3.2.1 Summary

Three Things I've Learned

• Industrialization led to a wider financial gap between rich, industrialized societies versus poor, non-industrialized societies.
• Great Britain occupied 2/3 of India until it gained independence in 1947
• The Berlin conference was an international conference which decided that a European nation could not claim African lands without "effective occupation."

Two Things That Interested Me

• The fact that the Great Rebellion in India was able to gain so much widespread support for the cause when they did not really have a leading figure to follow like most other revolutionary movements.
• The fact that King Leopald would have an African's hand and foot chopped off for not gathering as much rubber as his company demanded.

One Question I Still Have

• What was Europe's motivation to "civilize" the African youth?

Spotlight On Suez Canal

How is the Suez Canal used in modern society?

The Suez Canal is used today as a trade route, essentially because it links the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea and is the shortest route to get to eastern Africa, Asia, and Australia. Egypt currently has occupation of the canal, but the Egyptian government does not restrict who may or may not use the canal. The waterway is important to the world today because 80% of goods traded overseas are shipped via maritime travel, and the canal makes trade far more convenient than if ships had to sail around the south end of Africa instead.Therefore, the Suez Canal is used on a fairly regular basis by various countries traveling for trade.

Current Uprising

Unrest in the Middle East: Libya

The recent uprisings in Libya starting on February 17, 2011. The uprising began as a civil protest but eventually grew into a full-scale revolution. Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, had just relieved tension from Western nations by putting an end to Libya's nuclear problem. However, the Libyan people were not satisfied because there was a large youth population with little opportunity for economic success.Small protests began erupting in Benghazi which the police tried to put down, but resistance only made the revolt spread and grow spontaneously. It took a brigade's worth of mercenaries, ground attack jet fighters, and helicopter gunships to remove the protesters from the city, which shows a major weakness in military efficiency for Libya. The revolution became difficult to deal with because Gaddafi had a great structure but a small amount of soldiers, while the rebels were great in number but lacked structure. The revolutions was successful because it was able to get much support from the populace, but they lacked the structure and leadership to overthrow their ruler and establish a new government. The U.N. is now taking extensive measures to assure that Libya does not turn into a national disturbance.

Uprising

Sepoy Mutiny

On Sunday, May 10, 1857, a group of rebellious native troops in India rose up against the British, who had control of over two-thirds of India's land at this time. British rule over India had drastically affected the lives of the Indians, such as being forced to be a member of the British military. The "sepoys" (Indians enlisted in the British military) were growing tired of Britain taking advantage of them and decided to rebel. The first act of rebellion was a massacre in Meerut, where the sepoys killed every European they could find, placing themselves in the leadership of Mogul Emperor Bahadur Shah. This rebellion would be stopped by the British within six months, but the revolution was an important stepping stone for future colonial uprisings against European imperialism. The lasting effects of the uprising were that the British became aware of the potential strength of the Indian people and were forced to listen to the voices of the Indians in order to prevent future rebellions.

Imperialist Events: United States

Boxer Rebellion

European powers were fighting over territories of China where they would have exclusive trade. These nations, Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Russia, and Japan, each claimed exclusive trade in different parts of China where they became known as the spheres of influence. Angered by how these nations were controlling the trade system, a Chinese group known as the Fists of Righteous Harmony rose up with the intent of overthrowing the imperial Ch'ing government. They became known as boxers because many members were experienced in martial arts. In early 1900, the Boxers marched into the Chinese capital, Beijing and remained there until several months later the United States sent a military force to the capital, dismissed the Boxer Rebellion, and established an open-door policy for Chinese trade. This event connects the United States and Europe because it shows that the West is just as concerned with international trade as European nations were.

Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War was ignited during Cuba's fight to achieve independence from Spain. Conflict sparked between the United States and Spain after the U.S. passed resolutions that granted Cuban citizens their independence and called for the removal of Spanish troops on Cuban soil. Spain declared war on the U.S. on April 24, 1898, but were easily defeated because their military was far less experienced and prepared than that of the United States. With the Treaty of Paris signed on December 10, 1898, the Spanish ceded control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the U.S. After the defeat, the Spanish government began focusing more on domestic affairs and it drastically improved their economy. Giving Cuba its independence, the Treaty of Paris was similar to the Berlin conference, as disputed lands were placed into the control of a specific nation.

Is the United States Imperialistic?

Yes

• The United States has power over several foreign nations such as Samoa, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
• The United States claimed ownership of Texas after its annexation.
• The United States has control of the world economy so many other countries depend on it.

No

• The United States involves itself in foreign affairs only in the attempt to achieve liberty for mistreated citizens.
• The United States has not claimed any foreign territory in several decades.
• The United States' foreign policy rests upon the Monroe Doctrine, which forbid European nations to try to take over American soil. In return, the U.S. restricts itself from intervening in foreign affairs.

U.S. Imperialism Cartoon

Measuring Uncle Sam for a New Suit

This piece is reflective of American imperialism because Uncle Sam's "new suit" represents the new land that the United States has taken over within the age of imperialism. The white stripes on his trousers indicate all of the land the United States has taken over within their own continent, while the towels behind President McKinley represent the territories the U.S. has conquered overseas. The towels are resting on top of a flag symbolizing United States foreign policy, so the cartoonist is clearly criticizing the U.S. for neglecting their own policy in order to occupy foreign lands. I like this piece because the cartoonist was able to illustrate his opinion with great symbolism. President McKinley is standing on his tip-toes, so I think that is showing that America is becoming so large that soon he will not be able to reach high enough to measure Uncle Sam's suit once again, showing that he soon may not have the power to rule the nation.

Political Cartoons

Imperialist England

This cartoon depicts John Bull of England with tentacle arms reaching out toward various countries all throughout the world. It is symbolic of the phrase, "the sun never sets on the British empire." Britain occupied territory on nearly every continent which made it so that the sun was always shining on at least one section of the British empire. This is a satire of England, mainly due to the fact that the artist chose to depict Bull as an octopus, which is commonly perceived to be a savage beast. I think that this piece is effective because it illustrates how much power the British truly had at that point, and with two countries already being constricted by the tentacles, it also shows how little compassion the British government had for the lands it ruled.

The White Man's Burden

Based off of the widely read poem by Rudyard Kipling, the cartoon shows a white adventurer carrying a wild beast over his shoulder. The white man is labeled with "U.S." written on his canteen, so he is representing the imperialist United States during the late nineteenth century. The beast he is carrying represents African civilians, which shows that Americans perceived Africans to be uncivilized monsters. He is carrying him to the school house because Europeans believed that it was their responsibility to educate and civilize the monsters of Asia. The American flags in the background show that the land is occupied by America. The man is shown going uphill to emphasize the struggle it took to force the natives into the schools the U.S. established there. I feel that this piece could also be criticizing "The White Man's Burden" because the beast does not appear to want to be educated , and it is not right for the man to be carrying it to the school house against its will.

Introduction

Chapter 27: The West and the World

Imperialism in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Europe

With the expansion and urbanization of the Western world, nineteenth-century aggressive European powers were intent on controlling the forces outside of the parameters of their continental boundaries. European economies were booming from the Industrial Revolution, thus giving leaders the ability to improve their own systems of trade, but were able to invest money to improve the trade systems of the countries they conducted business with. However, other countries such as Britain were more concerned with achieving domination over foreign soil through force. The age of imperialism displayed a rapid shift in how the nations of the world operate with one another, as schemes such as protective tariffs effectively ruined the economy of nations such as India. The forces of Europe were not prepared to simply allow the other powers to get ahead, so the European leaders held the Berlin conference to distribute African lands among each other. This displays how determined Europe was to occupy the entire continent of Africa. The imperialist movement was an important change for the Europeans because they were no longer fighting each other for land, but rather trying to take land from weak, uncivilized societies overseas.

Chapter Objective:

• Give the reader an in-depth understanding of imperialism in nineteenth-century Europe
• Connect events and figures from the imperialist movement with events and figures from various times and locations
• Analyze images and texts reflective of the time period
• Offer opinions and reflections regarding imperialism

Essential Question:

What caused Europeans to begin searching overseas to build their political empires?

Industrialization had been booming, and technology was improving quickly. With technological advances, Europeans were able to overcome obstacles that had once blocked their paths. The establishment of railroads connecting major cities to ports and the invention of the steam engine for ships drastically improved transportation.To make the trip from Europe to Africa was now much faster and safer, and the threat of disease was far less deadly due to the improvements in health and medicine. European leaders became aware that it was much easier to travel overseas, and decided to begin sending troops to occupy foreign lands. Many Europeans preferred this method of conquest because the people living overseas were weak and uncivilized, making the struggle for occupation far less difficult than if they were contending with another European nation for land.