Imperialism

Imperialism

 extending power over foreign nations

Colony

country or territory governed internally by foreign power

Protectorate

• country or territory with its own internal government but under the control of outside power.

Sphere of Influence

• area in which an outside power claims exclusive investment or trading privileges.

Economic Imperialism

• foreign power controls a less developed nation’s economy through private business interests.

Motives

• Economic gain/access to raw materials.

• Geopolitics/significance of area geographically

• Racism/idea of being superior race/civilizing mission.

• Religion/spreading ideas by force/connecting to civilizing

• Nationalism/belief that their Nation is the best and should spread across the world.

Tools of Imperialism

• Technological advancements and advantages (industrialization)

• First machine gun. Popular in militaries in Europe

• Steam engine powers steamboats, transport armies + weapons to far away lands

• Better communication, conquer + maintain control

• New medicines, Quinine, allowed them to survive diseases in tropical areas that used to kill them. Able to go further inland.

• Maintain control through bureaucracy (different departments for different areas)

• Taxes taken from colonies

• Control cultures/ideas taught in schools. Teaching inferiority.

Mughal Empire: 1526-1857

empire before British rule in India. They were a gunpowder empire. Descendants of Mongols.

British East India Company

chartered by England to run India. Joint stock company.

•  Multiple investors. Publicly owned, not by gov. but kind of operated that way. 1

• 700: largest company in the world. No laws on how they could operate in India. 

• Monopoly in trade in India. Only buyers and sellers basically. 

• Built their own army, hired sepoys, Indian people in the army. Involved in politics.

• Economic imperialism.

• Lost last strong Mughal leader. They take power w/ military + political connections.

Battle of Plassey 1757

BEIC (3,000 men) vs. bengali forces and French (50,000)

Result: company wins. Rain ruined bengali gunpowder.

Impact on India

India started rich and ended up impoverished.

• Start: Industrialized and sold luxury goods in global trade, textile manufacturing, shipbuilding. Dominant country.

• After: British wanted to profit from their economy. Exclusive buyers from India, collected taxes. British companies want less competition, so 80% tariff (tax on imported goods) and deindustrialization of India. Factories destroyed. India’s economy ruined, unable to trade with other countries.

Regulating Act of 1773

increased supervision of what company was doing. After American Revolution, the focus was on India, the most important colony. “Jewel in the Crown”

Pitt’s India Act (1784)

Britain made BEIC part of the British government to give them more control over India. 

Doctrine of Lapse

annexation to expand company rule. 

• Areas were ruled by different princes. If no legitimate heir, the land belonged to the British, or if the prince was determined to be incompetent. 

• Around 30 starts taken over. 

Sepoys

Indian soldiers who staffed the BEIC’s army. Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs. Greatly outnumbered British officers, with mismanagement easily could turn against them.

• Rumor started that the British were trying to convert them to Christianity. They refuse to use guns because they believe cow/pig grease is being used. Sent to jail.

• People try to break them out of jail, war starts.

Government of India Act of 1858:

crown has direct control of India, not the company.

Berlin Conference

Europeans say Africa was empty land and uncivilized to justify colonizing.

King Leopold & Congo Free State: 

• Claims: 

  • Establishing free trade zones

  • Abolition of slavery

  • Spreading Christianity

• Reality: 

  • Humanitarian concerns swept aside

  • Tribal chiefs signed treaties that they couldn’t read/understand.

  • Cultural differences ignored.

  • Slave labor & punishment for not meeting quotas (hidden from public, journalists found out)

  • Revolts & wars broke out

Qing China & Lord Macartney: 

• Manchu invaders end Ming Dynasty and begin Qing Dynasty

Opium Wars: 

• British were spending increasing amounts of silver on tea. They want something else to offer them. Opium (from poppies) from British India. 

• Many people were getting addicted. 

• Illegally smuggled in on ships, laws not well enforced.

• 1835: 12 mil. Chinese people addicted. Spending all their money over food. People starving.

• Lin Zexu wrote to Queen Victoria asking to stop trade. They don’t respond.

• He destroys 20,000 pounds of opium & bans trade with the west, traders sent out.

• British declare war (First Opium War).

• British had advantage because of industrial rev. 

• Outcome: China requests peace, signs the Treaty of Nanjing.

Treaty of Nanjing:

Unequal treaty to end the First Opium War. China had to give up control of Hong Kong, and open 5 ports to trade with Britain. 

Century of Humiliation:

• China’s decline and a time when it was controlled by foreign nations through humiliating treaties.

Taiping Rebellion:

Taiping had a dream he was brother of Jesus, has to bring it to people.

• Promises gender equality, land reforms, no classes. 14 civil war.

• Government defeats Taiping with help of Europeans.

Self-strengthening movement:

goal to be as strong as the West/technologically advanced military without adopting ways of the west. Didn’t work.

Hundred Days Reforms 1898:

reorganizes education, gov. reforms, strengthens economy, modernizes military. Conservatives unhappy Cixi gets rid of reforms because things are changing too fast.

Open Door Policy:

spheres of influence in China exclusive areas of trade. US unhappy makes it so anyone can trade anywhere in China.

Boxer Rebellion

boxers hate foreigners + christian Chinese. Believed their martial arts made them impervious to bullets. Held ambassadors hostage and were defeated.

Before: Tokugawa Shogunate:

• 1467-1568: Sengoku period. Warring states.

• 1600: Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan (fighting lord)

• 1603: Named Shogun (military leader)

• Classes: Emperor is figurehead, not powerful. Shogun is the most powerful. Farmers valued over merchants.

• Moved capital from Kyoto to Edo

• 1635: series of edicts. No foreigners, no leaving/returning, no Christianity, no trading w/ foreigners. 

• Isolationist, closed country policy. No foreigners for 200 years.

Commodore Mathew Perry

In the US navy. Sent to Japan to end isolationism so they could trade.

• Brought warships and said they will come back in a year and bring more. Attack on Japan if they don’t sign treaties.

• They viewed him as a threat and signed the Treaty of Kanagawa.

Treaty of Kanagawa 1854:

 opened 2 ports to US ships.

Extraterritorial Rights:

laws of the home nation apply, not the host nation.

• Foreigners faced trial for crimes in their own country, not Japan. They didn’t think their trial in Japan would be fair.

• They were able to act in ways that weren’t ok there.

Emperor Mutsuhito:

led the Meiji Restoration.

• Meiji: “enlightened rule”

• Shogunate ended, people go to the emperor for help because they’re unhappy w/ the shogun.

• Studying Western ways:

  • German government and army

  • British navy

  • American education (schools for women too)

  • Industrialization

  • Economic change (everyone uses yen)

  • Constitution

  • Banned feudal system.

Sino-Japanese War:

China & Japan want Korea. They agree not to go in. China breaks it, Japan declares war and wins. Gave Japan colonies, Taiwan and Pescadores Islands. Japan was racist, believed they were above other Asian people.

Russo-Japanese War:

Japan offered to stay out of Manchuria if Russia stayed out of Korea. Russia declines. Japan attacks Russia out of Korea, destroying Baltic fleet. Japan defeated major Western power, proved their strength.

Treaty of Portsmouth

facilitated by Theodore Roosevelt. 

• Gave Japan captured territories from war. More colonies. Forced Russia to withdraw from Manchuria and Korea.

• Japanese attack + annex Korea. They saw Koreans as inferior and were cruel rulers. Changed their culture.