Imperialism Notes

1914 The Age of Imperialism

Nations involved:

• United Kingdom

• France

• Portugal

• Spain

• Netherlands

• Belgium

• United States

• Russia

• Italy

• Germany

• Turkey

Introduction to Imperialism

• Starting Task: Based on an image, the question is posed: what can we infer about 19th century imperialism?

• Sample Answer: Imperialism was caused by some nations wanting to have control over other nations to show how powerful they are.

• The English octopus/man having his many hands on several countries like Egypt and India represents this.

What is Imperialism?

• A strategy in which a militarily strong nation expands its territory by dominating other countries politically, economically and socially.

European Empires

• During this time period, the most powerful European countries had conquered much land around the world.

• Examples include the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire, the Dutch Empire, and the French Empire.

The British Empire in 1937

• The British Empire had colonies all over the world. Such as in India, South Africa, Nigeria, and more.

Imperialism & Colonialism

• Imperialism: When a powerful country seeks to expand its influence and control over other regions, often through military force or political pressure.

• Colonialism: When a country takes over another land, sets up settlements, and directly imposes its government, economy, and culture on the local population.

• The British Empire and its colonies are shown in red.

• A country like Belgium had a single colony, The Belgian Congo, so it was not considered an empire.

• An empire, like Britain had multiple colonies across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, showing widespread control and global power—making it an empire.

Causes of Imperialism - Source Analysis

• John Ruskin, Lecture at Oxford University, February 8, 1870.

• England must establish colonies as fast and as far away as she (England) is able.

• The best and brightest in England must do this.

• England must take every piece of worthy land she can set her foot upon.

• Those who take these lands must have as their goal advancing the power of England. If we do not do this we will die as a country.

• Explain what you think this source is saying about the causes of imperialism.

Causes of Imperialism - Economic Cause #1

• Need for resources

• Due to the Industrial Revolution in Europe & the United States, natural resources were needed to fuel this production.

• The search for new and varied resources, not found in European countries, was very important.

Causes of Imperialism - Economic Cause #2

• Economic Competition

• European nations were in an intense economic competition with one another to have the most stable and powerful economy.

• They were also seeking new markets (customers) to sell the goods they were producing.

Causes of Imperialism - Political Cause #3

• Building an Empire

• Many European nations were eager to build or add to their empires (their land possessions outside of their own nation).

• Adding colonies to their empires was a measure of national pride (nationalism) and set them apart from other nations with smaller or less powerful empires.

Causes of Imperialism - Social Cause #4

• Racism (Social Darwinism)

• Racism is the belief that one race is superior to another.

• Note: The concept of ‘race’ is socially constructed and varies from one society to another.

• European countries encouraged the belief that some races were better than others. Social Darwinism took Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution and wrongly applied them to people, claiming that only Europeans had fully evolved.

• Supposedly, all non-Europeans were still in the process of evolution and were therefore “Less than Human”.

Source Analysis Practice

• What can you infer about imperialism from these sources?

• Population and Territory Acquired by European Colonial Powers by 1939

• Percentage of Land Area Controlled by European Powers and the United States in 1900

Source Analysis Practice - Sample Answer

• From these sources I can infer that it was mostly European nations colonizing, and they were heavily targeting Africa and the Pacific Islands. A likely reason for this was they were searching for new sources of natural resources that they can use to make money from through the process of industrialization.

3 Types of Causes of Imperialism

European Imperialism in Africa

Africa Before European Imperialism

• African Empires and Kingdoms

• Allies and Rivals

• Very well developed economy, political systems, trade, and traditions.

Africa Before European Imperialism

• Mid 1800s - African peoples were divided into hundreds of ethnic and linguistic groups.

• Spoke more than 1,000 different languages.

• Political organization ranged from large empires to smaller independent states.

• This map shows traditional ethnic boundaries in Africa as created by Africans in the continent.

Initial European Presence in Africa

• Europeans had contact with Africans as early as 1450.

• By the late 1800s European powers only controlled small ports on the coast.

• European powers had a difficult time going into the interior of Africa and those areas were largely unknown to them.

• Eventually, steam powered ships and railroads made it possible to explore the interior.

Racing for Africa: Growing Tensions in Europe

• European countries were rushing to claim land in Africa to gain power, resources, and global influence.

• This fast-paced competition, created rivalries and tension between European powers.

• Without clear rules, some nations claimed the same territories, leading to conflicts and the risk of war over African land.

Berlin Conference

• As competition for African land grew, tensions between European countries increased.

• To avoid war, leaders from European nations met in Berlin in 1884–85 to create rules for dividing Africa peacefully among themselves.

Berlin Conference

• Economic competition and a rising sense of national pride (nationalism) pushed European countries to meet in Berlin, Germany in 1884–85 to divide Africa among themselves.

• No African leaders were invited to the Berlin Conference.

• This was the conference which created borders in the African continent based on European possessions.

Berlin Conference - Key Countries Present

• Germany (host nation)

• Italy

• The Netherlands

• Portugal

• United Kingdom (Britain)

• Belgium

• Spain

• France

European Imperialism in Africa Before and After the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885

Europe Claims Lands

• By 1914, with the exception of Ethiopia, Africa was fully controlled by European countries.

The French and the Ivory Coast – Gambia Swap Proposal

• In the late 1800s, as European powers were expanding their control over Africa, France and Britain negotiated over territory.

• At one point, the French were willing to give up part of their claim to the Ivory Coast in exchange for gaining The Gambia, a small British-controlled territory surrounded by French West Africa.

• The Gambia’s location inside French territory made it a strategic target for France. However, Britain refused to give it up, and the swap never happened.

The French and the Ivory Coast–Gambia Swap Proposal

• This event shows how European powers treated African land as something they could trade among themselves, with little or no regard for the people who lived there.

• It also defined the future of the people in these territories, which eventually became the independent countries in 1960.

Forces Driving Imperialism

• Economic Competition - To get raw materials for European factories and markets

• Nationalism - National pride and extension of European empires.

• Racism - (Social Darwinism) The belief that Africans were inferior and “less evolved”

Economic Competition

• Africa’s immense natural resources including gold, diamonds, tea, ivory, and numerous agricultural products, increased the economic competition between European powers and generated a “Scramble” for Africa.

Economic Competition

• European countries established colonies in Africa that provided raw materials and markets for their products.

• This exploitation of the African continent made European colonial powers very wealthy.

Economic Competition

• Africa's resources generated immense wealth for European colonial powers.

• Ivory, from elephant tusks, was one of the most valuable resources taken from African colonies. It was used to make luxury goods like piano keys, jewelry, and ornaments in Europe.

• During colonialism, vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and other precious stones were extracted from Africa and sent to Europe. These valuable resources made European empires extremely wealthy.

Economic Competition - Highways of Empire

Nationalism

• Nationalism is an ideology that emphasizes loyalty, devotion, or allegiance to a nation and holds that obligations to one’s country is more important than individual interests.

• More importantly, nationalism was a major motivating factor for European countries to colonize African nations.

Racism and the European Colonization of Africa

• Racism is the belief that one “race” is superior to another. It’s important to note that the idea of “race” is socially constructed and can differ between societies.

• Imperialism relied on racism to justify the takeover of other countries, their resources, and their people.

• The belief in racial superiority was used as an excuse for this imperial takeover.

Racism and the European Colonization of Africa

• During this time period, Scientific Racism became popular as some corrupt European scientists tried to find “reasons” to back up their claim that Europeans were superior to all other ‘races’ in the world.

• Social Darwinism applied Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution to human societies and created the false theory which claimed that only Europeans had fully gone through the process of evolution.

• All non-Europeans were still in the process of evolution and were therefore “less than Human”.

Racism and the European Colonization of Africa

• European imperial powers tried to justify their supposed superiority by pointing to technological advances which they had in comparison to those present in Africa.

• But these inventions were the result of geography, resources, and historical timing—not race or intelligence.

• Technological progress in one region over another is coincidental, and does not prove that one group of people is better or more advanced than another.

“The White Man’s Burden”

• “The White Man’s Burden” was the belief during imperialism that it was the duty of white Europeans to "civilize" and rule over non-European people by spreading European culture, values, and government.

• This idea was used to justify racism and colonial control.

“The White Man’s Burden”

• Imperialists used the idea of a “burden” as their moral duty to “civilize” people they saw as inferior.

• They tried to pretend that they were helping, but this belief was based on racist ideas that non-European cultures were less advanced.

• The irony is that while they claimed to help, they were actually causing harm, taking land, and forcing people to abandon their own cultures.

King Leopold & The Congo

• King Leopold of Belgium

• Ruled Belgium from 1865–1909

• Wanted to make Belgium powerful by gaining overseas colonies

• Hired explorer Henry Stanley to sign treaties with African chiefs

• Claimed land as “vacant” if not used the “European way”

• Took control of the Congo (76x larger than Belgium)

King Leopold & The Congo

• King Leopold aimed to profit from ivory and rubber.

• Rubber demand led to forced labor under violent conditions.

• Workers were beaten, starved, and killed if they failed to meet quotas..

• Workers who didn’t collect the assigned amount of rubber had their hands were cut off as punishment.

• Congo’s population dropped by nearly 50% in two decades.

• Colonial officials amputated Congolese people, including children, as punishment.

King Leopold & The Congo

• This reading also provides further background information of King Leopold & The Belgian Congo, showing the impacts of colonization on the Congolese

3 Key Characteristics of Imperialism

Characteristics of Imperialism - Characteristic #1 - Establishing Control

• The first thing the colonizers needed to do to get a colony up and running was to establish control over the colonized people.

• This was often done by force, through the use of more advanced technology/weaponry, or through trickery or manipulation, like convincing the colonized the sign agreements not written in languages they understand.

The Maxim Gun (Machine Gun)

• Once the Maxim Gun was invented and put into use by European Armies, African armies no longer stood a chance to defeat invading powers.

Characteristics of Imperialism - Characteristic #2 - Loss of Control

• The next step of imperialism was that the colonized people lose some or all control over their:

  • land, resources, and culture (way of life)

• The colonized are typically forced to abandon their own culture, language & religion and were forced to adopt the cultural traditions of the colonizers.

Characteristics of Imperialism - Characteristic #3 - Forms Control

• The colonizers used either direct or indirect control as a means of establishing and maintaining control over the colonized people and territory

  • Direct control meant bringing in their own foreign officials (government workers, armed forces, etc.) to rule over the territory

  • Indirect control meant using local government officials or political rulers to rule over the territory

Characteristics of Imperialism - Characteristic #3 - Forms Control

Direct Rule (commonly used by France):

• France usually sent its own officials and soldiers to govern the colony directly.

• Local leaders were removed or had very little real power.

• The goal was to make the colony more like the ruling country—this was called assimilation.

• Assimilation is when people are forced or pressured to give up their own culture and adopt the culture, language, and way of life of another group—usually the one in power.

• Example: In French West Africa, French laws, language, and culture were imposed on the people.

Indirect Rule (commonly used by Britain):

• In vast areas with a large population, British colonizers would allow local rulers to keep their positions, but they had follow the orders of the British officials behind the scenes.

• This system was easier to manage, tended to cause less rebellion and it still gave Britain full control of the area.

• Example: In Nigeria, British officials worked through local kings or chiefs to enforce British laws and interests.

AFRICAN LEADERS & Resistance to Imperialism

RESISTANCE EVERYWHERE!

• Throughout the African continent, resistance to imperialism was fierce. Everytime European powers tried to colonize, Africans resisted.

• MOSTLY UNSUCCESSFUL

• Most resistance efforts were unsuccessful as they were no match for European armies armed with the Maxim Gun.

Shaka Zulu (South Africa)

• The Zulu leader revolutionized the Zulu army:

  • Soldiers became physically fit.

  • Fighting spears were shortened.

  • Bull Horn Battle Strategy

Shaka Zulu

• The bull horn formation was a very successful fighting strategy.

The Zulus Defeat the British

• Shaka’s bullhorn strategy was so successful that the Zulus beat the British several times.

The Zulus Defeat the British

• Once the Maxim Gun was put into use by the British the Zulus no longer stood a chance.

Ethiopia Stays Independent

King Menelik II

• King Menelik II successfully resisted imperialism by acquiring modern weapons and defeating invading Italian forces.

MENELIK II - SOVEREIGNTY!

• Menelik's main goal was to keep his nation free from European colonialism.

MENELIK II

• He knew that the only way to achieve his goal was to buy European modern weapons.

MENELIK II

• Menelik II convinced France and Russia to sell him modern weapons.

• As such, transformed his army into a modern fighting force that could protect Ethiopia’s independence.

MENELIK II

• When Italy invaded in 1896, Menelik’s army used modern weapons to defeat the Italians.

• As such, Ethiopia was the only country in Africa that maintained its independence.

Ethiopia celebrates defeat of Italian forces in the Battle of Adwa

Samori Touré (West Africa)

• Samori Touré: Defender of West African Independence

Ngungunyane (Mozambique)

• Ngungunyane, also known as Gungunhana, was the last ruler of the Nguni state in what is now Mozambique.

• He became leader in 1884 and tried to protect his land from Portuguese colonization through peace deals, alliances, and military resistance.

• Despite his efforts, the Portuguese invaded in 1895, captured him, and took him to Portugal, where he was imprisoned until his death in 1906.

• Today, Ngungunyane is remembered in Mozambique as a symbol of resistance and national pride.