New Imperialism

Search for raw materials and new markets

Economic motives for the New Imperialism

Industrialized weapons

Military technological advancements that allowed the industrialized countries to dominate & take over territories

Nationalism

Devotion and pride to one's nation that drove European powers to compete for colonies, resources, and dominance

Social Darwinism

The application of ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies - particularly as a justification for imperialist expansion

Missionary Zeal

The desire to Christianize, educate, and westernize Asian and African peoples - another factor that drove imperialist expansion in the 19th century

European view of imperialism & the natives

Often saw themselves as bringing civilization and progress to the "backward" or "savage" native populations they encountered, justifying their subjugation and exploitation

Divide-and-rule policy

Used to maintain control over colonies by exploiting existing ethnic, tribal, or religious rivalries among native populations; examples: Hindus & Muslims in British India - favoring one group over the other at different times, favoring the Tutsi minority over the Hutu majority in Rwanda, favoring the Arab-Muslim north over black African south in Sudan.

Belgian Congo

Suffered from exploitation, forced labor, violence, and systematic abuse under the harsh regime of King Leopold II and later Belgian administration

Gandhi's method of protest

Nonviolent resistance, also known as satyagraha or "truth-force." His approach involved using peaceful means such as civil disobedience, boycotts, strikes, and fasting to challenge injustice and oppression.

Australian government's policy of forced removal of Indigenous children

Aimed at assimilating Indigenous or half-caste children into white Australian society by placing them in government-run institutions or with white foster families, with the belief that they would be better off separated from their families and culture. The government justified these actions based on racist ideologies and a desire to eliminate Aboriginal culture and identity.

Positive Impact of Colonial Rule

Reduced local warfare, introduction of modern schools, sanitation, industrialization, & advanced technology, building of infrastructure like ports, dams, irrigation, railroad & telegraph lines

Negative Impact of Colonial Rule

Lost independence, new diseases, forced labor, famine, racism, segregation, new artificial boundaries, communal tensions, eradication of tradition and culture