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VIII. The West and the World (Chapter 24)

Time Period: 1815-1914

A. Why the Scramble?

  • Nationalistic fever

    • Fear of losing out on European competition

    • European countries countering each other to keep balance of power

    • “We have to do it or the French are gonna do it”

  • Social Darwinism & racism

    • Herbert Spencer sociologically applies Darwin’s ideas = social darwinism

      • Certain races have certain abilities, potential superiority?

  • Humanitarian positives out of imperialism (White Man’s Burden)

    • Eradication of malaria by imperialists

    • Roads & transportation

    • Education of natives

  • Religious missionary work

    • Helping “lesser” humans be more civilized

  • Economic incentives

    • Extraction of resources

    • Exploitation of workers via slavery

  • Marxists linked capitalism with imperialism

    • Want Marxism to spread globally, but against taking over places (anti-imperialism)

  • Bismarck’s complex view

    • Against imperialism if it threatened German unification

    • For imperialism if it facilitated German unification

    • Fired before it really mattered…

B. Africa Carved Up

  • Belgian explorers Livingstone/Stanley stirs up interest in Bongo

    • Belgium’s Leopold II’s goals: profit over progress = brutal treatment of Congolese

  • Berlin Conference

    • Countries were nervous at the potential upset in balance of power

      • Belgium went straight to the center of Africa

    • Sets up rules on how to take over places

  • Boers (Dutch White South-Africans) vs. British over control of South Africa

    • British win, pushing Boers north, creating more conflict with native Africans

  • Suez Canal

    • Muhammad Ali tried to modernize Egypt

    • Egypt gains semi-independence

    • Builds the Suez Canal with British and French funding

    • Ali in debt → “European Saviors” taking over the canal

  • By 1900, only Ethopia and Liberia are not taken over by Europeans

C. Far East Interest

  • Australia/New Zealand: former penal colony, British interest in land/gold

  • India: East India Co. = “floating government” of colonies by exploiting existing issues

    • Internal racial issues: Aryans (lighter skinned Indians) vs. Dravidians (darker)

    • Caste system (not made by Britain, British just used it to their advantage)

    • Indirect rule

  • Russia looked elsewhere

    • Siberia (extract resources)

    • Black Sea (warm sea ports)

    • Central Asia (former Mongol controlled territory)

    • Sold Alaska to US in 1867

  • China divided into “spheres of influence” (international interference)

    • British gets population addicted to opium

    • Weakened China, saved by US from being carved up to preserve balance of powers

  • Japan won war against Russia, annexes Korea and gained riches (“spoils” of war)

  • British Burma & Malay states

    • Post colonialization: Singapore stayed with British to become developed, Malaysia falls behind

  • French Indochina: Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam

    • US “helps” bail France out in 1954, doesn’t leave until 1975 (Vietnam War)

D. The Conquered Respond

  • Westernized Africans started resenting foreign rule & segregation

    • Happened mainly in black sub-Saharan Africa

  • Boxer Rebellion in China slaughtered pro-Westerners

  • Meiji Restoration saved Japan from China’s fate

    • Old, secluded Samurai system → competitive on the global stage

    • Realized their outdatedness when US shows off their white and gold ships

    • Modernized in Meiji Restoration, Westernize to not get taken over

    • Defeated China (Sino-Japanese War, 1890) and Russia

  • Sepoy’s rebelled in India

    • Cow grease from bullets, disrespect of Hindu culture

    • Sepoys = Indian soldiers on British regiments

  • By 1883, Indian National Congress looked for self-rule