Africa and Imperialism

Africa Before Imperialism

• Diverse continent featuring around 7,100 languages and hundreds of ethnicities.
• Religions included Islam, Christianity, and various indigenous beliefs.
• Politically varied, with small kingdoms, large empires, and numerous tiny villages.

Factors Driving Imperialism

• Racism and religious beliefs.
• Social Darwinism, the idea that the wealthy are naturally superior.
• Technological advancements like the Maxim gun, steamboat, locomotive, and telegraph.
• Economic interests in cash crop plantations and raw materials.

Berlin Conference of 1884

• Established rules for colonizing Africa.
• Fourteen countries divided up African claims.

Maji-Maji Rebellion

• Took place in German East Africa.
• Arose in response to oppressive German colonial policies, including forced labor and heavy taxation.

Mandingo Wars

• Led by Samurai Toure.
• Occurred in French West Africa.

Forms of Resistance to Imperialism

• Demands for equality and freedom.
• Religious opposition.
• Economic and labor organizations.
• Mass protests and war.

Independent Countries

• Thailand and Ethiopia remained independent.
• Ethiopia gained independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Battle of Adowa

• Took place in Ethiopia.
• Led by Menelik II, who acquired guns from France and Russia.
• Resulted in a treaty with Italy in 1896.

Belgian Congo

• Controlled by King Leopold II.
• Major resource was the rubber plant.
• Known for atrocities, including forced labor, mutilations, mass killings, terror, and abuse, leading to international outcry.

South Africa

• Resources included gold and diamonds.
• The Zulu War weakened Zulu resistance.
• The Boer Wars led to the establishment of the Union of South Africa under British rule.

Colonization of Egypt

• Resulted from the strategic importance of the Suez Canal.
• Britain sought to control the canal, leading to military occupation in 1882.
• British influence lasted until 1956.

Tobacco Boycott

• Some Persian leaders desired more Western investment, while others opposed it.

Crimean War (1853-56)

• Russia invaded Crimea to gain access to Black Sea trade (a warm water port).
• Britain and France supported the Ottoman Empire, but the Ottomans still lost.

Florence Nightingale

• Founder of modern nursing.
• Reformed hospital sanitation methods.
• Established the first secular nursing school.

British East India Company

• Ruled vast parts of India.
• Wielded military power and engaged in trade.
• Paved the way for British colonial rule.

Battle of Plassey

• Took place in 1757.
• Established British control over India.

Role of Sepoys

• Sepoys were soldiers in India under British command.
• They formed the backbone of the Company's military force.
• Helped maintain order and expand territory.

"Jewel in the Crown" (India)

• India was the most valuable and easily showcased colony.

British Colonization of India

• Before 1857, colonization occurred through the East India Company (EIC).
• After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, direct British rule was established, known as the British Raj.

British Raj

• India came under the direct control of Britain.

Impact of Crimean War and US Civil War on India

• British economic policies and military deployments impacted India.
• Increased cotton and jute production occurred in India.

Differences between Colonization in India and Africa

• India experienced prolonged and deep colonial rule, with a focus on resource extraction and maintaining existing structures.
• Africa saw shorter, more superficial rule with greater emphasis on transforming local societies.

Sepoy Mutiny of 1857

• Causes included racism, exclusion of Indians from government and military, and the use of Enfield rifle cartridges greased with beef and pork fat.
• 85-90 sepoys were jailed.
• Effects included the establishment of the British Raj, British promises to honor treaties with smaller nations (which were later broken), increased racism, and conflicts between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs.

Nationalist Movements in India (late 1800s and early 1900s)

• Indians felt like second-class citizens in their own country.
• Consolidation of British rule, the rise of a Western-educated Indian middle class, and the spread of Western ideas contributed to a growing sense of Indian identity and a desire for self-governance.

Indian National Congress and Muslim League

• Nationalist groups that petitioned the British for self-government.

Partition of India

• Resulted in one of the largest forced migrations in history.
• Millions were displaced and killed in communal violence.

Indonesia

• Colonized by the Dutch for resources like tin, oil, and cash crops (rice, sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, rubber, bananas, coconut, pineapple).
• Characterized by large-scale migration and a rigid class system.

Singapore and Malaysia

• Colonized by the British for resources like tin and cash crops (rubber).
• Britain encouraged Chinese migration to Malaysia; the port of Singapore is one of the busiest in the world.

Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (French Indochina)

• France sought resources like tin, oil, and cash crops (rice, sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, rubber, bananas, coconut, pineapple).
• In the 1840s, seven French missionaries were killed in Vietnam, leading to direct French control.

Philippines

• Colonized by the U.S. for resources like tin, oil, and cash crops (rice, sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, rubber, bananas, coconut, pineapple).
• Acquired after the Spanish-American War in 1898, along with Guam and Puerto Rico.
• Led by Emilio Aguinaldo, who initially fought with the U.S. and later against them.

Colonization of Southeast Asia

• European colonization in Southeast Asia involved exploitation and foreign rule, similar to other regions.
• It differed due to Southeast Asia's pre-existing complex political structures and economies.

Thailand's Independence

• Avoided European colonization by strategically positioning itself as a buffer state between British and French colonial powers.
• Modernized its kingdom and engaged in skillful diplomacy.

King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn

• Modernized Thailand.

US Control of Hawaii

• American businessmen established plantations (sugar and pineapple).
• U.S. Marines placed Queen Liliuokalani under house arrest.
• King David Kalakaua signed the Bayonet Constitution.

Queen Liliuokalani

• Queen of Hawaii who was deposed by U.S. Marines and placed under house arrest.

Opium Wars

• Caused by British smuggling of opium from their Indian colonies into Chinese ports.
• Resulted in treaties expanding the size of Britain's Hong Kong territory.
• A 99-year lease allowed Britain to control even more land, expiring in 1997.

Colonization of China

• European powers colonized small ports like Hong Kong and Macau.
• Secured economic concessions inland due to their inability to control all of China.

Open Door Policy

• Called for equal trading rights for all nations in China.
• Aimed to prevent any single power from dominating the Chinese market and uphold China's territorial integrity.
• Promoted international trade and prevented the complete division of China, but also led to increased foreign influence and economic dependence.

Boxer Rebellion

• Caused by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, Chinese nationalists who fought to end foreign involvement in China.
• Led to more conflict until the 1940s.

Imperialism

• The seizure of a country or territory by a larger, more powerful country.

Forms of Imperialism

• Colony: Completely controlled by a foreign power.
• Protectorate: Country with its own government, but under the control of another country.
• Sphere of Influence: An area in which a foreign power has exclusive trading rights.
• Economic Imperialism: A country controlled by a company.

Types of Control

• Direct Control (Paternalism): Typically used by France, Belgium, and Germany, involving direct rule of the colonies.
• Indirect Control (Assimilation): Used by Britain and Portugal, involving local rulers who helped maintain control, with the imperial powers still holding significant influence.

Paternalism and Assimilation

• Paternalism: Colonizers treat colonized people as incapable of managing themselves, offering protection while limiting freedoms.
• Assimilation: Forcing or encouraging colonized people to adopt the colonizer's culture, often erasing indigenous cultures.