• Belief in nationalism, desire for wealth, sense of religious duty, and belief they were biologically superior.

  Nationalist Motives for Imperialism

• Rise of nationalism and revolutions

• Strong sense of identity and loyalty to a state

• Establishing new colonies in places like Asia and Africa to assert its national identity in the global arena.

  British

• British have lost their American colonies so they established colonies in Australia, and Southeast Asia, India with the British East India Company.

• By 1857 Britain controlled the entire Indian subcontinent

  France

• France will have to compensate for their defeat in wars they have been losing in Europe and will expand its overseas territories

• Will expand into Asia, the South Pacific, and Africa.

• Will want to compete with other states for more power and influence

  Spain

• Spain will have very few colonies, the Philippines.

• There are no major Spanish colonies

• Japanese

• First countries in Asia to industrialized

• They expanded into Korea and invaded it

• This irritated China, which led to the Sino-Japanese War

Cultural and Religious Motives for Imperialism

• Racism and race becoming one of the motives for imperialism

• Pseudoscientists: People who present theories as a science that are incompatible with the scientific method. (No evidence that it is scientifically true)

• Pseudoscientists will say they have proof of the intellectual and physical inferiority of nonwhite races.

• Phrenologists: People who studied skull sizes and shapes, believed a smaller skull size proved mental feebleness of Africans, indigenous Americans, and Asians. 

  • These ideas have been proven false.

• Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest of species

• Animals being able to adapt to their environment “adaptation”

• Social Darwinism- Survival of the fittest but for humans

• He did not believe his theory should apply to humans (justification to say biologically the white race is superior, which would justify taking land from “inferior” races. Also forcing cultures onto indigenous people, and forcing people to convert to Christianity.

•  Many colonies combined peoples from several cultures who often spoke different languages and had different customs into a single colony to make it easier to govern.

• Colonizers introduced their language to help unify these often diverse colonies

• They also introduced their political, educational, and religious institutions and exerted cultural influences on architecture and recreational activities.

• Missionaries- their goal was to convert people to Christianity

• Try to convince people to give up their own beliefs

• Missionaries help reinforce the Imperialism of the colonizing powers to culturally influence people

• Missionaries often set up schools. Taught secular AND Religion

• They provided medical care and early-day hospitals

• David Livingstone- worked in Sub-Saharan Africa to end the illegal slave trade

  Economic Motives for Imperialism

• To maximize profits, governments signed commercial treaties with local rulers allowing Europeans to establish trading posts and forts to protect their interests

• These companies were formed primarily for the spice trade, but many companies had pseudo-governmental powers, raising armies and conquering territory to form colonies.

• As the Industrial Revolution transformed European economies, the need for new sources of raw materials and markets for manufactured goods increased their expansion by imperial powers.

• Imperial powers often competed with one another over the best potential resources, markets, trade, and demands for low-age labor access to markers, and control of natural resources increased.

• 1600: The English monarch granted the (British) East India Company a royal charter giving it a monopoly on England's trade with India.

• British are going to take over India by kicking the Portuguese out.

• The company traded primarily in cotton and silk, indigo, and spices.

• Its colonies provided raw materials (cotton, wool, jute, vegetable oil, rubber) as well as food for its growing cities.

• The second wave of the Industrial Revolution and more competition between Imperial powers

• Dutch

• From South Africa throughout the Atlantic/Indian Ocean, the British had a monopoly of trade

• Corruption and debt led the government to take control of the company's possessions, creating the Dutch East Indies (today's Indonesia).

• Culture: Learning Objective

  

Mind Map: Political, Social, and Cultural Impacts of Imperialism (1750-1900)

Central Idea: Imperialism (1750-1900)

Main Branches:

• Political Impacts

• Social Impacts

• Cultural Impacts

Political Impacts

Sub-branches:

• Colonization and Annexation

  • Establishment of European colonies

  • Annexation of territories

• Political Control

  • Imposition of European political systems

  • Suppression of local governance

• Economic Exploitation

  • Extraction of resources

  • Imposition of trade policies

• Resistance Movements

  • Nationalist uprisings

  • Anti-colonial movements

Social Impacts

Sub-branches:

• Demographic Changes

  • Migration of Europeans

  • Population decline in indigenous communities

• Social Hierarchy

  • Racial segregation

  • Discrimination and inequality

• Westernization

  • Adoption of European customs and values

  • Cultural assimilation

• Education and Healthcare

  • Introduction of Western Education Systems

  • Healthcare improvements and challenges

Cultural Impacts

Sub-branches:

• Language and Communication

  • Spread of European languages

  • Loss of indigenous languages

• Religion and Beliefs

  • Conversion to Christianity

  • Suppression of indigenous religions

• Art, Literature, and Media

  • Western influence on artistic expressions

  • Preservation and loss of cultural heritage

• Identity and Nationalism

  • Formation of national identities

  • Cultural resistance and revival movements

Note: This mind map provides a brief overview of the political, social, and cultural impacts of imperialism from 1750 to 1900. Further exploration of each sub-branch will reveal more specific details and examples.