Imperialism in the 19 th Century A Focus on Africa and Asia.

Imperialism in the 19th Century

A Focus on Africa and Asia

EQ

• What motives formed the basis of European expansion in the late 19th century?

Styles of Control• Colony

17th Century Model

• Protectorate19th Century Model

• Concession19th/20th Century Model

• Sphere of Influence19th/20th Century Model

Hobson’s View• British Economist

• Believed that Imperialism was economically driven

• Excess capital in search of investment

• Resulted from unequal distribution of wealth

• Core motive was greed

Lenin’s View• Argued that imperialism

was capitalisms highest stage

• Also believed that excess capital was motive

• Said that World War I was the result of Imperialism

• Ignored history – Imperialism had existed before excess capital.

The Justification• “The White Man’s Burden”

• “To help our Little Brown Brothers”

Motives

• Economics

• Adventure

• Missionary Interests

• Scientific Discovery

The First Two

StanleyLivingstone

Early Success …• Leopold/Belgium and the Congo

• Boers in South Africa

• French in the Suez Region and Tunisia

• French efforts in Algeria

• British control of Cyprus

Belgians • 1835-1909

• Constitutional Monarch – no policy powers

• Held 1876 Brussels meeting on Europeans in Africa

• Hired Henry Stanley to collect as the Congo Basin for him

• Eventually treated it as a private fifedom – often cruelly

• Secured by Belgium in 1909Leopold II

French Efforts• Distressed with the success of Leopold• Began with Tunisia (close to Suez) –

they had both economic and political reasons

• The Italians made an effort to control Tunisia following French failure in the Franco-Prussian War

• Italians were thwarted by British deal with French

Cape Colony

• Established by the Dutch in 1650

• Captured by British in 1795

Zulu Wars - 1879

• The Zulu kingdom (economically and politically sound) threatened British efforts to control The Cape Colony

• Eventually destroyed following a bloody conflict

Trouble in Paradise• Increase in number of

Dutch settlers (Afrikaners)

• Religious persecution was motive

• By 1830’s had set up two Boer Republics

• Transvaal• Orange Free State• Diamonds are

discovered near the Orange River in 1867

Cecil Rhodes• Prime Minister of unified

Cape Colony

• Diamonds discovered in Boer areas

• Forms DeBeers

• Finance overthrow of Boer government

• Fails – war results

• Rhodes replaced as P.M.

Boer War, 1899-1902

• British over-confident

• Win only last battle

• 22,000 die

• Boers fight a defensive war

• War demonstrated weakness of British tactics and weapons.

People of the Boer War

DoyleKitchener

Churchill

Berlin Conference1884

• Suggested by the Portuguese

• Concerned that the older powers wanted to stop the newer colonial powers

• Bismarck hosted …

• 14 interested nations appeared

• Concepts of Protectorates and Spheres of Influence are first introduced.

• No real changes …. tension increased

South and East Asia

Sepoys

British and India• British had been there since Elizabeth I

• French had been there first - lost control

• Destination of British second sons

• Crisis arises in 1857 – Sepoy Rebellion

• East India Company replaced by India Act of 1858

• British government now controlled India

• No independence until 1947

Indochina

Colonial Powers - SEA

• First appeared in 17th Century

• India until 1947

• Burma until 1947

• First appeared in 17th Century

• Lost control of India

• Took control of Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) until 1954

British French

Conflict in China• Opium was originally a medication• By 18th Century it had become recreational• Most came from Turkey or India through the

port of Canton (The old Silk Road)• 1800 the Chinese government banned it –

negative impact on British Balance of Trade

The Opium Wars1839-1842

Key Elements of the Wars• Immediate cause - Chinese government

ordered destruction of imported Opium

• The British occupied the Port of Canton

• Chinese could not match western military technology

• Forced to sign Treaty of Nanking.

• A second war in 1856 had similar result

Open Door Policy

And

The Boxer Rebellion

The Policy• Developed by John Hay asserting U.S. in

Asia

• Pushed for equal trading rights in China

• Europeans were not interested …

• Hay had chosen to ignore European reluctance to allow U.S. trade

• AND THEN …….

Boxer Rebellion• China was spilt into Spheres of Influence

• Chinese students wanted to close China to foreign influences

• The Fists of Righteous Harmony (Boxers) became the militant arm of the Empress.

• Boxers attacked missionaries/businessmen who eventually fled to the Forbidden City

• Goal was to drive foreigners from China

Boxers – Continued• Foreign businesses and diplomats were

trapped.• The U.S. sent 2,500 troops from the

Philippines to protect U.S. citizens• The Boxers were quickly defeated.• The Open Door was accepted and

expanded to include the interior of China• Western powers agreed to maintain the

Chinese government

Russo-Japanese War

• Conflict over control of Korea and Manchuria

• Russia had gained control of Port Arthur from the Chinese – worried Japan

• Japan successfully attacked Russian fleet at Port Arthur

• Japanese attacks on Korea and Manchuria were equally successful

• The naval Battle of Tsushima gave the Japanese victory at sea.

1904-1905

Russian Warship

Japanese Warship

Port Arthur

Treaty of Portsmouth• There was political unrest

in Russia• Teddy Roosevelt served

as mediator in New Hampshire

• Japan got Port Arthur and control of Korea.

• Russian distress over the treaty forced the issue of the October Manifesto (an agreement on constitution)

The Suez Canal

Suez Canal - Origins• Begun in 2nd Millennium BC by Egypt• 1854 – a French-Egyptian agreement allows for

construction of a modern canal• Took 11 years and the forced labor of 30,000 to

complete • British attempted to organize revolts amongst the

labor force• French pressure forced British to halt political

interference • Opened in 1869 at double original cost estimates• Enormous profits

Disraeli and The British

Regional Tension !!!!!

Italians

Adowa

Adowa• 1896

• Between Ethiopia and Italy

• Italy invaded Ethiopia in order to bridge two other Italian territories

• Italians were heavily outnumbered and defeated

• Italians signed Treaty of Addis Ababa guarantying Ethiopian independence

Significance of Addis Ababa

• Defeat of colonial power

• Black over white

• African sovereignty

• Prompts Italian invasion early in WWII

A Larger Conflict Looms

Fashoda

Fashoda• 1898

• Dispute between England and France

• Argument over British occupation of Egypt (French wanted them out)

• French outnumbered British, but British controlled seas.

• French foreign minister negotiated end to conflict. Needed British support against possible future war against Germans

Germany• Last in and no good places left

• Decides to make a stand in Morocco

• Fails – prepares for larger conflict

Outcomes of Imperialism

• Europeanization

• Nationalism – both in the colonial regions and in Europe

• Racism – as a result of Darwinism

• Militarism