Imperialism in India, China and Japan

Things that made imperialism possible:

•Technology▫Steam power

made travel easier

▫Machine guns •End of old

empires▫Made it easy for

Europeans to take control

Types of Imperialism

•Colony: territory governed by foreign power

•Most foreign influence •Examples: Belgian Congo, British India

•Protectorate: territory governs itself but with foreign control

•Examples: recent Iraq and Afghanistan?;

•Sphere of Influence: territory in which foreign country claims exclusive political or economic rights

•Least foreign influence•Example: China in 1800s

The British East India Company

•Trading company, not government

•Controlled most of India from 1800 to 1857

Sepoy Rebellion

•Sepoy = Indian soldier in British army

•Muslims and Hindus were angry because of animal fat in gun cartridges

The Raj (British Rule)

•British government took over when Sepoys rebelled

•Set up Indian Civil Service

Benefits of the Raj•Railroads, roads,

and canals built in India

•Britain got cheap cotton

Ram Mohun Roy

•Followed Enlightenment ideas about human rights

•Worked for independent India

•Indian National Congress founded in 1885

Ming Dyanasty (1368 – 1644)

•Previously, China had been under the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty

•1368 Hongwu took over and began Ming (“brilliant”) dynasty

•Took more government power for himself•Son Yonglo built Forbidden City

Ming trade and exploration thrived at first, but voyages were expensive and eventually stopped

Smugglers traded illegally, agriculture expanded, and the economy was doing well

Qing (1644-1911)

•Weak leaders led to the downfall of the dynasty

•The Qing from Manchuria took over next

• Qing were not Chinese, but adapted to Chinese culture well

• Had a sense of superiority in trading with foreigners – Chinese goods were better than everyone else’s

•Chinese didn’t want to let Europeans in

•Sold a lot of tea to British for silver - balance of trade was in China’s favor

Opium War•Britain smuggled

opium into China•Chinese

destroyed it•British attacked

and captured Shanghai

•Qing dynasty lost the mandate of heaven!

Unequal Treaties

•Treaty of Nanjing opened more places for Europe to trade

•Opened spheres of influence in China for US, Britain, France, and Russia

Taiping Rebellion (1850s)

•Hong Xiuquan wanted to set up ideal kingdom

•Failed (20 million killed)

Boxer Rebellion (1899)

•Secret society of Harmonious Fists

•Temporarily “captured” Beijing

•Embarrassed Qing dynasty