Age of Imperialism

Age of Imperialism (1870–1914)

Period when European nations expanded political, economic, and military control over Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Imperialism

Domination of one country or people over another group politically, economically, or militarily.

Old Imperialism (1500s–early 1800s)

European nations created colonies mainly for trade and exploration; Spain dominated Central and South America, Britain controlled India and Australia, France held Louisiana and parts of Africa, and the Dutch controlled the East Indies.

New Imperialism (late 1800s–early 1900s)

European nations aggressively expanded overseas and directly controlled colonies, especially in Africa and Asia.

Industrial Revolution and Imperialism

Industrial growth created the need for raw materials, new markets, cheap labor, and places to invest excess capital.

Economic Causes of Imperialism

Need for raw materials like rubber and oil, new markets for manufactured goods, cheap labor, and investment opportunities.

Military and Political Causes of Imperialism

Nations wanted naval bases and coaling stations, strategic locations, and colonies as symbols of national power and prestige.

Humanitarian and Religious Motives

Europeans believed they had a duty to civilize non-Western societies by spreading Christianity, Western education, medicine, and law.

White Man’s Burden

Idea promoted by Rudyard Kipling that Europeans had a moral duty to civilize and rule non-Western peoples.

Social Darwinism

Belief based on “survival of the fittest” that stronger nations and races were superior and naturally meant to dominate weaker ones.

Technological Advantages

Steamships, telegraphs, railroads, machine guns, and medicines like quinine helped Europeans explore, conquer, and control distant lands.

Scramble for Africa

Rapid European competition to divide and control Africa in the late 1800s.

Berlin Conference (1884–1885)

European powers agreed that African territory could only be claimed with effective occupation; this accelerated the division of Africa.

Independent African Countries

Ethiopia defeated an Italian invasion in 1896 and remained independent; Liberia was founded by freed American slaves and became independent in 1847.

Suez Canal

Waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea that greatly shortened the route from Europe to Asia and was vital for British trade with India.

British Control of Egypt

Britain bought shares in the Suez Canal in 1875 and established a protectorate over Egypt in 1882 to protect the canal and its route to India.

Congo and King Leopold II

Belgian king Leopold II sent Henry Stanley to explore the Congo and established control, exploiting the region’s resources.

French Empire in Africa

France controlled large territories including Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, West Africa, and Equatorial Africa, creating the largest colonial empire in Africa.

British Empire in Africa

Britain controlled Egypt, Sudan, and South Africa and wanted a continuous empire from Cape Town to Cairo.

Boers and the Boer War

Boers were Dutch settlers in South Africa who fought Britain in the Boer War (1899–1902) over control of gold and diamonds; Britain eventually won.

Other European Colonies in Africa

Germany controlled East and Southwest Africa; Italy controlled Libya, Eritrea, and Somaliland but failed to conquer Ethiopia; Portugal controlled Angola and Mozambique.

British Control of India

Britain ruled India through the British East India Company until the Sepoy Mutiny (1857), after which India became a direct British colony known as the “Crown Jewel of the British Empire.”

Opium War and Treaty of Nanking

Britain defeated China in the Opium War (1839–1842), forcing China to open ports to trade, give Britain Hong Kong, and grant special privileges to foreigners.

Foreign Influence in China

Western nations divided China into spheres of influence with exclusive trading rights; foreigners had extraterritorial rights.

Open Door Policy (1899)

U.S. policy proposing equal trading rights for all nations in China while preserving China’s territorial integrity.

Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901)

Chinese nationalist uprising against foreign influence that was crushed by an international military force.

Sun Yat-Sen and the Chinese Republic

In 1911 revolutions overthrew the emperor; Sun Yat-Sen created a republic based on nationalism, democracy, and livelihood.

Japan’s Opening and Modernization

Commodore Matthew Perry forced Japan to open trade in 1853; Japan responded with the Meiji Restoration (1867), modernizing its government, military, and economy.

Japan as an Imperial Power

Japan defeated China in the Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and Russia in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), gaining Taiwan and influence in Korea.

Importance of Japan’s Victory

Japan’s defeat of Russia was the first modern victory of an Asian country over a European power.

Imperialism in the Middle East

The region was important because of its strategic location, trade routes, and oil; Britain controlled Egypt and oil areas in the Persian Gulf, Russia sought access to the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles, and Germany built the Berlin-Baghdad Railway.

Economic Effects of Imperialism

Imperialism created a global economy where colonies supplied raw materials and markets but were prevented from developing their own industries.

Cultural and Social Effects of Imperialism

Western culture often replaced local traditions, but imperialism also introduced modern medicine, sanitation, education, and technology.

Political Effects of Imperialism

European powers created artificial borders and united rival groups, causing future ethnic conflicts and tensions between imperial nations that contributed to World War I.

Realism in Art and Literature

Movement focusing on everyday life and social problems; writers included Charles Dickens, Émile Zola, George Eliot, and Leo Tolstoy.

Impressionism

Art movement that captured light and momentary impressions of everyday scenes; artists included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas.

Post-Impressionism

Artists experimented with bright colors and emotional expression; major figures included Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and Paul Gauguin.

Scientific and Medical Advances

Louis Pasteur developed germ theory and vaccines; Joseph Lister introduced sterilization in surgery; Dmitri Mendeleev created the periodic table; Marie Curie studied radioactivity and discovered radium and polonium.

Women’s Suffrage Movement

Women fought for voting rights; leaders included Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the U.S. and Emmeline Pankhurst in Britain, whose militant suffragettes protested and went on hunger strikes until women gained voting rights in Britain in 1918.