lecture recording on 24 February 2025 at 09.17.56 AM
The Industrial Revolution and Imperialism
Western European nations experienced a surge in industrial activity, resulting in factories that required energy resources and raw materials.
The need for markets to sell manufactured goods contributed to the rise of imperialism.
Definition of Imperialism
Imperialism: Control of weaker lands by a more dominant land.
Motivations for Imperialism:
Resource Acquisition: Dominant nations sought raw materials and fuel for their factories and transportation that weaker lands could provide.
Market Expansion: The produced goods needed new markets for selling, which weaker lands could provide.
Geopolitics: The inherent value of land, due to resources or strategic location, made it desirable for more powerful nations to control it.
Geopolitics Explained
Geopolitics refers to the idea that land has intrinsic value, which can be influenced by:
Natural Resources: Rich in minerals, energy sources, or favorable climates for cash crops.
Strategic Location: Example locations include:
Crossroads: Areas with critical waterways (e.g., Black Sea and Mediterranean).
Suez Canal: Important for trade between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Panama Canal: Significant for transportation between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Pacific Islands: Important for coaling stations to service ships traveling to Asia.
Types of Colonial Control
1. Direct Control
Military conquest or diplomatic agreements dictate that the dominant nation replaces the local government with its own administration.
Introduces the dominant culture, education systems, and infrastructure primarily for extracting resources.
Assimilation: The process by which the local population adopts the culture and practices of the dominant nation.
2. Indirect Control
The existing local government remains but operates under the influence of the dominant nation.
Local officials are kept in power as long as they align with the governing interests of the dominant country.
Aim to create loyal subjects by implementing aspects of the dominant culture and systems for local benefit.
Types of Imperialism
1. Colony
A territory governed internally by an outside power.
Example: The United States was once a British colony, but the level of control could vary (e.g., salutary neglect).
2. Protectorate
Maintains its own government but is under control of a foreign power.
Example: Puerto Rico is a U.S. protectorate.
3. Sphere of Influence
A foreign nation has exclusive trading rights in a specific region of an independent nation.
Example: Western nations created spheres of influence in China, impacting local trade dynamics.
4. Economic Imperialism
Corporations exert control over a foreign land, using its resources for profit.
Example: The British East India Company in India, exerting both economic and political influence.
Paternalism
The idea that larger countries provide care and assistance to diminished nations, much like a father figure.
Underlying motives often include the desire for resources and control, using a guise of benevolence.
Social Darwinism
A distorted interpretation of Darwin’s theory where dominant nations view less developed nations as inferior and justify subjugation.
This belief system often rationalized imperialism as a civilizing mission.
Africa and Imperialism
Scramble for Africa: Western European nations competed fiercely to claim territories, with most being colonized.
Exceptions: Liberia (settlement for freed American slaves) and Ethiopia (led by Menelik II, who successfully modernized to resist colonization).
Key Regions of Focus
Ottoman Empire
In decline in the 1800s, vulnerable to external pressures.
Western powers sought to exploit its weaknesses, especially in the Balkans.
Afghanistan (Central Asia)
Geopolitically significant for access between India and Europe despite limited resources.
The Great Game: Competition for dominance between Russia and Great Britain.
Egypt
Modernized under Muhammad Ali, leading to increased foreign interest and ultimate control by Great Britain post-revolt.
The Suez Canal was a major construction project central to trade and military movement.
Persia (Iran)
Vast resources but unable to develop them, resulting in concessions with Western powers which eventually led to spheres of influence.
India
Initially under economic imperialism via the British East India Company, which eventually transitioned to direct control following the Sepoy Mutiny.
The Raj: A period of direct British governance, which left a complex legacy of infrastructure and cultural impacts, alongside significant resentment from the Indian populace.