4. History of European colonization: chapter 4: Asia

1. British India 2. Southeast Asia (dutch east-indies + british colonies) 3. French Indochina 4. China

map british india 1819

they penetrated into inland India

light grey and dark grey = different

map british india 1857

further expansion of the Brits

the ‘great game’

• Russia and Britain: two victors of Napoleon => “cold war” (+some real wars)

• british perceived russian threat

  • potentiality central asia (stan-countries) = threat to british India

  • indian march of tsar paul I (1801, to aral sea, with french) = british saw this as proof of threat

  • russian victories on persia (1813, 1826) = growing territorial expansion in caucasus

• imaginary character (despite real threat) =

  • arthur conolly: coined name ‘great game’ in 1830s

  • Rudyard Kipling: popularized idea of ‘great game’

• popularity due to (highlighted) ideological contrasts

  • UK: democracy, freedom, modernity (presented itself)

  • Russia: autocracy, militarism, serfdom (UK contrasted itself)

    ==> felt strongly about great game because they believed these ideals would take over

further british expansion

• the first afghan war (1839-42) = disaster

  • 1839: conquest of Qandahar & Kabul

  • 1842: retreat following permanent insurrections (successful in conquering but not controlling)

• the conquest of the sindth (1842-43, present day pakistan)

  • general Napier => not official policy of london or east-india company but allegedly done by individual soldiers (while british “were asleep”)

  • expansion happened through war

• the conquest of Punjab (current-day pakistan and India)

  • Sikhism: 16th c, militarization in 17th c (vs Moghuls) = sikhs had their own army

  • 1799-1839: mighty sikh kingdom of ranjit singh (lion of Punjab) = so strong that brits avoided conflict

  • 1845-46 & 1848-49: first and second punjab war = brits conquered whole of Punjab

  • integration and modernization after annexation (=> less than 10 years later sikhs sided with brits during insurrection)

sikhism

• 16th century

• guru in Punjab

• Islam and Hinduism

reasons temporary break british and Russian expansion

• british india: the insurrection of 1857-58

  • “the great mutiny”: started with mutiny indian soldiers british army => grew to largest anti-colonial insurrection in history of European colonization => In india = first war of independence

    • Major general henry havelock

  • 1858: company rule —> crown rule (prevent future rebellion, no longer ruled by east-india company)

• Russia: the Crimean War (1854-56)

  • France, Britain, allies helped ottomans fight of russian empire

  ==> new russian conquests from the 1860S

  • 1858 and 1860: far east (khabarovsk & vladivostok)

  • 1860S & 1870S: central Asia

  ==> revived British imperialism in the 1870s

  • ex. Queen victoria empress of India (1876)

new british expansion after break in 1850s

• 1876: british conquest of baluchistan

• 1877: East turkistan (present-day Xinjiang) to china

  • mutual disturst London and Saint-Petersburg

• 1878-1880: second afghan war

  • second British defeat in afghanistan

• Tibet

  • 1895: dalai lama starts pro-russian policy => alarms the brits

  • 1905: british expedition and conquest of Lhasa

    • treaty between Tibet and Britain on free trade and borders (borders between present-day India and China) => today China still does not recognize borders

  • 1906: China recognized as sovereign of Tibet (by London and SPB)

    • 1911: independent theocracy after collapse of Chinese empire

    • 1950s: re-conquest by Mao

end of the great game

• Why?

  • decline of Russia

    • defeated in Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 (remarkable)

  • rise of Germany (brits realized they should change enemy)

• how?

  • 1907: alliance between London and SPB, following

    • franco-russian alliance of 1892

    • entente cordiale (alliance) between france and Britain 1904

      => triple entente (first world war!)

  • division of persia in spheres of influence

    • central part independent

the Anglo-Burmese War

• Burma conquered in 3 subsequent wars in 19th c

• initially part of British India but separated in 1930s => now separate country

map territorial expansion of dutch in east-indies

conquered indonesia very gradually

the collapse of the VOC

• gradual decline of VOC (18th century) = Brits becoming more important

  • VOC in growing debt

  • Vergaan Onder Corruptie: perish by corruption

• 1780-1784: fourth anglo-dutch war (100 years after the others)

  • following dutch support of american rebels

  • dutch defeat but limited losses to britain

  • end of the dutch monopoly in south-east asia

• 1794-1806: Batavian republic (puppet state of France)

  • complicates link between Amsterdam and java

  • 1796/9: bankrupcy VOC

  • 1800: Dutch government takes over VOC propriety

the british in south east asia

• Dutch kingdom under Louis Napoleon = weakened

• 1811-1815: dutch east indies occupied by britain

  • Thomas Raffles

  • 1814 & 1824: convention and treaty of london

    • Java & Sumatra to the Dutch (strong buffer against france)

    • other colonies to the british (ex India and North Borneo(malaysia and Indonesia)) => netherlands lost position in south east asia

• the malaysian peninsula = key importance because controls important trade route through strait

  • first: separate settlements

    • 1786: penang (nowadays holiday resort, still british colonial architecture), 1819: singapore (raffles), 1824: Malacca (buildings by Portuguese)

  • 1826: straits settlements

    • 1867: crown colony

particularities dutch expansion in the dutch indies

• much resistance

  • against taxes, coolies, interference,…

  • Islam as a factor of opposition and mobilization

  • a lot of wars, violence

• gradual expansion

  • different wars ex Java (central area island) (1825-1830)

    • Diponegoro

    • Java surrendered

  • Aceh (1873-1908)

    • NW sumatra

    • Johan Köhler (general, killed) => starting war

    • a lot of intelligence, alliances

    • Joannes Van Heutz = pacificator (destruction of local country)

  • Bali conquered in 1846-49, controled in 1906

  • Bird’s Head peninsula (west papua) controled in 1920

• further development

  • ex bandung: the global capital of art deco

former french Indochina

vietnam, cambodia and laos

french interest in indo-china in 19th century

• religion: many French missionaries

• politics: competition with Britain

  • French: exclusion from india

  • continuous British expansion (India, straits, burma)

  • Napoleon III

• trade: ‘faire de Saïgon un nouveau singapour’

  • gradual industrialization in France

    —> need for new markets and resources

  • steppingstone to the newly opening chinese market

    • mekong river (via siam though) => start trade with china

    • tonkin and the red river

conquest of indochina by france

• 1860s and 1870s

Siam

• single non colonized country in south east asia

  • buffer between britain and france

  • competent kings (rama’s) = modernized kingdoms

    • took example of neighboring countries

    • use of western knowledge

    • Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns: belgian who helped

      siam king

• but:

  • concedes territory

  • indirect colonization

    • turn of century: 95% of export in foreign hands

    • extraterritoriality & unequal treaties

    • 1939: Siam —> thailand (‘land of the free’

Ming dynasty

• 1368-1644

• restoration of prestige

  • China power over korea, mongolia, siam, vietnam

  • tribute from japan, java, ceylon, east africa,…

• contacts with europeans

  • traders (from 1514)

    • 1557: portuguese (macau remained portuguese colony up until end of 20th century)

    • 1622: dutch

  • missionaries

    • matteo ricci (1583-1610)

    • ferdinand verbiest (1659-1688)

Qing dynasty

• successor ming dynasty: 1644-1911

• last chinese dynasty = dynasty of decline

• powerful in the 18th century: Kangxi and Qianlong

  • 1759-1842 trade with europeans only via guild in canton (region of macau and later hong kong) on particular days

  • export of tea, silk and china; import of silver

  • tributary system (european traders had to pay respect to the emperor) and positive trade balance (exported more than they imported)

• decline in the 19th century

  • white lotus rebellion 1796-1804 (blow to prestige of qing dynasty, image of unbeatable emperors scattered)

  • growing economic and technological backwardness

  • opium trade

    • europeans try to solve unequal trade balance = britain sells indian opium to china in order to pay trade

    • chinese trade balance turns negative

    • social consequences of opium use

first opium war

• 1839-1842

• march 1839: chinese destroy opium ship in canton

• british conquer canton, shanghai and nanjin

• coincinding with first afghan war = british imperialism blooming in several places at the same time

• brits defeat chinese => treaty of nanjing (1842)

  • no end to opium trade

  • hong kong british

  • five ports/concessions open for british trade

    • fixed and published rates and tariffs (europeans set the rules)

    • extraterritoriality: some districts of the cities were controlled by europeans

• 1844: also ‘unequal treaties’ with france and US

  • system of treaty ports (chinese cities were there were concessions and extraterritorialities, both sea ports and river ports all over china)

the second opium war

• 1856-1860

• resistance in guangdong

  • 1856: incident with arrow

  • british and french conquer canton and tianjin

• 1858/ treaty of tianjin [tientsin]

  • no restriction for christian missionaries

  • right to residence in beijing for western diplomats (embassies)

• 1859: representatives chased away

• 1860: french-british penal expedition in beijing

  • emperor deposed and summer palace destroyed

  • russians profit in far east

collaboration between chinese and europeans in 1860s

• suppression taiping rebellion

  • 1851: egalitarian, monotheistic and anti-manchu

  • 20-30 million victims

  • 1861-1864: westerners help in suppression

  • qing dynasty becomes ally/puppet of westerners

• modernization of chinese society

  • language schools, industrialization,… = growing western presence

• new tensions from 1870 onwards

  • london refuses modifications in treaty

  • anti-christian movement and ‘tientsin massacre’ (20 french missionaries and chinese christians killed)

  • colonization of chinese vasal states (burma, vietnam)

the rise of japan

• tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867)

  • dynasty of shoguns

  • persecuted c atholic missionaries

  • restricted european merchants

• 1853-1854: US commander Matthew Perry

  • imposed trade concessions

• civil war and meiji restoration (1867)

  • modernization and imperialism

• 1894-95: japan wins war with china

  • japan receives taiwan and liaodong (close to korea)

the partition of china

• european reactions to japanese expansion

  • russia, germany and france: liaodong back to china

• concessions for help to china

  • russia 1896: railway through manchuria (north-east china)

  • germany 1897: qingdao (now most famous chinese beer = german influence)

  • russia 1898: port arthur (Lüshun) on liaodong

• jealousy of other states

  • britain: weihai (port edward) on shandong

    • also yangtze river under british influence

  • japan: fujian (opposite to taiwan)

  • france: guangzhouwan (north of french indochina)

chinese reaction to partition of china

• hundred days of western reform (june 1898)

  • sept 1898: queen dowager cixi confined emperor

• boxer insurrection (1898-1900)

  • “the yellow peril”

  • started in shandong against chinese christians

  • quickly against all alien (railroads, mines,…)

  • supported by local authorities, later also by cixi

  • eight weeks’ siege of foreign embassies

  • august 1900: western penal expedition (eight-nation alliance) in beijing

    • russia and japan want to proceed dividing territory

    • US, Britain and France defend integrity chinese territory

changes imposed by the west in china

• economic

  • industry: mines, railroads,…

  • trade: imposed tariffs

• cutural

  • christian proselytism throughout china

  • western school system

• territorial

  • whole areas annexed (as concessions) or in western influence

  • concession areas in cities (extraterritoriality)

  • free transit on waterways

  • military presence for protection

china in the early 20th century

• dowager cixi launches reforms

  • abolishment of officials

  • 1905 constitution and parliament

• 1908-12: emperor puyi (“the last emperor”)

• 1912-1916 Yuan Shikai (officer)

• china falls apart (warrior lords)

• kwo min tang (chinese nationalist party)

  • 1912-1925 sun yat-sen: alliance with communists

  • chiang kai-shek: nationalist

  • mao zedong: communist

western presence in china

• soviet union: growing influence

• western states

  • conference of washington (1921-1922

    • eight countries recognize chinese territorial sovereignty

    • end of extra-territorial rights

  • 1930: china controls its own tariff policy

  • 1943: abolishment of the last unequal treaty

  • 1997 (hong kong) and 1999 (macau) returned to china

• japan (kept modernizing and growing and then attacked again)

  • 1931 manchuria

  • 1937 nanjing