04 IMPERIALISM AND COLONIAL EMPIRES
1 IMPERIALISM
During the last third of the 19th century
A large number of territories became controlled by European powers
The most important European states expanded by colonising territories all over the world
The main aim of this expansion was to subject other peoples to imperial states
This political doctrine is called imperialism
CAUSES OF IMPERIALISM
Industrial development
Rivalry between industrialised countries
Intense population growth
Ideological and cultural factors
Required new raw materials that were sometimes found in territories very far away from Europe
The development of European industrial production
Demanded that new consumer markets be established all over the world
Competed with each other to guarantee a supply of raw materials
To secure trade routes and to obtain political prestige
Europe led to more overseas emigration
Between 1871 and 1911, 33 million Europeans left the continent
Europe wanted to ‘civilise’ the rest of the world
As well as colonial expansion
Religious missions were organised to evangelise the colonised peoples
Scientific missions to explore the geography of the new territories
COLONIAL EMPIRES IN 1914
The British Empire was by far the most extensive, followed at some distance by the French Empire
The British controlled almost a quarter of the world, 345 million inhabitants
2 COLONIAL TERRITORIES
Imperialist expansion led to the development of colonialism
The way in which European empires expanded, depended on
This was a system in which the mother country exploited the colonies according to its interests
The circumstances of each colonised territory
Inland Africa was almost completely unexplored
In Asia, there were a number of ancient deep-rooted cultures and religions, such as Islam, and two enormous countries
America had already undergone colonisation and almost all of its countries were independent
COLONISATION OF AFRICA
In 1885, Germany organised the Berlin West Africa Conference
To decide how Africa would be divided amongst the European powers
Because of its late unification, Germany feared that it would miss its opportunity for colonial expansion
The British Empire wanted to establish a large belt of colonies from Egypt to Cape Town
Other powers wanted to prevent this
France already controlled the Sahara and its bordering countries
Portugal controlled large inland areas that it had reached from the ports of its old colonial empire
France and Portugal wanted to establish corridors from the Atlantic coast of Africa to the Indian Ocean coast of Africa
COLONISATION OF ASIA
Except for some Portuguese and French enclaves, the Indian Peninsula was colonised by the British, who considered it ‘the jewel in the Crown’
France took control of Indochina and Great Britain of Malaysia
The Dutch replaced Portugal’s former rule over modern-day Indonesia
China was still an independent country
Was ruled by its emperor and ancient institutions
It also felt the effects of imperialist pressures from Europe and the USA
It had to cede control of its mines and allow areas of importance for foreign trade to be divided between the colonists
It also opened up ports in important coastal cities, to international trade
The British took advantage of the Chinese authorities’ initial tolerance of opium consumption
Smuggled the drug to make large amounts of money, to the detriment of the population’s health
The Chinese rebelled against this in the First Opium War, but were defeated by the British
After the Treaty of Nanking was signed in 1842, the port of Hong Kong became a British royal colony
THE HEGEMONY OF THE UNITED STATES IN AMERICA
Despite its anti-colonialist past, the United States began numerous military interventions
To defend its economic and strategic interests
They left the island of Cuba in 1902, but reserved the right to military intervention when they deemed appropriate
To achieve this, they fought Spain, also
They encouraged Panama to separate from Colombia and subdued the Philippine rebels in a cruel war that caused nearly a million civilian victims
3 TYPES OF COLONIAL GOVERNMENT
Colonies
Protectorates
Dominions
Territories where weak local power allowed mother countries to control all aspects of the country
Economic, political and cultural
This model was applied in many parts of Africa, such as the Congo, controlled by the Belgians
France also imposed this model of government in Indochina
Territories where the mother country decided not to intervene
In matters of local politics, controlling only economic matters and foreign relations
This model was used primarily in Asia, like the British protectorate in India
France and Spain had protectorates in Morocco
Territories of the British Empire, occupied almost entirely by a new population of European origin, with great autonomy and their own institutions
4 CONSEQUENCES OF IMPERIALISM
The consequences of colonial expansion for colonising countries were very different from those of the countries that were colonised
The way in which territories were divided
Was based on the interests of the occupying powers and not on local factors
Artificial borders were created, dividing tribes and ethnic groups or joining them together
This would result in conflicts in the future
Colonial expansion consolidated inequalities in the global production of goods
The colonies specialised in producing cheap raw materials
The mother countries manufactured and sold industrial products of higher added value
Colonisation involved violence against the people, leading to atrocities like the genocide in the Belgian Congo
Colonisation severely altered the social structure of the indigenous populations
A new social order was imposed, based on racial discrimination against the indigenous peoples by the colonists
This resulted in the breakdown of the traditional tribal society
Colonisation opened the door to certain advances in industrialised countries
Due to racial discrimination under colonial rule, not everybody enjoyed these benefits
STRATEGIC CONTROL OVER CANALS
The great powers wanted the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal to be built for two reasons
To shorten international shipping routes
For political reasons
Trade was linked to usage by the investors and companies involved in the canals’ construction
Most of which were British in the case of the Suez Canal
