Chapter 16 – Europe in the Late Nineteenth Century: Modernization, Nationalism, Imperialism

The New Imperialism

The New Imperialism

   

New Imperialism

refers to the expansion adopted by Europe’s powers during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from the Franco-Prussian War to World War I (c. 1871 –1914) Imperialism should not be confused with colonialism In the early modern period Europeans largely explored, settled, and traded with the rest of the world, but did not dominate it (with the exception of Spanish America) The period is distinguished by an unprecedented pursuit of what has been termed self-government

empire for empire's sake

, aggressive competition for overseas territorial acquisitions and the emergence in colonizing countries of doctrines of racial superiority which denied the fitness of subjugated peoples for

Causes and Influences

 Desire of business to expand globally  Desire to glorify the nation  Especially true for the newly unified nations of Italy and Germany    Spurred international competition for new territory Social Darwinism – the strong should rule the weak The ‘Civilizing Mission’  Military and industrial technology

The Scramble for Africa

    The most rapid expansion of European power took place in Africa Little knowledge of African interior until after 1870  Disease; geographical barriers Exploration and conquest of interior touched off by actions of

King Leopold II of Belgium

 Leopold formed the

International Association for the Exploration and Civilization of Central Africa

and sent

Henry Stanley (1841-1904)

to the Congo to secure trading and territorial rights (Stanley had earlier become famous for his mission to the African interior to rescue David Livingstone, a missionary explorer) The French responded by claiming their own territory beginning a chain reaction

Africa in 1890

Africa in 1914

The Berlin Conference

   In response to growing tensions, Bismarck and

Jules Ferry

(the premier of France) called a conference in Berlin in 1884 They sought to establish a peaceful plan for the development of southern Africa   To claim a territory, they ruled, a nation had to occupy that territory Granted Leopold personal rights to the

Congo Free State

; he virtually enslaved the population for economic gain (ivory, rubber) Led to a rapid conquest with no attention paid to natural or cultural boundaries

Leopold’s Treatment of Africans

 This 1908 English cartoon, "

Leopold, King of the Congo, in his native dress

," focuses on the barbaric practice of cutting off the hands and feet of Africans who refused to gather as much rubber as Leopold's company demanded. In 1908 an international human rights campaign forced the Belgian king to cede his personal fief to the Belgian state.

The British in (north) Africa

   British interest in Africa began in 1869 with the opening of the

Suez Canal

Gained control of

Egypt

in 1882 through occupation (promised to leave but never did) The British added to their territory by moving against a Muslim war resisting them in

Sudan

   Led by

Muhammad Ahmad Mahdi

, captured Khartoum and killed the British general there,

Charles Gordon

Resulted in a massive British response and the massacre at

Omdurman

(machine guns) The French were also pushed back by the British at

Fashoda

The British in (southern) Africa

  British expansion in southern Africa began in South Africa (already a British colony) through the work of

Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902)

Solidified British rule by acquiring

Rhodesia

and getting England involved in a war against the Boers   The Boers, Dutch settlers dating back to the 17 th century, had moved north (the

Great Trek, 1835-37)

avoid British rule Established two republics – the

Transvaal Orange Free State

and the to  

Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)

English won at great cost; Boers territories joined to British territory to form the

Union of South Africa

in 1910

Other Nations in Africa

 The cost of African imperial possessions was high for most nations  Italians defeated at

Adowa (1896)

in Ethiopia ended their dreams of imperial expansion  Germans administered their colonies efficiently but gained little (

Nambia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Togo

)  Belgian debacle in the

Congo

cost them more in terms of pride than it gained them economically

Legacy and Conclusions

 The rise of the

principle of self-determination

 First seized upon by smaller European countries, now picked up by African and Asian nations  Resentment and suspicion of the West  Eventual discrediting of racism and western political dominance   Accelerated growth of global economy Spread western ideas (languages, democracy, socialism, industrialization, modern science)