The Age of Imperialism1850-1914

Learning Target:

We are learning to:

Define imperialism

Identify the causes of imperialism

Identify the levels of imperialism

We are Looking For:• 1a. Imperialism is one countries domination of another

country for political, social, economic, religious, militarily for benefit/advantage

• 1b. Political motives- provide examples• 1c. Social motives-provide examples• 1d. Economic motives-provide examples• 1e. Religious motives-provide examples• 1f. Military motives-provide examples• 2a. colony – One country totally dominates another country in

all areas • 2b. protectorate- the dominating country allows the natives to

maintain some control with guidance from dominating country• 2c. sphere of influence – Region of a country where another

country has exclusive trading rights

Interpret this political cartoon

in regards to imperialism

What is Imperialism?

ImperialismImperialism is the domination by one is the domination by one country of the political, economic, country of the political, economic, or social life of another country or or social life of another country or region.region.

According to the map which country is controlling the other?

What are the forms of Imperialism?• Colony

– Imperial nation controls all aspects of the weaker country (Political, Economic and Social) Government officials are sent from the stronger nation to run the weaker country

• Protectorate– Weaker country has its own government– Imperial nation controls the policies of the

weaker country militarily or diplomatically

• Sphere of Influence – Imperial nations only control economic

aspects of the nation through exclusive trading rights

Why is the period between 1800 and 1914 known as the Age of

Imperialism?

• The industrialized countries competed with each other to control nearly the entire world.

How did competition between countries lead to imperialism?

- Nationalism – competition to build better empires.

- Land-more land, the more powerful the country appeared.

How did the industrial revolution lead to imperialism?

Demand for raw materials

- What kind of raw materials?

• Rubber, copper, gold-Africa• Cotton and Jute (thread and rope)from India• Tin-Southeast Asia• Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, Bananas, Oranges, Melons, and

other exotic fruits-Latin America

How did the need to protect existing colonies lead to more

colonies?– Needed more colonies to protect existing

ones– Military officials used their armies to expand

colony’s borders– Constant competition to have a “starring role”

How did the need for raw materials lead to imperialism?

–Consumed tons of raw materials, needed new sources of raw materials

How did the need for new markets lead to imperialism?

–Need/want to sell more goods and new markets would allow for this

• Tools, weapons, clothing

How did imperialism lead to the emigration of people? What countries

did people leave and go to?– Needed citizens who were loyal to “Mother

Country” to run new territories and keep them productive.

– Job opportunities• France = Algeria • British =

Australia, New Zealand

– Even Individual BusinessmenCecil Rhodes owned Rhodesia,

now Zimbabwe in the

gold and diamond mining

Name 4 things Europeans wanted to spread by establishing

colonies?

1. Technology

2. Religion – missionaries, brought Christianity to Africa, Asia

3. Customs – in order to become civilized, need to convert to Christianity

4. Tradition

What Forces Enabled Imperialism?• Maxim gun – (1889).

World’s first automatic machine gun.

• Railroads & Steamships – allowed Europeans to control their empire.

• Cure for Malaria – quinine protected Europeans from disease

• Ethnic and Cultural diversity – caused internal conflict and discouraged unity among some nations, especially Africa.

Why did European Countries Imperialize?

Economic Political Social

Raw Materials for Industrialization

Boost national pride and prestige

Spread Religion

Cheap Labor Military•Naval bases, additional troops

Social Darwinism – Survival of the fittest

Money Gain Power White Man’s Burden

New Markets Increased Security Desire to spread culture

Places for settlers Expand Territory Exploration

Did Social Darwinism provide support for imperialism?

British Scientist Charles Darwin wrote, “Origin of the Species” (1859)

But it’s full title is more revealing as to it’s purpose:

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.

This was Darwinism:“Survival of the fittest”

Social Darwinism became the supposed proof of cultural superiority:

White Europeans were the “Fittest” and it was their duty to spread western ideas to “Backward” peoples

What is Social Darwinism?• This is a great example

of how science can influence social, political and economic values and actions!

• Darwin’s - Survival of the fittest applied to Society

• Who would be the “fittest” of the human species?

What was Social Darwinism? How did it lead to imperialism?

–Proof of cultural superiority

–“Survival of the fittest” = White Europeans = “Fittest,” their duty to spread western ideas to “Backward” peoples

Racial and cultural superiority

As Imperialism spread, it was supported by the idea that being colonized was “good” for the country was controlled.

It civilized them.

What is the “White Man’s Burden”?

What was the “White Man’s Burden” according to Rudyard

Kipling?

– The need that the “White Man” must develop other countries and show them the “western ways”

• Kipling wrote in regards to US control over the Philippines

Which motive do you think is the most praiseworthy? Which is the

least?

You Decide

Effects of Imperialism

The need to control has several effects on the local areas:Goods are introduced to new places:

• Tools from the industrial revolution• Weapons which changed local politics• Clothing from western countries into the tropics

In addition, the Western cultures introduced:• Missionaries for religious purposes• Western political systems• Western education systems and language

Throughout the 1800s, an increased demand for both raw materials and new markets for

manufactured goods led European nations to pursue policies of

• A. Imperialism

• B. Communism

• C. Nationalism

• D. Socialism

Which of the following is not a form of imperialism?

• A. Colony

• B. Sphere of Influence

• C. Empire

• D. Protectorate

Which of the following is not a force that enabled European countries to conquer

weaker nations?

• A. Maxim Gun

• B. Ethnic Unity

• C. Quinine

• D. Railroads

Which of the following was not a reason for European colonization?

A. The Industrial Revolution

B. Social Darwinism

C. Spread of Christianity

D. Isolationism

Exit Slip

Define IMPERIALISM.

Explain why European Countries and the United States wanted to imperialize other nations. What was their main goal?

Social Motive Motive: Social Darwinism –

European culture is superior to indigenous (native) cultures. Justified inhuman treatment of indigenous people

Example: Belgian CongoEffects: King Leopold

increased his personal wealth while many indigenous people died

Social Motive• Motive: White Man’s

Burden – European duty to “civilize” indigenous people by spreading European culture, Christianity, and education.

• Example: – Henry Stanley’s belief that Europeans should “civilize” Africa.

• Effects: – African tribal cultures destroyed

Social Motive• Motive: Missionary – a

person sent on a religious mission to promote Christianity

• Example: David Livingston set up missionaries in Central and East Africa

• Effects: The indigenous people forced to convert to Christianity. Tribal religions decline

Economic Motive• Motive: Cheap labor –

business owners exploited the indigenous people by forcing them to work, paying them low wages with poor working conditions

• Example: 1. British forced Egyptians to

construct the Suez Canal. 2. King Leopold forced the

Congolese to work on rubber plantations

• Effects: People died or were treated poorly

Economic Motive• Motive: Raw Materials –

Countries wanted natural resources for the Industrial Revolution

• Example: 1. Leopold wanted to control the

Congo for rubber and Ivory

2. The British wanted to control South Africa for Gold and Diamonds

• Effects: 1. Natural resources depleted in the

Congo

2. Boer War was fought and English won control

Economic Motive• Motive: Place to Settle -

competition for jobs after the Industrial Revolution began caused people to move to finds work.

• Example: People left Britain to find work on the Suez Canal and France to find work in Algeria

• Effects: British gain control of Suez Canal and French move to Algeria in search of work

Political Motive

• Motive: Increased Security/Protection – select land close to home to protect borders

• Example: French soldiers fought in Algeria for 10 years to gain control of Algeria

• Effects: 1M French settle in North Africa

Political Motive

• Motive : Expand Territory – Gain power and prestige by having more land

• Example: British fought the Boers in South Africa

• Effects: Great Britain had the largest empire in the world

Political Motive

• Motive: Boost National Pride – gain power and prestige in the world

• Example: Great Britain fought France in the Sudan

• Effects: Great Britain gained national pride by defeating the French

Dr. Livingstone’s Victoria falls vacation

Dr. Livingstone

• A Scene, "Gazed Upon by Angels in Their Flight“

• In early November 1855, Livingstone traveled down the Zambezi River to see for himself the area the natives called "smoke that thunders." Approaching the spot in canoes, the party could see the columns of spray and hear the thunderous roar of water miles away from the falls:

• "After twenty minutes' sail from Kalai we came in sight, for the first time, of the columns of vapor appropriately called 'smoke,' rising at a distance of five or six miles, exactly as when large tracts of grass are burned in Africa. Five columns now arose, and, bending in the direction of the wind, they seemed placed against a low ridge covered with trees; the tops of the columns at this distance appeared to mingle with the clouds. They were white below, and higher up became dark, so as to simulate smoke very closely. The whole scene was extremely beautiful; the banks and islands dotted over the river are adorned with sylvan vegetation of great variety of color and form. No one can imagine the beauty of the view from any thing witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight. The only want felt is that of mountains in the background. The falls are bounded on three sides by ridges 300 or 400 feet in height, which are covered with forest, with the red soil appearing among the trees.

• You: Describe what Livingstone is seeing.

What was there?

The entire falls are simply a crack made in a hard basaltic rock from the right to the left bank of the Zambesi, and then prolonged from the left bank away through thirty or forty miles of hills. If one imagines the Thames filled with low, tree-covered hills immediately beyond the tunnel, extending as far as Gravesend, the bed of black basaltic rock instead of London mud, and a fissure made therein from one end of the tunnel to the other down through the keystones of the arch, and prolonged from the left end of the tunnel through thirty miles of hills, the pathway being 100 feet down from the bed of the river instead of what it is, with the lips of the fissure from 80 to 100 feet apart, then fancy the Thames leaping bodily into the gulf, and forced there to change its direction, and flow from the right to the left bank, and then rush boiling and roaring through the hills, he may have some idea of what takes place at this, the most wonderful sight I had witnessed in Africa.

In looking down into the fissure on the right of the island, one sees nothing but a dense white cloud, which, at the time we visited the spot, had two bright rainbows on it. From this cloud rushed up a great jet of vapor exactly like steam, and it mounted 200 or 300 feet high; there condensing, it changed its hue to that of dark smoke, and came back in a constant shower, which soon wetted us to the skin.

You: Why does Livingstone compare the view he is seeing to something in England?

Exit slip

As more and more information is gathered about the natural

resources of Africa, what pressures on European

countries prevented them from taking over all of Africa?

WHAT CONTACT DID EUROPEANS HAVE

WITH AFRICA BEFORE IMPERIALISM?• European explorers began to

venture south, towards Central

Africa in the 1400’s, during the Age

of Exploration

• Europeans first explored coastal

areas because they were accessible

by ship.

• Dense rain forests, waterfalls, and diseases like malaria, all prevented Europeans from going inland

What was the Scramble for Africa?

Dr. David Livingstone & Henry Stanley explored Africa

•Sent back news about the abundance of natural resources•Reports set off a fierce competition for colonies in Africa.

AFRICA BEFORE IMPERIALISM

JUST HOW BIG IS AFRICA?

JUST HOW BIG IS AFRICA?

What Forces Enabled Imperialism?• Maxim gun – (1889).

World’s first automatic machine gun.

• Railroads & Steamships – allowed Europeans to control their empire.

• Cure for Malaria – quinine protected Europeans from disease

• Ethnic and Cultural diversity – caused internal conflict and discouraged unity among some nations, especially Africa.

What was the Berlin Conference of 1885?

• 14 Nations met in Berlin, Germany and agreed to partition (divide) Africa

• Africa was divided in many pieces with no regard for the people living there

• Tribal regions were split

between imperialist nations• Enemy tribes often found

themselves together within

the same borders

• Everyone present at the Conference of Berlin got a piece of the “great African cake.”

AFRICA BEFORE IMPERIALISM

Which nations were not colonized

by 1914?

What areas did not fall victim to colonization?

Liberia and Ethiopia

By 1914 European nations controlled 90% of Africa

What land do you think is most desirable?

•Resources

•Water

•Close to the “mother country”

•Why would Great Britain want the Suez Canal?

•Connected the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea

•Provided shorter route to Asia

What does it mean to partition?

1. Conquer

2. Divide

3. Ignore

4. Destroy

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What was the Berlin Conference of 1885?

A. A meeting to end imperialism in Africa

B. A meeting to partition Africa with no regard to the ethnic and tribal diversity

C. A meeting to discuss the building of the Berlin Wall

D. A meeting to partition China with no regard to the people living there

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Who was King Leopold and what did he want with the Congo?

King Leopold was the monarch of Belgium.

•Leopold sought the Congo for its rich natural resources of

rubber, ivory, gold, diamonds and cheap labor.

•In 1882 a treaty was signed with local chiefs of the Congo

River valley. The treaties gave King Leopold II of Belgium

personal control over the land.

How did King Leopold treat the natives?

Leopold licensed companies that

brutally exploited Africans, by

forcing them to collect sap from rubber plants.

Africans harvesting rubber in the Congo.

The system was unusually exploitative and brutal, even in Colonial Africa. Whipping was a common form of punishment for

workers who did not meet their quotas or who disobeyed the white man's rules.

The man lost his hand from ropes tied too tight by Belgian Rubber

Company soldiers. The boy

lost his hand from soldiers that wanted to claim

him as a kill.

A man who refused to go work in the rubber plantation looks at the severed foot and hand

of his 5 year old daughter.

What were the effects of Leopold’s conquest of The Congo?

• He killed thousands of

natives

• He depleted the

resources such as

elephants and

rubber

You Decide

1. Based on the previous images, why do you think King Leopold conducted such serious

penalties on the Congolese people?

2. What do you think could be done to stop these crimes against humanity?

3. Based on this picture and what you have just learned, what do you think is King Leopold’s primary interest in the Congo?4. Create a title for this picture.

What really happened? The World Demanded Changes

• Much of Europe frowned upon these atrocities• He could no longer get money for his work in the Congo and had to borrow money from the Belgium Government. • In 1908 Belgium took the lands for itself.•Many of the hardships of the natives were reduced and living conditions were improved.

Timeline of South Africa

 • 1600s-The Zulu Tribe is the first to settle in Southern Africa

• 1652-Dutch settlers, called Boers or Afrikaners conquered the land around the port and established Cape Colony. They have control of this area for 150 years.

• 1800s-Aware of its rich resources and strategic location, Great Britain seized Cape Colony from the Dutch.

Which nations were not colonized

by 1914?

Timeline of South Africa• 1800s-The Dutch resented the strict

British rule, so in the 1830s they make the Great Trek northeast into the interior and established independent republics.

• 1800s-The Zulu tribe is also establishing a strong empire in this area.

• 1830-Due to the Great Trek, the Dutch come into conflict with the Zulu tribe.

Timeline of South Africa• 1879-The Zulu and the Dutch are still

fighting over land.

• The British realize there is no decisive victor and in order to control the growing Zulu empire, Great Britain joins the battle fighting against the Zulus.

• The Zulu empire is defeated due to the powerful guns the British have.

Timeline of South Africa• 1880s-British settlers move into one of

the Dutch republics looking for gold and diamonds. Britain wants to control all of South Africa because of the amount of wealth they could accumulate.

• 1880s-British settlers are pressuring the Boers to grant slaves civil rights within the territory. The Dutch refuse.

Timeline of South Africa

• 1899-War breaks out between the Dutch/Boers/Afrikaners and the British over valuable land and slavery.

• Dutch pro-slavery and British anti-slavery (Wilberforce)

•  1901-The British defeat the Dutch/Boers/Afrikaners. Germans support Boers-creates resentment from British (WWI)

 

Timeline of South Africa

• 1910-Great Britain united the Transvaal, Orange Free State, and Natal into the Union of South Africa.

• The new constitution establishes British rule and does not give voting rights to non-whites.

How does this effect us today?•After the British got control in South Africa, they made it nearly impossible for any non-whites to have the right to vote.

•1931-British grant independence to South Africa

•Is anyone familiar with the term, apartheid?

•What does it mean?

Apartheid• 1948-Afrikaner nationalism-apartheid begins

(apartness/segregation between whites and colored and black)

• Favors whites• Nelson Mandela is a member of the ANC-trying

to fight apartheid• 1960-White govt bans the ANC• 1964-Mandela sentenced to life-serves 27• 1991-Apartheid laws lifted• 1994-Mandela becomes President

Who was the first to imperialize the Congo?

1. King Leopold of Belgium

2. The country of Belgium

3. The country of Great Britain

4. King James of England

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Why did King Leopold want to imperialize the Congo?

1. He wanted the diamonds that were there

2. He wanted it for his own personal use

3. He wanted to exploit the cheap labor, and for rubber, and ivory

4. All of the above1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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What were the effects of King Leopold’s control of the Congo

A. Leopold mistreated the natives and left thousands dead

B. Leopold stripped the land of its resources

C. Leopold used the land and its people for his own personal gain

D. All of the above1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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POSITIVE NEGATIVE

•European medicine & improved nutrition increased life span of Africans. This caused an increase in population.

•Modern transportation & communications; telegraphs, railroads, steamships, and telephones which had been created to remove the natural resources were left behind

•A small minority received improved education and economic opportunities.

•European domination led to an erosion of traditional African values

•Africa was divided with no regard for the cultural and ethnic diversity

•African peoples were treated a s inferior. Forced to work long hours for low pay.

•Europeans divided up Africa ignoring tribal, ethnic, and cultural boundaries. These divisions have led to ongoing tribal clashes

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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A. Leopold mistreated the natives and left thousands dead

B. Leopold stripped the land of its resources

C. Leopold used the land and its people for his own personal gain

D. All of the above1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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Think Pair Share

• Which effect do you think had the most lasting effect on Africa? Why?