Imperialism

1. Imperialism By: Elizabeth Eggleston, Allayna Frank, and Sara Comstock (The act of a strong country taking over a country weaker than themselves, generally for sources of raw materials and/or markets for trade)

2. Reasons for Imperialism • In the 19th century, major world powers (primarily Western European nations and the United States) sought out sources of raw materials and markets for trade in response to the Industrial Revolution. • Many nations justified their imperialism as being a benefit to the nations they were conquering, an idea that was better known as the White Man’s Burden. They saw it as an act of charity to the less developed nations to install more advanced governments and technologies.In reality, the developments, such as roads, schools, bridges, and railroads, were primarily aimed at easily accessing raw materials for industry in the mother countries. • Social Darwinism, the theory of political “survival of the fittest,” was often used to justify imperialism.

3. Imperialism in Africa • Many European powers pushed into Africa to obtain its rich mineral resources. • 14 European nations met at the Berlin Conference to discuss the division of Africa among them. The result was the establishment of colonial borders that completely ignored previously developed cultural boundaries. • Dutch settlers in Africa, known as Boers, were among the few nations to fight against this unfair partitioning. Their struggle to remove eliminate British influence in their lands became known as the Boer War. They posed a great threat, but were eventually bested by the superior weapons of the British.

4. Imperialism in India • During the Raj period in India, the British government controlled India. They created an army of Sepoys, or Indian soldiers fighting for the British. • The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was an uprising of these Sepoys in an attempt to resist the influence of the British, brought about by increasing spirits of nationalism. As a result, the British simply tightened their control of the area.

5. Imperialism in China • Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia developed spheres of influence in China for its natural resources. • The United States developed a policy of extraterritoriality to protect Americans from Chinese law. • The Chinese tried to reject the influence of foreign powers in the Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion, both of which resulted in losses for the Chinese and increased foreign influence. • The Opium Wars were caused by the British refusal to stop their opium trade in China.

6. Imperialism in Southeast Asia • Areas in Southeast Asia, such as Indochina, Singapore, Hawaii, and the Philippine Islands, were also colonized for their natural resources. Malaysia was an excellent source of rubber. Hawaii had an strategic location in the middle of the Pacific. Singapore’s harbor was desirable to the British. • The Spanish-American War was fought in response to the U.S. attack on the Philippine Islands, a possession of Spain, and resulted in the U.S. control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands.

7. Imperialism in the Ottoman Empire • The Ottoman Empire declined quickly in the late 19th century, and to about one third of its greatest size by 1914. • Russia, seeing the empire’s weakness, fought the Ottomans for the Black Sea port in the Crimean War, a war in which they lost.

8. Imperialism in the U.S. • The U.S. was exempt from any European imperialism because of the Monroe Doctrine, which prohibited the establishment of European colonies there. • Without the threat of colonization by European powers, the U.S. was able to become an imperialistic power itself.

9. Imperialism Terms • Spheres of influence- areas of land under the economic control of another nation • Social Darwinism- the idea of political “survival of the fittest” • Paternalism- the policy of governing people in a parental way by providing for their needs but not giving them rights • Berlin Conference- a meeting in which 14 European nations created rules for the division of Africa, disregarding already established cultural boundaries • Opium War-war between Britain and China over the trade of opium by the British in China • Sepoy Mutiny- the retaliation of Indian-born British soldiers against British influence in India • Boxer Rebellion- the Chinese rebellion against foreign influence, which was defeated by a multinational force • Spanish-American War- War in response to U.S. attacks on the Spanish-owned Philippine Islands • Monroe Doctrine- the document stating that European powers could not create colonies in the Americas