New Imperialism (Lecture)

ID Terms

Battle of Adwa

Ethiopian victory of Italians 1896

Example of successful resistance against European imperialism

Italians wanted inland in scramble for Africa to set settlers

Italians try to trick Emperor but fail and they fight

International Association of the Congo

1896 King Leopold’s colonial company

Established trading posts and admin centers

Becomes window dressing to African colonization

Disguised as philanthropic institution

Worked with Stanely to “negotiate” treaties with 100s of African leaders for land

Red Rubber Trade

Demand for rubber increased worldwide


Berlin Conference

1884 Conference held in Berlin

A bunch of Europeans carving up Africa with no Africans present

Carving up of Africa of who owned what and what was up for grabs

No Africans present

Spanish American War

America’s Imperialism in Cuba and the Philippines

Initially coming in as partners to free nations from crumbling Spanish Empire

Later claim them for themselves

The Water Cure

Guerilla war in the Philippines against America

Song based on torturing Philippino guerilla soldiers

Henry Morton Stanley

Employee of Belgian King in Congo

Starts at coast and moves inward

Wales but moved to America

Journalist and self-called African explorer

King Leopold II

Belgian King

Founder of Congo Free State

Desperate for colonies

10 million killed by his policies in Congo Free State

George Washington Williams

Black American

First noticed the brutality in Congo and published the truth

Asked Leopold and expressed his concerns in a long letter

Soldier, writer, journalist, activist

Traveled to Congo to work with the Free State to find places for Black American artisans and professionals

Europeans knew and accepted the violence as necessary in colonialism

Global 1880s - 1914 / Africa 1880s-1914 / Philippines 1898 - 1940s

What is so new about Imperialism?

It’s deeply embedded in new ideas of and competition between nation-states. Nationalism.

Why did it start in the 1880s?

Technology, racism, industrialization

Why was colonialism so brutal?

Power, control, economic exploitation.

Why did people not resist colonial rule?

They did but only succeeded if unified.

Why 1880s?

  1. Technology

    1. Communication/transport tech

    2. Military

    3. Medical knowledge

  2. Industrialization

    1. Need more raw materials

    2. Need cheap labor

  3. Scientific racism

    1. Civilizing mission for non-Europeans

    2. Biological inferiority and genuinely believed

  4. Nationalism

    1. European nations compete for power and money

  5. Dead White Men

    1. Individuals lay claim to huge territories for their own self-interest

Brutality

  1. Power

    1. Violence for land and subdue people

  2. Control

    1. Small # Europeans ruling large territories

    2. Violence cheapest form of control

    3. Racism

  3. Money

    1. Forced labor = higher profit

No Resistance

  1. Not against colonial rule but specific policies

    1. Initial change under colonialism is slow until a policy changed present life

  2. Daily resistance small

    1. Work strikes, hidden children, etc

  3. Survival in conditions = resistance

German East Africa

  1. Failed resistance against Germany

    1. Not unified

    2. German military tech

    3. Germany already had established itself

  2. Labor systems put into place

  3. Guerilla warfare

    1. 2 years for Germany to settle rebellion

Belgium and the Congo

  1. Belgium

    1. Young European country

    2. Newly independent

    3. King Leopold II

      1. King decides they need money

      2. Colonies were for economic and industrial prestige

      3. Found in Congo

        1. Only after other failed attempts in Mexico, Australia, South America, etc

        2. Claimed interest in Congo was humanitarian

  2. Congo

    1. Already discovered by other European nations

    2. Monarch and sophisticated

    3. Governers and provinces

    4. Forced labor system (slaves) already in place

      1. Already suffering from slave trade with Portuguese

    5. Leopold declares all vacant (unplowed) land as state property

      1. Leased land to private companies he had 50% shares in

      2. Deployed troops

      3. Military force to seize all ivory in territory

      4. Red rubber system

  3. Henry Morton Stanley

    1. Individual “dead white man”

    2. No government involvement