JK

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.