European Hegemony and Conflict

Haitian Revolution (1791-1803)

• 1791 - slave rebellions broke out

  • Plantations were destroyed, and white owners killed

• Toissant L’ouverte was appointed governor of the colony but was captured by Napolean

• black people continued fighting and gained independence in 1803

• launched the island into civil war

• inspired slave uprisings in America

• inspired independence movements in Latin America

• international powers refused to trade with Haiti after the revolt which crippled their economy

Columbian Exchange

• An exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between America and the rest of the world

• Old World Diseases: smallpox, influenza, malaria

• Old World Plants: wheat, rice sugar

• Old World Animals: cattle, horses, sheep

• Old World: Europe, Asia, Africa

• New World Diseases: hepatitis, polio, syphilis

• New World Plants: corn, cocoa, tobacco

• New World Animals: turkey, llama, guinea pigs

• New World: Americas

• New world crops led to the greatest population increase in history

European Empire

• European powers wanted more of the wealth uncovered by earlier merchant nations like Britain, France, and Spain

• Africa had been largely left alone and unexplored

• European powers scrambled to get a piece of the riches in raw materials

  Xhosa Wars:

  • 9 wars between Europeans and Xhosa tribes

  • Both Dutch and British settlers fought against Xhosa and expelled them from their lands

  • This led to ongoing strife between Boers (dutch farmers) and Xhosa

    Anglo-Zulan War:

    • Britain wanted diamonds and the labor of the Zulu

    • British governor presented an ultimatum to the Zulu: disband the army and abandon the culture

    • Zulu won a major battle

European Hegemony:

• historically, European hegemony refers to the attempts to exert high levels of influence and rule to the far reaches of the world in the 19th and 20th centuries

Opium Wars: 1839-42 and 1856-60

• Western countries vs. Qing Dynasty of China

• Foreign powers had been illegally importing opium from India to China

• Opium addiction was causing huge problems

• Opium - addictive drug, like heroin

• Chinese authorities seized a large shipment of opium and it started a war

  Second Opium War:

  • France joined Britain

  • Treaties of Tianjin

  • China opened more forts to foreigners and allowed more Christian foreigners

  • legalized importations of opium

Treaty of Nanking

• China ceded Hong Kong to the British

• had to pay reparations

• allowed British trade at more ports

• ultimately weakened Qing Dynasty and paved the way for the republic in the early 20th century