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Europe was ethnocentric - other cultures were barbaric and uncivilized:
Social Darwinists: applied natural selection to sociology - there were dominant races or classes, therefore Britain was the most powerful/fit
They had a moral obligation to civilize others (“White Man’s Burden”)
Had many luxuries to Europeans - tea, sugar, silk, salt, jute
Very vulnerable to external powers after wars in 18th century Mughal empire and religious conflict
British traders brought Opium to China in 1773 and widespread addiction was caused - forbidden and seized in 1839
Britain wanted to continue trade, so brought war to China
Second Opium War occurred in 1856 for four years when Britain tried to further trade and China lost again - all of China opened to trade
Era of Japanese westernization - Japan became a world power
1870s: built railways and steamships, abolished samurai warrior class
Prioritized military power - took control of Korea and Taiwan from China in 1895 - military pageantry became a cultural movement
1890s: Japan became powerful enough to reduce European and US influence
1807-1820 - most European nations abolished slave trade as Enlightenment principles gained more force
slavery officially abolished a few decades later
No new enslaved people entered Europe but those still in slavery were not free until mid-century
Europeans added substantial infrastructure to the continent, but stripped Africa of resources
Most exercised direct rule and implementation of customs over African people
Disregarded African boundaries, cut tribal land in half or forced enemy tribes together, ignoring history and culture
Traditional African culture also started falling apart
