Imperialism
The domination by one country of the political, economic, or cultural life of another country.
Mother Country
Example: Great Britain
Dominated another country usually for the purpose of ports, natural resources, and trading rights.
Sends money and finished goods to the colony
Colony
Established by mother countries.
Exploited by the mother countries.
Found mostly in India, Africa, and China
Provides the mother country with cheap sources of labor, ports, natural resources, markets for finished goods
Causes of Imperialism
1. The “3Gs” Gold, God, Glory!
2. Economic Motives ($$Gold)
3. Missionary Motives (Spread Christianity)
4. Nationalistic Motives (Power and Presitiage)
5. Military Motives
White Man’s Burden
The European justification for imperialism
Said that the Europeans had the responsibility to improve the lives of the colonial people.
It expressed the negative attitude of Europeans toward people of the non European world.
Imperialism Review
1. What’s the definition of Imperialism?
2. What are the 3G’s?
3. What is the White Man’s Burden?
4. What was the Berlin Conference?
5. What is a “mother country”?
6. What is a colony?
7. How did Africans resist Imperialism?
British East India Company
The British East India Company had established trading rights in India in the early 1600’s.
The company’s goal was to make money.
The company became involved in governing because stability was crucial for trade.
The company had its own army of Indian soldiers called Sepoys.
British Changes
European missionaries spread Christianity.
The first railroad was built in 1853.
British built schools and colleges.
English became the official language of the
Indian government.
Indians became offended because the British
tried to change their customs and traditional
ways.
The Sepoy Mutiny
1857
British had angered the sepoys by demanding that soldiers follow rules that were against their religious beliefs.
The sepoy mutiny (also called the sepoy rebellion) called for Hindus and Muslims to unite against the British.
The British were able to crush the revolt
Left bitter feelings
1858- British changed their policies and ended the rule of the East India Company. The British government took direct command of India.
Government
Single system of law and government,
unifying India.
Jobs in the British army and civil
service
Educational opportunities
English a unifying language
Economic
Canals, roads, bridges, railroads, and
set up telegraph systems.
Cottage industries were destroyed by
competition from British
manufactured goods.
Social
Natives were treated like they were
inferior
Indian culture was considered merely
exotic.
Indian workers provided the British with
inexpensive labor, for long hours, often
under terrible working conditions.
Nationalist ideas were already spreading to India by the end of the 19th century.
1885- a group of Indians formed the Indian National Congress.
Muslims broke away and formed the Muslim League in 1906.
The nationalist movement remained weak because it focused entirely on the needs of the educated middle class.
It had no program to improve the lives of India’s millions of peasants.
In the 1870’s Europeans controlled very
little territory in Africa.
In most cases, European activity was
limited to coastal trading ports.
African communities in interior Africa
remained isolated.
They represented an immense diversity of
cultures with many different types of
political structures.
Renewed European Interest in Africa
European powers engaged in a “Scramble for Africa” during which most of the continent came under their control.
The scramble began in 1882, when a local revolt threatened the Suez Canal, the lifeline for ships sailing between Europe and India.
The British quickly moved in to take over Egypt.
Other European powers acted jealously, and wanted parts of Africa for themselves.
The Berlin Conference
1884- European leaders met in Berlin, Germany, to set up rules for colonizing Africa.
- little regard for the people who lived there.
Positive Impact
Medicine, improved nutrition increased the lifespan of Africans and led to an expansion of the population.
Modern transportation and communications, such as railroads, steamships, and telegraphs. Also, modern agricultural techniques were introduced.
Some Africans (a small number) received improved educations and greater economic opportunities. Some served as local administrators or in the army.
Negative Impact
European domination led to an erosion of
traditional African values and the imposition of
a European culture.
African peoples were treated as inferior and
made to work long hours for low pay.
Europeans divided up Africa ignoring tribal,
ethnic, and cultural boundaries. Such artificial
boundaries have led to long term conflict both
inside and between African countries.