Imperialism and Migration (1750-1900)

Big Idea 1: Ideologies Driving Imperialism (1750-1900)

• The Industrial Revolution led to a new wave of European empire building.
• Cultural ideologies:
  • Belief in the superiority of the white race and European culture.
    • Rudyard Kipling's "White Man's Burden" exemplifies this.
  • Social Darwinism: Applying the idea of "survival of the fittest" to social and political realities, justifying strong states dominating weaker ones.
  • Desire to spread Christianity.
• Nationalist motives:
  • Growing desire for powerful states to assert their dominance by building larger empires.
  • Examples: Britain in India, France in Africa, Japan colonizing Korea after the Sino-Japanese War.
• Economic motives:
  • Industrialized nations sought new markets and raw materials.
  • Focus on the second phase of the Industrial Revolution.

Big Idea 2: Consolidating and Expanding Empires

• Non-state to state control:
  • The Congo: Initially a private colony of Belgian King Leopold II, it was later transferred to the Belgian state due to his brutal policies.
  • India: Originally controlled by the British East India Company, direct control was assumed by the British government after the Sepoy Rebellion (Indian Mutiny of 1857).
• New imperial powers replaced old ones:
  • The United States: Expanded into the Pacific, notably the Philippines, after the Spanish-American War in 1898.
  • Japan: Colonized Korea, parts of China, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Islands.
  • Russia: Expanded into Poland, Eastern Europe, parts of the Middle East, and China.
• Scramble for Africa:
  • European powers sought raw materials in Africa.
  • Otto von Bismarck of Germany organized the Berlin Conference to diplomatically divide Africa among European powers without African input.

Big Idea 3: Resistance from Colonized Peoples

• The importance of understanding the perspective and actions of colonized peoples.
• Direct resistance:
  • Peru: Tupac Amaru led a rebellion against Spanish atrocities, which was crushed.
  • India: The Sepoy Mutiny/Indian Rebellion.
• Creation of new states:
  • Balkan states: Nationalism led to independence movements and the creation of Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria from Ottoman control.
• Religiously inspired rebellions:
  • Ghost Dance movement in the United States: Indigenous groups believed performing the ghost dance would awaken ancestral spirits to expel white settlers, leading to wars with the US military which resulted in the rebellion crushed.
  • The Cossa cattle killing movement in South Africa.

Big Idea 4: Transformation of the Global Economy

• Shift from subsistence farming to cash crop farming: Growing crops (coffee, rubber, sugar, etc.) primarily for export.
  • Examples: Cattle ranching in Uruguay and Argentina to meet European and American demands; guano extraction in Peru and Chile for fertilizer.
• Colonial economies served the needs of imperial hubs rather than the local populations.
• Imperial powers organized economies around cash crops like cotton, rubber, and palm oil.

Big Idea 5: Economic Imperialism

• Definition: One country wielding significant economic power over another.
• Britain and China: The Opium Wars
  • Britain smuggled opium into China to address a trade deficit.
  • Chinese leaders banned opium, leading to the Opium Wars.
  • Britain won due to its superior industrial capacity.
  • China was forced to open trading ports and accept free trade agreements.
• China divided into spheres of influence: Japan, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States gained exclusive trading rights within designated areas.
• Imperial powers organized economies of their holdings for their own economic advantage.

Big Idea 6: Migration Patterns (1750-1900)

• Migration due to industrialization and globalization.
• Reasons for migration:
  • Work:
    • New labor systems: Indentured servitude (workers paying for passage with labor), Asian contract laborers (low-wage workers), penal colonies (e.g., Australia).
  • Bad conditions at home:
    • Poverty in India led to migration for indentured servitude opportunities.
    • The Irish potato famine (1845) led to mass immigration to America.
• Immigrants settled in large cities, contributing to urbanization.
• Creation of ethnic enclaves: Areas reflecting immigrants' culture and language.
• Reception of immigrants: Discrimination and racist legislation.
  • Examples: White Australia policy, Chinese Exclusion Act in the United States.