Imperialism

Imperialism

Definition: The conquering of foreign territories by powerful countries
for natural resources and markets

Forms of Imperialism

  • Colony – Ruled directly by a foreign power

  • Protectorate – Controlled by foreign power

  • Sphere of influence - Foreign power gets exclusive rights

Africa Before Imperialism

  • Over 1000 languages & groups

  • Kept Europeans out for 400+ years

  • Mostly only missionaries who explore the interior 

The Belgian Congo

  • King Leopold of Belgium hires explorer David Stanley to explore & claim the Congo

  • Treaties made with local chiefs along the Congo River

  • Companies brutally exploit Africans to collect rubber

  • Other countries take note of Africa’s natural resources

The Scramble for Africa

  • Europeans fear war over claims

  • 14 European nations meet in 1884 for the Berlin Conference 

  • Africa divided without any regard for people there 

The White Man’s Burden

  • Europeans & Americans believed it was their responsibility to:

    • Spread Christianity

    • Civilize & educate other nations 

    • End the slave trade


Conflict in Africa

  • Shaka led the Zulus against British rule in early 1800’s

  • The Boer War was fought between Dutch settlers & the British in South Africa (1890s)

  • Emperor Menelik II successfully defended Ethiopia against invasion (1896)

Imperialism in Asia

  • The Dutch East India Company controls trade in Southeast Asia

  • China fought the Opium Wars against England in mid-1800’s over the British opium trade

  • Weakened the Qing dynasty and forced open to trade with the world

  • Japan forced open by the US in 1853 after centuries of isolation

  • The United States is late to claims due to its Civil War

  • Fights Spain for control of the Philippines

  • Annexes Hawaii in 1898 despite resistance from Queen Liliuokalani 

Imperialism in India

  • British East India Company dominates trade

  • Uses “sepoys” or Indian soldiers

  • Becomes the “Jewel in the Crown” for the wealth it brings

Conflict in Asia

  • Crimean War – Russia vs. Ottomans for control of the Red Sea

  • Sepoy Rebellion in India (1857) over their treatment

  • Boxer Rebellion in China over foreign influence (1899)

Results of Imperialism

  • The “Sun never set on the British Empire”

  • Nationalism grows in conquered regions

  • Rivalries develop that create tension among Europeans