russians in 1905 to win Korea
- this shocked the West
Colonialism
-the control of overseas colonies by imperialist powers
ITS END:
-westernized educational systems preached democracy ==> awakened nationalism
-self-determination espoused by allies after WWI
Berlin Conference
- 1885
- set up by Bismarck
- established rules to prevent disputes among the imperialists and encouraged the partition of Africa among European powers
Mahatma Ghandi
-led India in nonviolent resistance to achieve independence in 1948