Imperialism: Political, Economic, Cultural Domination

Imperialism

• Imperialism involves political, economic, or cultural domination of one country over other lands or territories.

Western Countries in the 1800s

• Western countries in the 1800s were characterized by rich, powerful, industrialized nations
• These nations had strong economies and growing populations
• They also experienced technological advancement due to the Industrial Revolution.

Age of Exploration and European Influence

• During the Age of Exploration, countries like the Netherlands and Portugal established small colonies along African/Indian coastlines
• Spain established colonies in America and the Philippines
• From the 1500s, Europe had limited influence on the lives of people specifically in Africa, India, and China, acting primarily as merchants with limited land control

Motives for Imperialism

• Economic motives drove imperialism due to the Industrial Revolution's need for resources like rubber, petroleum, and manganese
• Desire existed to expand global markets for manufactured goods
• Bankers supported imperialism to find new investments.
• Military considerations included the need for bases around the world for steam-powered ships
• Colonies were used to protect national security and increase military might
• Religious reasons motivated westerners to spread their religion, viewing it as "saving the souls of backward peoples"
• The "White Man's Burden" described the belief it was their duty to spread their religion
• Humanitarian reasons included westerners feeling the need to help the world through technology, medicine, laws, and civilization
• Western countries believed they were superior and had a duty to bring their advancement to other lands
• Political drivers involved industrialized countries using colonies as leverage
• Nationalism drove the desire to show a country's superiority

White Man's Burden and Nationalism

• White Man's Burden is built on Europe's perceived superiority
• White races felt morally obligated to bring civilization and technology to "inferior" races
• This justified the desire to conquer and control other nations
• Social Darwinism considered imperial conquest of weaker races as nature's way of improving the human species
• Westerns began to feel a growing sense of racial superiority because races encountered were not as advanced
• Nationalism involves pride and loyalty toward one's country
• This results in the belief that it is superior to all others
• Nationalism contributed to both positive and negative events
• Positive events include the unification of Germany and Italy, growing national identities
• Other positive events include democracy in France, and independence for many Latin American countries
• Negative effects include extreme racism, the persecution of ethnic/racial/religious minorities, and justification of actions/systems
• Other negative aspects include the competition between European nations and genocide/ethnic cleansing

Western Advantages

• Strong economies with excess wealth from capitalism and industrial revolution
• Organized governments with stable systems
• Powerful militaries improved by industrial technologies
• Maxim invented the earliest machine gun
• Riverboats, telegraphs, railroads, and advancement in medicine

Non-Western Vulnerabilities

• Non-Western nations did not experience the Industrial Revolution, meaning they lacked technologies like the Maxim gun
• Declining Empires/Governments included the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, and Qing Empire
• Enslavement undermined African kingdoms and city-states, resulting in tribal communities

Three Types of Imperialism

Colony

• Colony is a classic form of imperial rule where the mother country owns the colony
• Direct rule involves the mother country sending officials and soldiers to administer colonies
• The goal was to impose the mother country's culture
• Direct rule reflected the belief that the people of these nations were incapable of governing themselves
• French colonies were often ruled directly, with the goal of turning them into extensions of France.
• Indirect rule includes the mother country sending a governor and selecting a council of advisors to make laws
• Local rulers who are loyal to the governor retained some authority
• Indirect rule did not replace traditional rulers with European officials
• British colonies were often ruled through indirect rule
• The British encouraged children of the ruling class to become educated in a Western European style

Protectorate

• Local rulers were left in place, following the advice of European advisors on trade/missionary issues
• It was less costly for the mother country and did not require as large of a military force
• The mother country had responsibility to protect the colony

Sphere of Influence

• An outside power claims exclusive investment/trading rights in a specific area
• Numerous Western powers carved spheres of influence out of China
• U.S. claimed influence over entirety of Mexico and South America

Effects of Imperialism

• European nations divided up all of Africa which led to enslavement, resource theft, and devastation
• The British Empire slowly gained control over India and called it "the crown jewel"
• China was heavily influenced by Western powers, known as "the century of humiliation"
• Japan resisted imperialism and became the 1st non-Western country to industrialize

Types of Imperialism Effects

Political Changes

• Europeans set up governments in conquered territories that mirrored their own traditions and systems
• Europeans drew arbitrary borders with disregard in existing lands
• This resulted in frequent community conflict because it was hard to establish ethnic/cultural groups

Economic Changes

• Western nations used colonies for raw materials
• Europeans developed cash crops, where crops were dedicated to selling
• Colonial powers developed only a single crop such as rubber, cotton, palm oil, peanuts
• Colonies depended on Western manufactured goods
• Governing colonies was expensive which led to taxation of the natives
• People sold themselves into slavery/servitude for MONEY