Latin American Imperialism In The 1800s

In the 1800s, European countries were very eager to colonize many different continents. They believed it was their moral responsibility to civilize primitive people. This belief is known as " The White Man's Burden." European rule brought many positive and negative effects to these countries. They conquered Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Southeast Asia was sought after by Europe for three reasons. The first reason was that they wanted direct control over raw materials. These products were things such as clothes, tea, silk and spices. Colonizing Asia was also beneficial for the military. It would be easier for them to travel to travel for wars. The last reason was to have a sense of prestige. Imperialism in Asia

brought some positive attributes, but there were many negative ones as well. For example, in India, Great Britain set up a new school system for the upper class, built roads and railroads, and introduced a telegraph and postal system. But, British economic pursuits brought hardships to Indians. They were degraded by the British. An example is that the Taj Mahal ( built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife) was used for weddings and celebrations for Britain. Poverty became a growing problem and access to resources and local industries were destroyed. Peasants were forced to pay higher taxes. If they could not afford these taxes, they lost their land. Africa also suffered from European imperialism.

By 1900, nearly all of Africa was under European rule. Africa was basically wanted for the same reasons as Southeast Asia. As slave trade declined, raw materials such as oil, tin and rubber, were seen as marketable by Europeans. Because of this, many Africans lost their land and independence. Diseases that were brought over by the British killed millions of Africans. They were not immune to these diseases. Like India, the demand for cash crops caused a shortage of food. This lead to starvation. Something good that came out of all of this was the Suez Canal. The factors that led to this architecture were the importance of the Nile Valley and the development of steamships. It connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas Different imperial powers were involved in Latin America.

Latin American countries gained their independence, but relied on Western nations economically.

Social classes were based on privilege. The peninsulares were at the top of society. Creoles (of Latin American and European descent) controlled some of the land and resented peninsulares. The favored the ideals of equality. Mestizos ( a person of mixed European and Native American descent) were the largest group and at the bottom of society. Many revolts took place that were lead by leaders such as Miguel Hidalgo, Jose de San Martin, and Simon Bolivar, helped many countries overthrow European rule. The British and French wanted control of the nations again. However, James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, which warned foreign countries about intervening in those countries. These newly independent nations had no idea how to rule themselves. So, strong leaders called caudillos ruled chiefly by military force. They modernized the new nation-states. Antonia Lopez de Santa Ana caused the Mexican War. He was defeated by Benito Juarez. In 1898, the United States joined the Spanish American War. Since they supported Panama during the war, the U.S. was rewarded with a 10 mile strip of land. This resulted in the Panama Canal. This was built to reduce the time it takes ships to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic

Ocean.

These countries were either ruled by direct or indirect rule. Direct rule is a colonial government in which local elites are removed from power. They are replaced by a new set of individuals from the mother country. With indirect rule, local rulers are allowed to maintain their positions of authority and status. The mother country keeps an eye on them. Many European countries chose indirect rule because it was cheaper

Overall, I think imperialism was beneficial and harmful. It brought many modern amenities to these countries. However, it also brought caused great economic misfortunes. I do not agree with the idea of taking over land to fulfill the belief that it is a white man's responsibility to civilize native people.