7.6 & 7.7 AP Euro - 2nd Imperialization

7.6 - New Imperialism: Motivations and Methods 

Second Wave Imperialism: Motivations

New wave of imperialism focused on Africa and Asia 

Imperialism - one country extends political dominance over another country 

Reasons for motivations 

1. Economic - states were in Industrial Revolution aka they were rich

  • Needed raw materials & markets to keep high economic growth (cotton, rubber & iron), looked in other places for new materials and open markets cus their country had enough

Ex. Sepoy Rebellion - British took over India (1857), exploited land for raw materials & had 300 million ppl they could sell manufactured items to = more wealth 

British colonized - a little land in west africa & big territories in west and southern africa = wanted to get raw materials (coal & oil) 

China used economic imperialism - china didn’t British items, British wanted tea = China only got Britain's money, no Chinese money getting out

The British used opium (highly addictive) to correct trade imbalance - illegally imported a lot into China, Chinese got addicted to the drug, Chinese government didn’t like this so they seized 20,000 lbs of opium and destroyed it = lead to the Opium War (Britain vs. China)

British won war (first to industrialize = better weapons) & won second opium war w/ France and forcibly opened trading rights into China


2. Political - European states wanted territory in Africa = scramble for Africa, caused tension among the states

  • Once mapped by agents of King Leopold (Belgian) = states raced to claim land before other states

3. Racial Superiority - Social Darwinism = ideology spread and was motivation for strong advanced nations to take over weak less advanced nations (industrialized states in Europe vs. poverty states in Africa) 

  • Thought that western nations were superior = adapted to environment = better nations

  • Thought that since they were taking over weaker nations they would be bringing glories of western civilization to people in need = not morally wrong (Civilizing Mission), thought imperialism good for colonized cus they got access to the best culture 

The White Man’s Burden (Rudyard Kipling) - talked about people of Africa. Thought that it was good to bring them the “better breed” of Europeans to give them better economic opportunities


Second Wave Imperialism - Methods

Asians and Africans resisted Imperialism but Europeans had advantages 

Europeans advantages 

1. Advanced Weaponry (Imperial Rev.) - rifled barrel guns = spiral grooves to improve accuracy of shot, minie ball = conical bullet, more accurate, more damage, Breech-loading rifle = bullets loaded quicker, Machine guns = fire 100’s of rounds fast 

2. New Communication and Transportation Technology - Speed of telegraph & run cables underwater = communication enhanced, ensured coordination and maintaining power  

Imperializing countries built railroads - raw materials & manufactured goods transported easily

3. Advances in Medicine - Malaria (African disease caused countries not to imperialize previously) - Quinine = fend of disease, Europeans invade Africa 

Louis Pasteur - began to understand cause of diseases (Germ Theory) - ppl got sick cus of germs = hospitals used antiseptics & cleanliness used a lot, Europeans lived longer and could survive war better 


7.7 - Imperialism's Global Effects 

Diplomatic Tensions 

Carved Africa for raw materials & new markets (manufactured goods) 

Greatness of Imperial nations on the line  - Scramble for Africa = race to colonize Africa,  wanted power and created tensions in European states

Berlin Conference (by Otto von Bismarck) = series of meetings to set colony boundaries in Africa peacefully,  to release tensions in Europe, clarify colony boundaries. Worked cus Africa was conquered peacefully after

Boundaries agreed in Berlin Conference but tensions rose again 

Ex. Fashoda Crisis = Britain & France wanted to connect their colonial empires by railroad but they were blocked by Mahdist Sudan (owned by either), British sent army for war but France knew they were outnumbered = they withdrew, Mahdist Sudan - British land 

  • France needed an ally to protect themselves against Germany = Entente Cordiale (1904) - established allyship between France & Britain 

Ex. Moroccan Crisis = France controlled North Africa & Morocco - Germans against it, they backed native morrocan rebellions against france = decided that they shouldn’t fight cus of britain, solved through diplomacy (France got control of Morocco) Moroccan Crisis = example of bond of France & Britain, antagonism with them and Germany 


Debates over Imperialism

Intense debate over imperialism and if they were right = few debates

Joseph Conrad - travelled to Belgian Congo (harshest conditions by King Leopold 2) - Leopold kept for himself = enacted cruel policies to enrich himself, Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness = showed abuse to congolese under imperial rule, Conrad's criticism was apparent

Edmund Morel - formed Congo Reform Association = addressed violence in the Congo, group of writers outlined Leopold abuse =  flooded Europeans with arguments against Leopold, forced imperial rights to transfer from him to Belgium

J.A Hobson - published paper saying imperialism a bad economic system = depended on unstable markets, Imperialism = drag on capitalism 

Vladimir Lenin = Partial agreement with Hobson (thought against capitalism), Lenin throughout it was fulfillment of capitalism (imperialism & capitalism = need to go) 


Nationalist Resistance to Imperialism

Colonists challenged imperialism as they learned western culture, Ex. Natal & Zululand (African countries), British forced Zulu’s to work diamond mines (dangerous), Zulu's collected into an army of 40,000 to attack the British, they won a few battles but time made the British win.

Italians claimed Ethiopia, Menelik II bought weapons from France & Russia = when Italians tried to imperialize Ethiopians they resisted and they won. 

Resistance in India w/ British - British East India Company established British soldiers and Indian or Muslim soldiers (Sepoy), surge of nationalism lead the sepoy to rebel cus of feeling of losing their culture or their culture being degraded due to westernization

Sepoy Mutiny - spread rapidly = Indians weren’t happy with British rule, eventually crushed the mutiny, consequence = the colony was moved from British East India Company to the British gov.