Second Wave of Imperialism: Methods and Examples

Second Wave of Imperialism: Methods of Imperial Expansion

Developments Setting the Stage (1750-1900)

• Shift in Geographical Focus:

  • Previous period (1450-1750): European expansion focused on the Americas, Asia, and Southeast Asia, with Africa mainly serving as a source of resources and enslaved laborers via coastal trading posts.

  • Second wave (1750-1900): Imperial expansion heavily focused on Africa and Asia/Southeast Asia.

• Change in Imperial Powers:

  • Previous period: Spain and Portugal were the primary maritime empires.

  • Second wave: Spain and Portugal declined; Great Britain, France, and the Dutch continued their roles; new players emerged, including Germany, Italy, Belgium, the United States, and Japan.

Methods of Imperial Expansion

State Takeovers of Private Colonies

• Some colonies were initially controlled by individuals or businesses, not governments.

• Belgian Congo Example:

  • King Leopold II of Belgium privately controlled the Congo Free State.

  • Leopold claimed humanitarian intentions (converting indigenous people to Christianity, Western education).

  • Reality: Brutal exploitation for raw materials (rubber), leading to millions of deaths.

  • Public outrage led the Belgian government to take control in 1908.

• Additional Examples:

  • Dutch government taking over Indonesia from the Dutch East India Company.

  • British government taking over India from the British East India Company.

Diplomacy and Warfare in Africa

• Colonization of Africa involved both diplomacy and warfare.

• Diplomacy: The Berlin Conference (1884-1885)

  • Definition: Diplomacy is making political agreements through dialogue and negotiation, not warfare.

  • European powers competed fiercely for African territory, known as the Scramble for Africa.

  • Competition was driven by the belief that holding the most territory equaled great power status.

  • Otto von Bismarck (Germany) called the Berlin Conference to avoid warfare among European powers.

  • European powers divided almost the entire African continent into colonial holdings.

  • No African leaders were invited to the conference.

  • Borders were drawn in Africa that divided previously united ethnic groups and brought together rival ethnic groups, causing future problems.

• Warfare: French in Algeria

  • France was in debt to Algeria for wheat supplies.

  • Algerian ruler struck a French diplomat with a flyswatter during tense negotiations.

  • France responded by sending 35,000 troops to invade Algiers and take control of parts of North Africa.

  • Despite Algerian resistance, the French expanded their power through warfare.

Establishment of Settler Colonies

• Imperial power claims a territory and sends its own people to establish an outpost of their society.

• British in Australia and New Zealand:

  • British established settler colonies in the South Pacific.

  • Massive waves of British settlers populated the regions, establishing a neo-European society.

  • Introduction of diseases decimated indigenous populations (Aborigines in Australia, Maori in New Zealand).

Conquest of Neighboring Territories

• Exploiting and killing people next door is easier than overseas.

• United States:

  • Westward expansion was a long-standing desire.

  • Louisiana Purchase (1803) and wars with Mexico/Spain fueled expansion.

  • Manifest Destiny: Belief that God called them to possess all territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans.

  • Displacement of indigenous peoples, forced onto reservations.

  • Forcible assimilation policies, e.g., American Indian boarding schools to strip children of their culture.

• Russia:

  • After losing Crimean War, Pan-Slavism spread among elites.

  • Pan-Slavism: Ideology to unite all Slavic peoples under Russian authority.

  • Expanded to claim neighboring territory for great power status.

  • Established Vladivostok trading post on Pacific Coast (1860).

  • Claimed steppe lands of Kazakh nomads and expanded into Uzbek states.

• Japan:

  • Non-Western power joining imperialism.

  • Rapid industrialization and modernized military.

  • Expanded sphere of influence over Korea, Manchuria, and parts of China.