1. +
The Era of
Imperialism:
18 7 0 - 19 14

2. +
Late Nineteenth Century
European Imperialism

3. +
Definitions
 Colonialism
 Takingdirect control of an area and turning it into
a colony under a nation’s authority
 Nationalism
 Belief that an ethnic group should rule itself
 Belief that one nation is better than all the others

4. Imperialism
+  Practice by which powerful nations, particularly European,
and later American and Japanese, seek to extend and
maintain political or economic control of one or more
weaker countries

5. +
Imperialism
 Imperialism
 New V. Old
 Motives for Empire
 Economic
 Political
 Ideological
 Social Darwinism
 Religious
 Humanitarian
 Adventure and Excitement

6. Source for European
Raw Nationalism
Materials Missionary
Industrial
Activity
Revolution
E u rop e an
Markets for
M otive s Military
Finished
& Naval
+
Goods
F or C olonization Bases
Social
Darwinism
Places to
European Dump
Racism Unwanted/
Excess Popul.
Humanitarian Soc. & Eco.
“White Reasons Opportunities
Man’s
Burden”

7. Resources and Strategic Areas:
Where are the important geographical areas to control?

8. British Landlords want to
make money
Require farmers to grow
crops they can sell for
money – not for food
“Cash Crops”

9. + Cash Crops. The agricultural products are grown primarily for
exporting purposes. Products such as indigo, banana,
pineapple, coffee or sugar cane are grown to be exported to
developed countries.
But what
will we eat?

10. +
Causes of Late 19th Century European
Imperialism
 Culture / Religion
 Beliefin European / Christian superiority
 Desire to “spread civilization and Christianity to
the heathens”
 Social Darwinism
 Prestige
 Whoever has the most must be the best
 “He who dies with the most toys wins!”

11. “The White Man’s Burden”
+
a concept very popular during
the 1800's and into the 1900's
that it was the responsibility of
white Europeans to bring
"proper" European civilization
to the nations (mostly brown,
black, red or yellow) that did
not have it.
 The underlying thought was
that Europeans were correct in
their beliefs and it was their
duty to bring everyone in the
world up as close to the
European standards as
possible.

12. +  Not all Europeans were
equally as good - the British
were the cream of the crop
 Non-Europeans should accept
the gift of European
civilization happily
 Insummary: Europeans were
responsible for (had the task
or burden of) educating
"uncivilized" or "backward"
peoples.

13. + Social Darwinism
 Social Darwinists – sounds rather racist.
 They applied evolution to the social order.
 Europeans felt they must “save the savages” and
“civilize” them
 Missionaries sought to convert “heathen” unbelievers in faraway
lands.
 “The white man’s burden” – introducing civilization to the
“colored” races of the world.
 Intheir view, war was nature’s way of
eliminating the unfit.
 Using terms such as “survival of the fittest” Social
Darwinists insisted that nations and races were
engaged in a struggle for survival in which only the
fittest survive and deserve to win.

14. + Social Darwinism: Lasting
Implications
 It promoted the military build-up that led to World War I.
 It would become the core doctrine of the Nazi party before World
War II.
 Holocaust and Eugenics
 Provided a “scientific” and “ethical” justification for genocides in
the 20th century.

15. Common advertisement during Imperialism
What is being
advertised?
Where is this taking
place?
How can you tell?
What is going on?
What does it tell us
about imperialism /
colonialism?
Who was the queen
at the time?

16. +
A British Merchant's Home in Colonial India

17. +
Britain (United Kingdom)
Includes England, Scotland, Wales,
Ireland
 Largest colonial empire
 “Sun never sets on the British Empire”
 Colonies established to protect trading interests in
Africa and Asia
 Two kinds of colonies
 “White” Colonies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa) Populated mainly by people that moved there from
Britain
 Given self-rule
 “Non-white” Colonies (India, Africa)
 Under indirect rule
 Populated mainly by people who are native to the area
 Few people from Britain actually live there – but control the
government

18. All the territories the British ever owned
Note: They also had a “sphere of influence” in China
as well

19. +
France
Northwest Africa and Southeast Asia
Took colonies to make up for loss of
Alsace-Lorraine in 1870
Tended to use “Direct Rule”
 Control all aspects of the colony from
Paris.

20. French Colonial Empire - 1905
Ignore these parts

21. +
Germany
 Bismarck originally opposed
colonial expansion
 Unnecessary for Germany
 Did not want to threaten France or
Britain
 Germany eventually took
colonies in 1880s for status
symbols
 In Africa and Asia

22. +
United States
 Did not get involved in European affairs
 Became colonial power after 1898
 Spanish-American War
 U.S. gainscontrol of Puerto Rico, Guam,
Philippines
 Monroe Doctrine allows US to extend
influence into Latin America

23. American Territorial Expansion after 1898

24. +
Case Study #1
Imperialism in Africa

25. + Scramble for Africa
 Europe had been interested in Africa
for centuries
 Through the slave trade
 Much of Africa still unexplored until
1880s
European influence restricted
to coastline
Initially difficult to get to
interior due to geography
Diseases made exploration
difficult. (malaria, yellow fever
etc)

26. Technology Encourages Europeans
to explore African interior
Steamboats
Advances in medicine
 Quinine – stops malaria
Suez Canal

27. + Geographical Impact of the Suez
Canal, 1869
See why the
Suez canal
is a
10,000 KM “strategic”
location?
16,000 KM

30. How do you control your empire??

31. +
European Imperialism in Asia
India
Britain trading in India since 1600s
 British
East India Co. gradually took over
parts of India
British government gradually took over
India in the 1800s
 Sepoy Mutiny
 Indian soldiers revolt against British East India Co
 Rebellion put down by British army
 British government takes over control from British
East India Co.

32. Map of Imperialism in Asia

33. Growth of British Power in India

34. +
European Imperialism in India
Consequences of British Imperialism
in India
 British educational system established
 Spread of English language
 Railroads tie India together
 Rise of Indian middle class

35. +
European Imperialism in Asia
 China
 Potentially huge market
 Closed to European trade until 1800s
 Opium War (1840)
 Britain forces China to open trade to opium
 Millions of addicts
 Unequal Treaties (Treaty of Nanking) – China
forced open
 By 1900, China divided into European “spheres
of influence”
 Parts of China under European control
 Chinese monarchy seriously weakened

37. +
Reaction to Imperialism
Rise of Nationalist Movements
 India
 Indian National Congress (1885)
 Group of middle class Indians begin to
demand independence (Mohandas
Gandhi)
 China
 Boxer Rebellion (1900)
 Nationalist Party

38. +
Reaction to Imperialism
Japan
 Long isolated from Western
trade
 U.S. opens Japan to trade in
1854
 Meiji Restoration (1868)
 Faction overthrows Shogun and
restores Emperor to power
 Japan imports Western ideas and
technology
 Ever see ….

39. +
Reaction to Imperialism
 Japan adopts imperialism by 1890s
 Defeats China in 1895
 Takes over Taiwan
 Defeats Russia in 1905
 Gains control of Korea
 Japanese imperialism worries Europeans
 “Yellow Peril”

40. +
Conclusion
 Different
reasons for European imperialism
during late nineteenth century
 European imperialism causes reactions in
Africa and Asia
 European imperialism disrupts traditional
way of life and continues to affect the world
today

41. +

Nations gaining independence post-WWII

42. Decolonisation
A troublesome
experience
1. The economic
problems they
inherited
2. The need to find
political systems
that work for the
individual nations.

43. +
THE END
DON’T BE
COLONISING
ANYONE!!!