Europeans Divided the World in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries European Imperialism Europeans Divided the World in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

During the latter part of the Industrial Revolution, European nations found themselves in need of more natural resources to feed their machines.

What to do? They could barter for resources They could buy resources, or They could take over territories that possessed the resources they needed.

Who was involved? In the beginning the British and French were most active in the race to create great new empires. Later Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and the Dutch also began to take over territory to increase their prestige and national wealth.

Newcomers to Imperialism… Italy and Germany were not unified into states until 1870 and 1871 so they had little opportunity to develop empires. The United States of America had listened to George Washington and stayed out of the affairs of other nations until the late 1800s when there was a popular demand for expansion.

Africa was gobbled by Europeans

Asia was gobbled by Europeans

The British Empire was largest The cartoon is intended to be humorous, but how do you think the nations that were gobbled up must have felt?

It became obvious that Imperialism meant Business Europeans had a taste for exotic goods

Appetites were insatiable…

A market for finished products… Notice the statement beside the stove – “England’s gift – a blessing to all nations.” The British truly felt they were saving the world.

Imperialism also meant: The country would be taken over and feel the presence of a foreign army to protect its interests. The country would lose its identity because new laws and restrictions would be imposed. Social mores and religions would be affected by the foreign presence. People would have jobs but most of the money went back to the mother country.

The Way the British saw it… This map is from 1928. Britain is still in the center and the red or pink countries are part of the British Empire.

The world as seen in 1914…

Both sides saw it differently… The Imperial Powers thought they were saving mankind by bringing the benefits of civilization and Christianity to people who were less fortunate. They got rich and powerful in the process but their rationale was sound. The people being taken over saw many problems….

Large armies protect the empire…

Foreign leaders are in charge…

Wealth goes to someone else…

America was also involved… Theodore Roosevelt was president during the height of American Imperialist Dreams – “Speak softly and carry a Big Stick.”

The captive people wanted out. In Africa, the Zulu warriors united and rose up to try to drive out the British forces. The deadly war changed little.

The Sepoy Rebellion in India… In 1857-1859, the Sepoy, Indian troops from the British army, Indian princes, and other angry people of India, joined forces to try to drive out their common enemy

The Boxer Rebellion in China… With the approval of the Dowager Empress a secret society of Chinese known as the “Order of Righteous and Harmonious Fists” rose up to rid China of the foreign invaders. United States Marines joined other countries’ armies in putting down the rebellion.

Imperialism still exists today… Imperialism was one of the major causes of World War I. Imperialism is really about trade and money and power. Those are still issues for wars today. India became independent in 1949. China finally drove out all undesirables under Mao Zedong in 1949. African nations began gaining their independence in the 1950s, but there are lingering problems all over Africa today – left over from the days of Imperialism.

European Imperialism PowerPoint Presentation Created by Carol Poole, October 2006