Imperialism: Appealing or Displeasing? At a glance Imperialism is seen as a horrendous practice that many European nations practiced at the turn of the century. With Britain at the top and many other nations coming up behind them Imperialism seemed to be the way to go. But why would such a practice that involved exploiting the natives and harming both the land and people be so appealing to the public? The profits offered by Politicians and Officials hid the truth behind Imperialism, swaying the opinion in favor of money, goods, and a sense of moral duty. Imperialism was a great example of ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’, its promise of greatness for everyone involved outweighed the hardships many endured from it. The pros and cons of Imperialism …show more content…
Imperialism brought in more money. And the big money maker at that time was Africa, England especially had taken quite a few colonies there. Joseph Chamberlain when addressing the public, stated that- “Uganda is a most fertile country. It contains every variety of climate; in a large portion of it European colonization is perfectly feasible;…there is hardly anything which is of value or use to us in our commerce which cannot be grown there- (Overfielld 7)”. When powerful nations such as England and France began colonizing in Africa and other places they took natural resources such as rubber, ivory, spices, diamonds, and gold, and sold them on the market. Rubber was used to make a multitude of products from tires for the new and improving automobile, insulation for wires, and more. Rubber was the secret to being successful. In Britain, Indian goods were beginning to take flight because they were ‘exotic’ and ‘new’. Teas, spices, cloths, and foods from India were popular throughout England and Europe due its colonization. The nations profited from the native’s labor by planting cash crops like cotton, coffee, and Tabaco. All of these points proved to the citizens of Europe that Imperialism was a good move in the chess game of life, European nations were the kings, and their colonies mere pawns in …show more content…
Africans and Indians were seen as ‘lesser races’ and ‘uncivilized’, so the Europeans saw it as their moral duty to civilize them and introduce them to Christianity. In a speech made to prove how beneficial Imperialism was, Chamberlain told the public- “I am convinced that it is a necessity as well as a duty for us to uphold the dominion of the empire which we now possess…(Overfield 6)” meaning that it was their duty to spread the influence of their empire to the ‘savages’ that inhabited Africa. They used this excuse to build railroads throughout both India and Africa, and used again as an excuse when people started accusing Imperialists of abusing their power over Africans and hurting them. The same ‘moral obligation’ card was always pulled; “What we want is to give this country the means of communication by railway from the coast which would bring to that population—which is more intelligent than the ordinary populations in the heart of Africa—our iron, and our cloths, and our cotton, and even our jewellery- (Overfield 7)”. They, being the politicians and officials who supported Imperialism, would take on the role of ‘saint’ and preach that they wanted to help the colonies they were controlling. They wanted to give means of transportation by building railroads, they wanted to give them iron and clothing and jewelry. But the railways helped the Europeans more than the natives,
With the Industrial Revolution in full swing, Europe was looking to bolster its trade markets abroad. Thinking of it this way: in order to sell more goods, you need more places to sell them. So, with this thinking in mind, the Europeans said to themselves, 'What better place than Africa and Asia?' Along the same lines, colonies on these continents were seen as great places to get cheap, raw materials for Europe's factories. Add to this that Europe needed a place to house and employ their surplus population, and you can see why New Imperialism held the promise of economic growth.
When one thinks of imperialism they often refer to the concept with very strong feelings. The general population will either agree with it or disagree. There tends to be no middle ground. The best way to look at imperialism is with an impartial mind. If one looks at imperialism with an open mind then they are able to see both the strengths and the weaknesses that it harbors. Throughout history one is most likely able to name several circumstances where imperialism took place and also point out the obvious aftermath of. Imperialism tends to have a greater good behind it, but unfortunately may have been executed poorly.
The epoch of imperialism cannot be defined simply as 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 were 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. Britain was endowed with geographic and political advantages that allowed the country to become the first to unwittingly stumble onto industrialization. Britain was an island, therefore had developed a unique naval strength which subsequently gave Britain leverage when globalization blossomed from expanding maritime trade. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe, including Belgium, trailed behind. Presently, colonized regions still bear the traits and scars from the subjugators of their past.
Britain was committed to imperializing countries that benefitted them. Benjamin Disraeli, the British prime minister during the 1870’s, persuaded Great Britain to imperialize because it was a way to guard vital British markets overseas, resources, and jobs, as well as enhance their well known reputation as being the most powerful country (Butler). Great Britain wanted to spread its culture and religion (Butler). As a result, Christianity was dispersed imperialized countries under the name of Great Britain. Another major reason Great Britain imperialized in Africa was because other European countries that were participating in the “Scramble for Africa” (Berard). This was the time period where certain European countries fought over what countries in Africa to imperialize. Britain wanted more power, and therefore, more land as well. Therefore, they resorted to imperializing lands such as those in Africa.
Although imperialism helped the colonized people by improving the economy and the lives of the people, for the most part imperialism hurt the colonized people because the people were forced to grow cash crops which led to death by starvation. First of all, imperialism improved the lives of the colonized people by aiding economic growth. The imperial powers prompted industrialization in the colonies, which is the development of advanced technology, leading to modernization in the colony. This is the change to a more modern, a more advanced country with new technology and better standards of living. These improvements then led to an increase in self-sufficiency, being able to maintain the colony’s economy by itself.
Imperialism is the extending of a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military power to gain profit and promote nationalism. J. H. Patterson’s memoir, The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, demonstrates these Eurocentric views by criticizing the differences between the Britain and Africa. Britain’s industrialization led to its “mission to civilize.” Britain believed that other countries should aspire to be as civilized. This concept, the “White Man’s Burden,” turned into racism; Europeans assumed that nations outside of Europe consisted of primitive people. Patterson’s memoir expresses the superior position taken by the British regarding colonization and non-British people through his judgment
Africa is a land of riches like no other, so as expected, European countries would have some sort of desire to conquer properties in whatever way they did. As stated in African Colonies and their Exports Chart, countless of natural resources are found in different areas in Africa. Not only does the data show plenty of resources, but also a variety (Doc D). This confirms that Africa is a wealthy land that Europeans grew fond of and hoped to take over. Specified in Imports and Exports Graph, following the 1900’s, after the conference to divide up Africa was held, Britain decided to use Africa’s natural resources and specialize in many industries. The imports doubled from 4 million pounds, while the exports boosted from 2.5 million all the way to 21 million pounds (Doc. E). With this lucrative increase in trading and selling, it is fair to conclude that not only were resources a factor of beginning imperialism in Africa, but also a successful result.
“So as long as there is imperialism in the world, a permanent peace is impossible.” (Hassan Nasrallah, brainy quote.com, 2016). This quote shows that imperialism isn’t a positive thing for people it’s only good for the development and progress of power in a country. Imperialism is a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Everybody had a different perspective of seeing imperialism as either a negative or positive progress. The Dutch East India Company used imperialism for trade and succeeded throughout many centuries. This imperial nation wanted to control power and territory in order to trade with other countries to gain money and power.
Imperialism took place in the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s and it defines one country’s superiority over another. Specifically, The United States practiced imperialism for the desire to strengthen military and create new markets for money. It led to many wars and disputes over countries, heavily in Latin America. Imperialism was not a proper and legitimate policy for the United States to follow.
One of the main reasons Europeans colonized Africa was for their useful resources. There are countless assets in the African landscape that were wanted by other nations. The European countries had access to some of the worlds most needed resources such as cotton, oils, coal, gold, and diamonds because they controlled Africa. This is shown on a chart of African colonies and their exports. ("Selected African Colonies and Their Exports" 269). This shows how the European countries carefully selected the land they did, to get certain resources they needed or wanted to use to benefit from. Another chart from a book by Trevor Lloyd, (Lloyd, The British Empire), displays the large jump of exports to Africa from 1854 to 1900. What that means is once Great Britain established complete control of South Saharan Africa, they began to export the resources they found that they could use. These charts are proof of how the European's wanted resources, and that is one of the main reasons for the imperialization of Africa. Not only did the European nations want the continent's resources, but they had an equal hunger for power.
European imperialism began as countries in Europe were competing to become the largest and most powerful. In the heat of competition European powers were forcefully traveling all around the world and conquering lands in order to create more revenue. This forceful expansion created problems and brought danger to the European countries main-lands. J.A. Hobson argues that imperialism only benefits a small group of elites while negatively affecting the vast majority of the population. Thus imperialism could be seen as a dangerous way for a country to expand its borders and create more revenue.
Thus, the industrial development that did occur in colonized territories was relevant to the desire of imperial powers to turn colonized states into sources of cheap raw products to be later used in their industries back home. The economy of colonized territories was not diversified or turned into an industrial one, and instead a select number of goods were targeted, and their production/extraction hugely increased. Imperial investment and construction focused on the development and construction of communications, railways, plantations and mines, investments which did not by themselves help in the economic transformation of the country from agricultural to industrial. Rather, these investments were intended to accelerate the exploitation of the colonies’ natural resources and agricultural capacities. Once the nation attained political independence from the mother country, the legacy left behind from imperialism established an economy which depended on the export of a few select natural resources and agricultural, leaving the country’s economy extremely vulnerable to market price fluctuations.
When the Europeans arrived in Africa, many would of thought that imperialism wasn?t fied because the Europeans were enslaving the Africans. As stated in David Diop's An Anthology of West African Verse, "And in the Conqueror's voice said, 'Boy! A chair, a napkin, a drink.'" Stated blatantly, the "conqueror" is a European, and he is commanding an African to serve him. Forcing Africans into slavery certainly doesn?t justify European imperialism in Africa, however, there are many reasons as to why imperialism actually was justified.
The concept of imperialism is one that has pervaded nearly every major society or empire throughout human history. It seems to be a natural consequence of societies growing in size, power, and knowledge. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries vast changes occurred in Western Europe (and soon spread elsewhere) that spurred a new round of imperialism the likes of which had not been seen before. The changes were the industrial revolution that was taking place. Countries were rapidly advancing to industrial societies producing much greater quantities of goods at much lower costs. The goods produced ranged everywhere from cotton textiles to military machinery, all of which would play important roles in rounds of imperialistic expansion that would follow. The imperialistic displays by Western European nations also brought about several other industrial revolutions in other regions including the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and Japan. I will take a look at how the industrial revolution encouraged imperialistic expansion, as well as some of the results of that expansion in other regions.
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...