Imperialism Flashcards
At the _____ _____ in 1884-85, the Great Powers set in place the rules for African colonialism.
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference was an attempt by the Great European Powers to divide up and colonize Africa evenly, reducing the possibility of war between the interested parties. At the time, Germany had very few colonial possessions. But by 1914, Germany would be the third-largest colonial power.
What made African imperialism attractive to Western European nations in the closing decades of the 19th century?
Known as the “Scramble for Africa.” Africa is plentiful in many of the raw materials that were necessary to feed the manufacturing industry, such as rubber, cotton, and copper.
What conflict erupted in South Africa in 1899?
In 1899, war broke out between the Boer Republics and British South Africa, arising out of British attempts to control the region’s rich gold and diamond mines.
The Boers strongly resisted the British intrusion, and resistance only collapsed when the British concentrated Boer civilians into camps known as “concentration camps” where some 27,000 Boer civilians died.
Who were the Boers?
The Boers were Dutch colonists in South Africa who arrived in the 1600s. In the 1830s, after the British took control of South Africa, the Boers moved inland in what was termed The Great Trek. In the 1850s, the Boers formally established two countries: the Orange Free State and the Transvaal.
What rebellion against foreigners broke out in China in 1900?
In 1900, Boxers (martial artists who exercised in Chinese gymnasiums) attacked foreigners throughout China, slaughtering missionaries and laying siege to European diplomats.
The rebellion was only put down when an eight-nation army invaded China and subdued the Boxers. The Chinese were forced to pay heavy reparations.
Which commercial enterprise represented British interests in India prior to the 1850s?
Prior to the 1850s, the British ruled India indirectly through the semi-private British East India Company.
Starting in the mid-1700s, under the directorship of Sir Robert Clive, the Company engaged in a war against the Mughal Empire, defeating it in 1764.
Following the 1857 Indian Mutiny, what change took place in the government of the Raj?
In 1858, the British government took over direct rule of India from the British East India Company. For nearly a century, India would be the jewel of the British Empire.
What were the effects of British rule in India during the 1800s?
British rule in India was mixed. The British exploited the country’s cotton production for their own gain and consequently drove local manufacturers out of business.
British-appointed tax collectors, known as zamindars, overtaxed the peasantry and even provoked a famine that saw one-third of Indian peasants living under British control perish.
Nevertheless, in an effort to increase their economic interests, the British developed modern roads and canals, established an education system (in part to create natives loyal to Britain), and barred the sati (the ritual practice of burning a widow alive at her husband’s funeral) and the thuggee (the assassination of travelers in honor of the goddess Kali).
During the 1800s, virtually every major European power (and some of the minor ones) took control of cities on the Chinese coasts, which they were able to rule under their own authority, rather than Chinese law. What were these territories called?
These territories were known as concessions and served as ports through which the European nations could import goods into China.
Examples of concessions include Hong Kong, which was under British control; Tsingtao, under the control of the Germans; and Macau, under the control of the Portuguese.
Europeans were allowed to control large portions of the Chinese coast primarily due to internal Chinese weakness.
How did Germany fare in the Scramble for Africa?
While Germany established a large colonial territory, it was generally scattered in regions in which the other powers were not interested.
Germans could be harsh rulers; their suppression of the Herero revolt in German Southwest Africa (modern-day Namibia) is widely acknowledged as genocide. Germany also had colonies in Togo, and on the African east coast.
Identify the main reasons why countries practiced imperialism.
Several important factors combined to lead to the development of the new imperialism.
Economic: The need for natural resources, the need for new markets, a place for growing populations to settle, and place to invest profits.
Politics and the military: The new territories would allow for increased trade, the establishment of navy bases, power and security of a global empire, and the spirit of nationalism.
Social: Imperialism helped spread Christianity, Western civilization, and the belief that the West is the best.
Science and Invention: New weapons, new medicines, and improvements to naval vessels helped countries explain their borders.
Define
Imperialism
Imperialism is a foreign policy aimed at placing foreign countries under the permanent control of the imperializing force in order to increase access to new markets market and raw materials.
Identify the impact that imperialism had on all parties involved.
Imperialism had a number of short-term and long-term effects.
Short term effects:
- Large numbers of Asians and Africans came under foreign rule.
- Local economies became dependent on industrialized powers.
- Individuals and groups resisted European domination.
- Western culture spread to new regions.
- Traditional political units were disrupted or destroyed.
- Famines occurred in lands where farmers grew export crops for imperialist nations in place of food for local use.
Long Term Effects:
- Western culture continued to influence much of the world.
- Transportation, education, and medical care improved.
- Resistance to imperial rule evolved into nationalist movements.
- Many economies became dependent on single cash crops grown for export.
Effects on Europe and the World:
- The West discovered new crops, food, and other products.
- Westerners were introduced to new cultural influences.
- Competition for empires created and increased conflict between imperialist powers. These conflicts sometimes led to war.
- The industrial nations controlled a new global economy.
What led to the Indian Mutiny in 1857?
In 1857, Sepoys (Indian troops serving the British East India Company) were issued new rifles with greased cartridges. A false rumor attributed the grease to pig and cow fat, which would be unclean to Hindus and Muslims.
Internal revolts arising out of the cartridges rapidly turned into a nationwide revolt, and thousands of British soldiers, civilians, and natives were massacred.
In 1858, British soldiers and Sepoys loyal to the Raj retook control, but the mutiny was a sharp shock to British confidence in Indian loyalty.
What reforms were adopted during the reign of Japanese Emperor Meiji?
Emperor Meiji established a constitutional monarchy, which included a parliament. Meiji reduced the power of the samurai and dispatched men of the upper class to the United States and Europe to study industrial science, economics, and military science.
Japan began rapid westernization and industrialization. Since Japan lacked the coal required to fuel steam engines, they began a policy of imperialism in order to obtain it.
