Imperialism
Introduction
The age of Imperialism was fueled by industrialization and nationalism leading up to this time. The west began to reshape the world with their new ideas and motives for expanding. All the European powers were fighting for control of land throughout the world. Initially the motives were economic yet after that aspect was not as successful as planned the motives for imperialism shifted to obtain political power.Chapter Objectives
- Display various motives European countries had for imperializing
- Show how Europeans felt superior to non-west places
- Compare American imperial history to European imperial history
- Explain importance of Suez Canal
Essential Question
What was the main difference between "Old Imperialism" and "New Imperialism"?The main difference between these two eras of imperialism is that Old Imperialism was simply for exploration of the world where as New Imperialism was for conquest of the world. The motives for imperialism in the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries were "God, Glory and Gold" where as the motives for imperialism in the nineteenth century was "Christianity, Commerce and Civilization".
Political Cartoons
European Political Cartoons
This political cartoon is regarding to Britain imperializing over Africa. The man showed here, is British and he appears to be trying to capture all of Africa for himself. The African continent itself has the words "Gold Fields" written on it. That is showing that the British were trying to take control of Africa simply for economic purposes, no matter what they might have justified it with. However, the fact that the British man is trying to hold on to the continent proves that the economic aspect was not achieving the goal the British hoped it would. It seems that the author believed the British were being too selfish with their conquest in Africa. Also, the author saw the only true motives the British had were economical. I feel this political cartoon is pretty accurate. I especially like how the British man looks. He appears to be very sloppy and unattractive which is a funny way of viewing what the British were doing to Africa at this time. 
This political cartoon is about "The White Man's Burdon" during the Boer War. The Boers are holding up a British white man. The Boers are very skinny and look somewhat barbaric. However, the British man has a literal big head and it napping peacefully in his artificial shade while being carried by the bores, who are sweating in the sun. The author of this cartoon seems to feel the British are just being lazy by making the Boers do so much for them. Also, by making the British man's head so big the author is trying to show that the British were being metaphorically "big headed" with their actions. I think this political cartoon is interesting because yes, the Boers were not as civilized as the British yet they are the ones keeping the British comfortable. It seems that according to the White Man's Burdon, if the British were more civilized they should be trying to give the Boers a better life, not the other way around.
American Political Cartoon
Here, we have Uncle Sam, looking very overtired, distraught and overwhelmed. He is trying to care for four babies, Hawaii, The Philippines, Puerto Rice and Cuba all at once. The babies are all tugging and pulling for Uncle Sam's attention and it appears he cannot handle it. The author seems to have believed America took on more they could handle with all their imperialistic moves at one time and cannot give each the attention it needs. I found it really interesting that the author depicted each country as a baby showing that they need more attention than usual, therefore all are fighting for Uncle Sam's attention at once. This is one of the best political cartoons I have seen.
Is the United States an imperialistic country?
I think it is unfair to pinpoint America as either imperialistic or non-imperialistic. America has showed affairs and actions that could lead one to think either way. I believe that it depends on which event one is discussing as to weather or not to consider America an imperialist nation or not.I have found that many American foreign events could be considered imperialistic or non-imperialistic and therefore leaves it solely up to opinion. Here are some examples:
1. The Monroe Doctrine:
Pro - It stated that if any European country tried to colonize anywhere in North or South America it would be seen as a threat toward the United States. This could be seen as imperialistic because it established all of North and South America as protectorates under the United States although they only official controlled North America.
Con - The United States never did conquer South American countries so in that way, they were not imperialistic. This doctrine also did state that the United States would not interfere with any European Colonies, which was also non-imperialistic.
2. Annexing of Hawaii:
Pro - The US ambassadors in Hawaii set up their own government and eventually annexed Hawaii as part of the United States in 1959.
Con - When American first went to Hawaii they came as peacemakers and had no intention to take control over them.
Although there are many interpretations of such events as the ones listed above, there are a few that are clearly imperialistic or non-imperialistic. Some examples of that are:
Manifest Destiny: This whole idea was very imperialistic. If you truly think about it, manifest destiny is a very absurd idea. America just wanted a reason to imperialize and that idea seemed to have an easy explanation. It did lead them to obtain land, such as the Louisiana Purchase so that provides even more evidence that America was thirsty for land.
Spanish - American War: This event is definitely not imperialistic. The Americans helped Cuba obtain independence from Spanish rule. The United States never tried to annex Cuba and let them maintain their own government. After Cuban independence was won, the Americans left, leaving Cube to run their own country.
U.S. Events
Ellis Island
On January 1st, 1892 Ellis Island became the chief immigration station of the United States. It is located in Upper New York Bay and today, is a historical museum. Each immigrant had to take various tests and answer a lot of information before being admitted to America. However, many did not pass stipulations and were sent back home. Over twelve million immigrants were processed through Ellis Island where their journey to opportunity began.
This relates to the European imperialistic times because of the great white walls policy. Americans and Australians created these laws to keep Asians from settling in their countries in the 1880's. I found that ironic because even after America and Australia made these laws, American kept Ellis Island running. Australia did not encourage immigration any more, as the Americans did. That may have been a smart move for there became a lot of conflict in America in terms of immigration. For example, many were discriminated against. 
Panama Canal
November 17, 1903 - America acquired the Panama Canal Zone. French began construction on the canal but it became too much of a financial burden on them, so the United States took over. Eventually, the canal would connect the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, making travel much quicker and more convenient. There are several locks throughout the canal and more modern ones are currently being built. The Panama Canal is considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
The Panama Canal canal naturally reminded me of the Suez Canal, which we studied in this chapter. Both connected two bodies of water, making travel much easier. That, in turn, increased commerce and industrialization. Both were built around the same time which shows that the world was modernizing on a pretty even level. That juxtaposes the "third-world" to "first-world" issue rising at this time, bringing in a neat contract to the era.
European Colonial Uprising
Maji Maji Rebellion
After the Scramble for Africa in the 1880's, Germany held on to its power in its African colonies. From 1905-1907 several African indigenous communities revolted against the Germans. Their reasoning was because German rule was forcing them to grow cotton for export. They had heavy taxes and used a lot of forced labor. The Germans were also changing the roles of men and women to fit what they needed to keep up economic success back at home. Each different community had different ways of revolting but the Germans always repressed the uprisings by using iolence which only infuriated the natives more. After two long, hard years the rebellion was finally put to an end. The spirit of the people were too broken to keep fighting colonial rule. Not to mention, a new governor came to power who was more light hearted and appealed to the natives much more.
Current Uprising
Ukraine Protest
The most recent uprising is occurring currently in the Ukraine. It began on February 18th of this year. The Ukrainian people were very upset with their president, Yanukovych and his government due to all their corruption. Yanukovych was forced out of office by the people who wanted a new governmental body. Putin, Russian's president came in and is currently trying to take control of the Ukraine who actually used to be part of Russia. The people are still revolting against Putin, claiming he is taking after Hitler. It is becoming more violent each day. I feel the people are being successful with their uprisings thus far because they have called a lot of attention to the issues occurring in their country and also exposing how corrupt Yanukovych and Putin really are.
Spotlight on the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal is a sea-level waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. It is maintained, operated and controlled by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) state, which was set up by Egypt in the 1950's. Today, the Suez Canal can accommodate ships with up to 210,00 tons. Each ship takes around eleven to sixteen hours to pass through the canal at a slow speed. Almost fifty ships pass through the canal on a daily basis. It is one of the most significant water ways of the world because it supports about eight percent of the world shipping traffic. This canal is also considered a geographical checkpoint due to its narrow width because it could be easily blocked and therefore could disrupt flow trade.
3-2-1 Summary
Three things I learned:
- Sun Yatsen, a revolutionary, educated peasant, was the father of modern China for wanting no dynasty but a republic.
- Three million Asians moved abroad before 1921 due to cheap labor which led to the Great White Walls policy
- The term "third-world" country was termed at this time due to the non-west countries being less civilized and industrialized as European and American countries.
Two Things that Interested Me:
- The opium trade in China could lead to such conflict between nations and even a war
- The Russio-Japanese War was the first time an Asian, or even non-western country, had defeated a European power in 200 years
One Question I Still Have
- Why did the non-western countries, being the most "civilized" come up with such idiotic justifications for imperialism such as "The White Man's Burdon"? Aren't they supposed to be the more intelligent group of people?
