Imperialism + Nationalism

Imperialism

Economic Reasons = enable new industrialized nations sell products abroad on markets
-↑ cheap labour
-↑ need 4 Raw materials not found at mother land (e.g. oil, rubber, manganese).

Military Reasons = belief colonies = crucial to power + nat. security
-A strong navy = "great pwr”, required overseas bases → safe harbours & coaling stations to take on supply

British Empire Imperialism

Brit Indus Rev = fueled by emp
-provided access raw mat, import as manufactured into goods → traded
-↑ Brit wealth, economy, and power

Wealth→ develop weapons sup to rivals → fear + protect land
-1859: first iron-hulled armoured frigates (world first).
1861: create all-steel Royal Navy fleet → naval supre + protect vast emp

1875 Suez Canal

1875: Britain bought Suez Canal →  trade link with India + pwr control over Africa/Asia trade.
-Trigger Scramble for Africa (colonial rivalry).

Scramble for Africa

1870: Africa = 10% under Euro control
1914 90% under Euro control.

B: 11 million km², 88 mill people.
F: 3.5 mill km² (2nd largest).

G: Latecomer → gained 2.5 mill km², 14 mill people (1884–1900).
-Also grabbed land in China (Shandong) + Pacific (Samoa).
→  growing threat to B + F empires.

British, Germany railway

Britain’s goal: railway (north-south) through Africa Cairo → Cape
-link 2 B colonies

Problem: Needed East Africa → but Germany took it (Tanganyika, 1890)
-↑ tentions btwn B + G

-Kaiser Wilhelm II: “Place in the Sun” → aggressive African colonisation.
-G colonies gained: Togoland, Cameroons, South-West Africa 1884 + Tanganyika 1890 (obstacle 4 railway)

French expansion

Expansion in Africa → worried about G growing colonies.
-↑ anti G feeling after defeat in Franco-Prussian War 1871)
-People = fear of G invasion → boosted military spending to ↑ defense→ other nations copied (arms race).

Berlin Conference (1884): Host = Kaiser Wilhelm II.
-Regulated European colonisation of Africa → dictate what area owned by which nation → stop threat of war
-Highlight G as emerging major rival to B
↑ imperial competition + tensions between nations.

Nationalism

Extreme patriotism/loyalty to country
-↑ militarism = ↑ nationalism → high confidence in their nation
-believe if war = easily be victorious

Rivals = demonised as aggressive, uncivilised, deceitful → ↑ propaganda used against rival
- Created fear amongst nation, threatened by imperialistic amb of rivals

Two types of nationalism:
-B, G, F pride in strength of nation.
-Unification nationalism = countires = want independence from colonies e.g poland, Salvic
- ↑ tensions, → alliances w/ Serbia + R

Britain nationalism

No defeats in 19th century → belief Britain could not be beaten.

Strong supre navy→ belief win any war
-“Britannia rules the waves.”=nat anthem

Penny Press = ↑ B supre 
-cheap novels fuelled foreign rivalry+ invasion fears. Agression from F, R, G
The Battle of Dorking 1871 → G invasion B→ boosted fear & nationalism.

Racial stereotyping = incite anger + fear
-B = Supre, G = cold, manip, cruel

Germany nationalism

Germany = strong military nation, emerging Great Power rival to B
-Had supre army+ new tech → feel supre
-Closed naval gap w/ B in Great Naval Race

New military tactics (Defeat F+R):
Schlieffen Plan 1905: surprise attack F tvia Belgium → quick win, then turn on Russia.

G empire = want to rival w/ B→ Scramble for Africa.
-G saw B as main obstacle 4 pwr → viewed as greedy →feel supre agasint B

Nationalism as a resonse to Impearlism

Nations in euro empires = call 4 self determination, want independence.|
-esp poland + balkans

Pan-Slavism= Slavic peoples should have own nation (20th cent ↑)
-Serbia = indepen Slavic state → want a “Great Serbia” including Bosnia Slavs
-↑ tensions W/ Austria -Hungary + R (backing Serbia as defender of Slavs)
→ military alliance

Black Hand (Nationalism as a response to Imperialism)

↑ Slavic nat → create radicial nationalist group e.g (Black Hand)
-aimed to push Austria-Hungary away from Balkans + est unified state 4 Slavic people

→ Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914) = short-term trigger of WWI.