the age of imperialism Flashcards
imperialism
a policy where a strong nation seeks to seize and dominate another territory or country politically, economically and/or socially for its own advantage
how did industrialization fuel this age of imperialism
industrialization fueled european desire for more resources and markets to sell their goods, towards the middle/end of the 19th century they began to look to africa/asia for those resources and markets
how was aftrica before european domination
africa was home to many hundreds of different ethnic tribes and linguistic groups, more then 1000 languages spoken, many followed traditional beliefs, some converted to Christianity or Islam, large empires to independent villages, African armies kept europeans out of Africa, europeans controlled only about 10% of African land
why had the europeans not colonized africa earlier
-had difficulty navigating african rivers
-discouraged by disease, unfriendly climate, and dangerous animals
-explorers, missionaries, humanitarians who opposed slave trade were some europeans who entered africa
who was dr. livingstone
david livingstone, a missionary, traveled into central Africa to promote Christianity. he disappeared for several years and was feared dead. a us reporter henry stanley was hired to find him. finally stanley found livingstone and these explorations sparked the interests of the belgian king
which beligan king colonized the congo
king leopold the second
how did he permit the africans to be treated
he sent in companies that brutally exploited the africans in the region by forcing them to collect sap from rubber plants. 10 million Africans had died. the control of this territory alarmed other European nations and soon france, Britain, Germany, and other began claiming parts of Africa for profit as well
what were the 3 forces driving imperialism
- industrial revolution- europeans wanted new markets/raw materials
- national pride, belief in European superiority- wanted to gain as much territory as possible for their own benefit. racism- many europeans believed their race was superior to others
- Christian missionaries- wanted to convert the peoples of asia, Africa, and the pacific islands to Christianity, believed their style of rule was the best way to end evil practices such as the slave trade
social darwinism-
the application of darwin’s ideas about evolution and “survival of the fittest” to human societies, reflects racism and national pride
what factors enabled imperialism
- the europeans were technologically superior (invention of automatic machine gun and steam engine, africans forced to rely on outdated weapons)
- Quinine- protected europeans from malaria
- africans huge variety of language and culture (discouraged unity and cooperation, the European divided and conquered)
what was the berlin congress
a meeting at which representatives of european nations agreed upon rules for the European colonization of Africa, no African ruler was invited
by 1914, only liveria nad ethiopia remained free from European control
what are crimes against humanity
a deliberate act, typically as a part of a systematic campaign, that causes human suffering or death on a large scale
what 3 groups clashed over south africa
zulus, boers, and the british
shaka
zulu chief who successfully fought off a British invasion by using his highly disciplined warriors to create a large centralized kingdom. however his successors couldn’t keep control of the land and eventually the zulu kingdom fell to the british
who were the boers
duch word for farmers. dutch had settled in south Africa at the cape of good hope and the British took over cape colony. boers calssed with British policy and boers moved north to escape the British and fought with zulus and other tribes to take their land
what caused the boer war
after moving to their new home, diamond and gold deposits were found on boer land. boers tried to keep “outsiders” out who were coming in to mine. an attempt to start a rebellion against the boers failed and they blamed the British. war begins between the British and boers
the boer war was the first of
the first modern “total” war, very brutal
outcome of the boer war
british eventually won and the boer republics were joined together in to the union of south Africa, controlled by the british
what are the 4 forms of imperialistic control
- colony- a country or territory with its own internal government but under the control of an outside power ex: french somililand
- protectorate- a country or territory with its own internal government but under the control of an outside power ex: British controlled nigeria
- sphere of influence- an area in which an outside power claims exclusive investment or trading privileges
- economic imperialism- an independent but less developed country controlled by private business interests rather than other governments ex: British east India company
2 forms of colonial management
- indirect control:
- local government officials in control locally
-limited self rule
-goal: to develop future leaders on a local level
- government institutions are based on European styles but may have local rule -ex: British colonies (nigeria, India, burma, us colonies on pacific islands) - direct control:
-foreign officials brought in to rule
-no self rule
-goal: assimilation
-paternalism
-ex: french colonies (somoliland, vietnam), german colonies
assimilation
government institutions are based only on european styles
paternalism
policy by the europeans where people were governed in a parental way, by providing for their needs, but not giving them rights
how did the british control nigeria
british gained control of southern nigeria through both military (force) and diplomatic (treaty) means
what form of imperialism was nigeria
the conquest of northern nigeria was completed economically by the Royal Nigeria Company as a protectorate
why was nigeria difficult for the british to govern
nigeria was one of the most culturally divers are of Africa, 250 different ethnic groups
why was nigeria ruled indirectly
british did not have enough troops to govern such a complex area, so it was ruled indirectly. this worked well with some of the groups but not others, who resented their power being limited by the british
why were most of the resistance efforts by the africans unsuccessful
europeans had superior technology and military power, all these revolutions failed except for ethiopia
how did the east africans try to resist the germans
the belief arose that people should unite against the germans and their superior weapons by using a new “war medicine”. it was believed that when this medicine (maji) was sprinkled on the body of a warrior, it would turn the german bullets to water
what leader helped ethiopia to remian independent
mellelik II, he played the italians, french, and British against eachother
how did ethiopia manage to stay independent
mellelik II had a stash of modern weapons and they won the battle of adowa against the italians
the negative affects of colonialism
-africans lost control of their land and independence
-many died from disease, resisting European rule, famine (forced more cash crops to be grown)
-breakdown of traditional African cultures
positivie affects of clonialism
-reduced local warfare
-humanitarian efforts (built hospitals, brought new medicines) increased lifespan and literacy rates
-african products came to be valued around the world
-europeans helped to modernize Africa overall
how did the ottoman empire lose power
had difficulty trying to fit into the modern world. after suleyman died, he was followed by a succession of weak sultans and by the 1830s greece and serbia gained independence from the ottomans
who was the last great ottoman sultan
sulyman I
geopolitics
an interest in taking land for its strategic location or products (cause of crimean war)
on factor that led to conflict between the russians, ottomans, British, and french
europeans were particularly interested in the ottoman territories that controlled access to the Mediterranean and atlantic
why did the europeans want the land possessed by the ottomans
controlled access to the mediterranean and atlantic
what were causes of the crimean war
- the russians wanted passage for its grain exports across the black sea into the Mediterranean
2.protection of Christian religious sites in the ottoman territories
- war broke out between the russians and the ottomans
-britian and France wanted to prevent the russians from gaining control of additional ottoman lands so they joined with the ottomans
why did russia try to gain land on the black sea
they wanted passages for their grain exports across the black sea into the mediterranean
which countries were aligned and fought in the crimean war
britain and france were aligned with the ottomansw