Understanding Imperialism: History, Causes, and Consequences
Imperialism is defined as economic exploitation and political control held by a State.
Stages:
Mercantilist Modern Colonialism from the early sixteenth century until the late eighteenth.
Industrial Colonialism from the early nineteenth century to 1870-1880.
Large-Scale Capitalism and Imperialism, from 1870-1880 to the Second World War.
Causes of Imperialism
- Economic: The need for raw materials, resources, and markets.
- Policy: Nationalism and desire for prestige, military disaster.
- Ideological: The perceived superiority of the white man, scientific interest.
- Demographics: As an escape from high population growth in Europe.
Administration of the Colonies
– Cast on the Map: The claims of nations over colonial territories were raised unilaterally and ratified by treaties signed with natives. Germany showed that it could claim power without occupying a territory effectively as a whole. This led to conflict among the other States, resulting in The Berlin Conference (1884-1885).
– Incumbency: The Berlin Conference marked the beginning of a bitter struggle between the powers, facing each other due to the increasing scarcity of land and coinciding desires. They also faced resistance from the natives, who laid the foundations of national pride that would emerge in the twentieth century, leading to further decolonization movements.
Forms of Domination
Colonies: Territories ruled by officials appointed by the administering power.
Protectorates: Areas in which the local government remained in charge of internal aspects under the supervision of the occupying power.
Metropolitan Areas: The system used by France.
Dominions: English system used in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Concessions: Interdependent policy areas that the indigenous government gave to foreign powers or rented based on commercial interests.
Distribution of Dealing with Africa
West Coast: There were some commercial factories dealing mainly in slaves, but not directly related to the Hinterland.
• Mediterranean Coast: France had Algeria as a settlement colony, from which it spread to Tunisia and Morocco. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was significant.
• Far South: The British settled in 1815 in Cape Colony, which had been founded in the seventeenth century by Dutch settlers.
Africa Agreements
- The free navigation of the Congo and Niger rivers.
- Free trade in central Africa.
- The creation of a free state of Congo, under the personal presidency of Leopold II of Belgium.
- Effective occupation of the territory, and not just exploration, was the only valid system to acquire sovereignty over it.
Settlement of Asia
On the Asian continent, most countries had a stronger political organization that allowed them to confront the colonial powers and even become colonizers themselves, as in the case of Japan.
United Kingdom: Dominated the West Indies and India from 1763 to 1857, the year in which the Sepoy Rebellion occurred.
Colonial Impact on Indigenous Peoples
Privileged positions in the new European-dominated social ranks: Military officials or those from the mother country who lived above their possibilities.
A group of natives accepted European colonization: They shared power with foreigners but at a lower level, mimicking the lifestyle of the whites and even sending their children to study at universities in the metropolis.
Below them was the large group of natives: Without political or social rights, they were economically exploited by foreigners.
Results of Colonization
Geographical Setting: Building bridges, roads, railways, coupled with the clearing of forests and grasslands, transformed the geography of the colonized territories.
The colonial division led to the creation of artificial boundaries that divided or unified ethnic and tribal groups, creating destabilization.
Dual Economy: A traditional economy of subsistence and exchange coexisted with a market economy based on monoculture plantations.
The introduction of Western medicine led to the breakdown of the traditional population-resource balance.
The social structure was modified as a result of the new models imposed by colonizers.
The impact of Western culture led to the phenomenon of acculturation, which destroyed the identity of indigenous cultures and disrupted traditions and religious beliefs.
Geographic Expansion
Between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the focus of colonial rivalry shifted to Africa and Asia. On these continents, the United Kingdom and France formed the largest empires. Germany, Belgium, and Italy, which were not colonial empires in the modern age, began imperialist expansion in Africa and, to a lesser extent, Asia in the last third of the nineteenth century.
Rebellions
* Boxer Rebellion (1900): In China, there was discontent over political and economic interference by European powers. The Boxers were a secret society that practiced martial arts. Their aim was to expel foreigners from China.
* China: Great Britain, France, Russia, Japan, Germany, and the United States covertly helped the rebels, leading to the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and the proclamation of the Republic of China.
* Zulu Rebellion (1879): Boers settled, followed by the British, leading to war. The Zulus initially overcame the settlers until Britain established a protectorate.
* Maori in New Zealand: In 1856, the Maori chose a king, causing conflict in 1872. The Maori lost land and territories.
* Sepoy Mutiny: Hindu soldiers in the army of the British East India Company rebelled against the British government.
Vocabulary
Tariff: A source of income and a way of protecting domestic production.
Protectionism: A policy that advocates the protection of the domestic market of a country. Its measures range from charging fees to prohibiting the importation of merchandise.
Liberalism: An economic policy that argues the advantage for each country lies in international trade in goods without hindrance.
Acculturation: The process by which a cultural element from one group is transferred to another group when they come into contact.
Protectorate: A colonial model where the metropolis allows the local government to organize domestic policy.
Colony: A colonial model where the metropolis occupies a territory, imposes its officials, and the indigenous institutions lose any form of self-governance.