Imperialism can be seen as an example of ethnocentrism whereby the great powers conquer by establishing authority over another whom are believed to be ‘weaker’. The late 19th Century marked a major turning point for European imperialism as much of the territories in Africa were controlled by major European powers. Two ideologies played an important factor in this: Rudyard Kipling’s White Man’s Burden (1899) as well as Social Darwinist beliefs. Firstly, The White Man’s Burden ideology proposes white men to colonize other nations and rule over them for the benefit of the colonized. Social Darwinism on the other hand emphasizes on the concept of the ‘survival of the fittest.’ That said, European powers then believed that they were indeed the …show more content…
European colonization in Africa brought about many scientific and technological advances such as medicine, weaponry and education. Important medical breakthroughs such as the treatment for malaria, quinine, enabled not just the explorers but the natives survive for a longer period of time. Through European imperialism, the natives were introduced to new facilities such as hospitals, schools, railroads and power plants. Since they were dependent over the power of someone else, the locals were in no position to resist the demands of that country. However, it can be highlighted that the location of these new facilities built depending on the foreign cooperation. By taking advantage of this, the European powers were able to gain economic trade benefits depleting the natives off their own. For example, the land where the native farmers grew crops by shifting cultivation was discouraged by the Europeans. Therefore, the imperialists grabbed their lands and reoriented the production towards cash crops for export. This lead to the lack of food production and famine towards the locals due to trade priorities. Since it was built and introduced by the Europeans, it would mean that the natives would too have to follow their culture and traditions whereby abandoning and forgetting their own, thus losing their expression of social identity and being employed into European assimilation. That said, imperialist capitalism would lead to an unfree society and thus not be able to develop through their own identity but to
Imperialism is the colonizing of weak peoples by stronger nations and sucking all of the natural resources out of their land. The age of Imperialism was in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The main region that was the sovereign states in this time period was Europe. Imperialism is viewed negatively because it was enforced with excessive violence. Avatar mirrors the Age of Imperialism and how it was enforced with the military powers at play, the attempt to use economic influence, and the attempt to assimilate native people.
American Imperialism began at the start of the 19th Century, but many Americans had different views on whether Imperialism was proper and legal. Many Americans at the turn of the century believed that bringing new nations into the United States was proper, and necessary to improve America. Legally Imperialism violated the Constitution, and it contradicted statements in the Declaration of Independence and Washington 's Farewell Address. American Imperialism was right deemed proper because it involved the idea of Social Darwinism, and it helped improve American Industries. The need to obtain land to increase trading and materials lead to many countries such as England, France, and Germany to take control of most of Africa and Asia for industrial
During the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution gave certain countries in Western Europe a big boost of economic power. France, Britain, Italy, and Germany emerged as industrialized powers, with high population and high production. During a time when Social Darwinism was popular, it was only natural that these nations compete with each other for survival. The most important motivation for Europeans to colonize during the 19th and 20th centuries was to strengthen their own countries in order to compete with the other European powers.
Social Darwinism fueled imperialism by making imperialistic nations believe that their imperialistic ventures were a natural turn of events and not a cruel, opressionistic system of government. These imperialistic nations exploited other nations and cultures and their troops’ motivation was the glory of the nation and the eradication of the weaker races on earth. These soldiers believed in Social Darwinism. Also, nations were able to become imperialistic because of the support of their people. They “marketed” imperialism through Social Darwinism. Finally, when these weaker countries were taken over, they were brainwashed to believe that the invasion and oppression of their people were just a result of nature. These oppressed people believed this because, according to Social Darwinism, only the fittest survive. And so, the imperialistic nations would survive and multiply while the oppressed civilizations were invaded and changed.
Throughout the 19th century, European Imperialism had a major effect on Africa. As countries expanded in terms of wealth, resources, and innovation, more territory and workers were needed. The first solution to solve these problems was to begin colonizing in Africa. The driving force for imperialism in Europe and Africa was mainly economical. This economical approach was established through many ways including cultural and nationalistic ideas.
Is change a good thing? Traditions should be valued and cherished as they have been passed down from generation to generation with special significance of the origins of the past. However, refusing the need to change and ditch old traditions can lead to being complacent and leaving no room to grow and strive for better. In Roberts, The Penguin History of the Twentieth Century, we explore the idea that imperialism is much more than a mother country and its colonies, but rather a way of changing old traditions. We will explore this idea through the culture, technology, and politics of the United States and the Ottoman Empire in the twentieth century.
Introduction: The epoch of imperialism cannot be defined simply as a proliferation of inflated egos tied to the hardened opinions of nationalists, but also a multi-faceted global rivalry with roots of philosophies tainted with racism and social Darwinism. The technique of each imperialist was specific to the motivations and desires of each combative, predominantly Western power and subsequently impacted the success of each imperialist and its colonies. Driven by industrialization, Europeans are aware of the urgent need for raw materials and new markets to maintain a constant rate of expansion and wealth. Imperialism became a competition; in general, the European countries led with fervor while the non-Western regions deemed likely to be stepped on.
Part of how North America engaged in imperialism was the idea of Manifest Destiny (Age of Imperialism II, 19:20). This was the belief that it was their destiny to take over and expand. The Europeans engaged in imperialism by taking over or having other places join their country (Age of Imperialism II, 28.06). This is important because if they could peacefully gain control it made their job easier. Another tool that helped the West engage in imperialism was the steam engine. They were able to trade with more nations and spread their ideas even better. Advances like the steam engine were key to both becoming what we call “Mother Nations.” When discussing how they believed in Manifest Destiny and the power of whiteness, it is crucial to show the flip side that allows them to take part in this. Morel, the author of the black mans’ burden, sees the burden of imperialism falling upon Africans, and wrote this against Kipling 's poem. The text says, “Thus the African is really helpless against the material God of the white man, as embodied in the trinity of imperialism, capitalistic, exploitation, and militarism…” (The Black Man’s Burden, pg. 2). This statement shows that the Africans were still less than and that there was indeed prejudice. He is saying that the Africans were destroyed by the Caucasians. While it is important to understand how the West became engaged in imperialism, we also need to understand that
During the late 1800s and 1900s in various societies, imperialism played a major role. Imperialism consists of a country's domination of an economic and cultural life in another country. Within the 1800s and 1900s, Europe became a large-scale global leader. Europeans set up colonies all over the world, specifically Africa, India, China, and Japan. Imperialism is viewed through two different major points such as the imperialist and colonialist.
The results of European colonialism shows that the aim of colonialism is to exploit the human and economic resources of an area to benefit the colonizing nation. As a result, the nation that is colonized is affected negatively. In reality, how Europe really affected Africa as a whole is much
At the end of 1800s and early 1900s, U.S start taking control and expand all over the
Imperialism - the domination by one country of the political, economic, or cultural life of another country. European Imperialism did not begin until the 1800's. Because of its significant gain in power, and economic and military strength, Europe began an expansion that modern historians call the "new imperialism." This process lead to Europeans feeling racially superior. Because of this, "they applied Darwin's ideas about Natural Selection and survival of the fittest to human societies" (Various). “Social Darwinism is a philosophical, economic, social, and scientific movement that claims that the ways society functions is, and ought to be, a reflection of the methods and movements of biological evolution” (Darity). This concept was particularly executed in Africa. Because of Africa's diversity and traditional culture, they were much easier to conquer than other countries, like India and China. This conquest had a large impact for Europe socially, politically and economically. But by the mid 17-18th centuries, social Darwinism had an intense social consequence on European colonies in Africa.
During the 19th century, Europe found a way to use Africa for its own growth and power. Using Africa for their resources, the Europeans colonized Africa without a second thought. European imperialism in Africa had a negative impact because of social disarray, cultural loss, and death it caused. As the Europeans started to invade Africa and split up the land, they paid no attention to the already existing natural boundaries. Over time, villages with different cultures had set these boundaries.
In terms of political changes, European imperialism negatively affected Africa. Firstly, European colonization created enormous conflict between colonists and the African people. African resistance to “The Scramble for Africa” lead to the instability of Africa’s political structure. There was ineffective resistance of the African people against the Europeans. In an attempt to regain their independence, Africans took up arms against their colonial masters as soon as they perceived them to be at a disadvantage. In southern Africa, in The Republic of Namibia, the Herero people rose against German rule in 1904, killing over 100 German settlers and traders. German commander, General von Trotha, retaliated with a war aimed simply at extermination. This resulted in the decline of 70% of the Herero population.1 Nowhere else was colonialism quite so brutal, but almost everywhere it tended towards unrestrained brutality as soon as it was challenged.2 Warfare created considerable unrest among African people. Afterwards, the people of Africa came to the realization that the consequences of resistance against European colonists could be devastating. As well, the Europeans demonstrated that they had the technology and resources to gain control. Secondly, colonial expansion changed the face of Africa’s political structure. The Berlin Conference of 1884-85, attended by 13 European nations and the USA, set the ground rules for partition of Africa. When the conferenc...
In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the Europeans believed that the more territory a country was able to control, the more powerful it could become and the more powerful it would be seen as by other countries. Other reasons for the desire to control African land included the many natural resources that could only be found in Africa, such as diamonds, gold, and as time progressed, rubber. It also provided new markets in surrounding places so that manufactured goods could be sold for a larger profit. The Europeans had many motives for imperialism in Africa. Yet the true motives were often shielded as they tried tom present themselves as humanitarians when in reality they were making Africa a terrible place to live with brutality and harsh treatment of the African natives. The ways of the Europeans had many physical and emotional costs for the people of Africa. The imperialism process also took a toll on the people of Europe. The European imperialistic colonization in Africa was motivated by the desire to control the abundant natural resources an...