Imperialism and Its Impact: 19th and 20th Centuries
Imperialism
Imperialism is a doctrine that leads to the domination of one state over another by military, economic, or political force. Key aspects include:
- Strong nationalism
- Use of force to control as many territories as possible
- Systematic exploitation of these territories
- Developed from the last third of the 19th century
Imperial Expansion
Between 1870 and 1914, European countries created colonial empires, mainly in Africa and Asia.
Causes of Imperial Expansion
Demographic
By 1900, the European population had grown to 450 million, thanks to better nutrition and advances in medicine. Poor living conditions in Europe led to migration to new colonies.
Economic
Metropolises found in the colonies a source of raw materials (such as rubber and cotton), markets for their manufactured products, and a cheap and numerous labor force. Colonies were also appropriate sites for investing large amounts of excess capital for businesses.
Key Figures and Definitions
- Livingstone: Discovered the Victoria Falls.
- Stanley: Explored the Congo River basin.
- Brazza: Mapped the center of Africa.
- Protectorate (of Morocco): Agreed upon by Spain and France, forcing Germany to back down.
- The Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria (other countries joined later).
- Allies/Entente: France, Russia, the UK, and Serbia (other countries joined later).
- Riot of the Boxers: Occurred in China (1899-1901). It was a reaction against foreign domination.
- War of the Opium (1839-1842): A war motivated by the desire to occupy China and exploit the country economically.
- Moroccan Crisis: Germany supported the Moroccans against France. In the Algeciras Conference (1906), Spain and France agreed to a protectorate in Morocco. In 1911, the Germans sent gunboats to Agadir. France received the UK’s support but had to cede Cameroon to Germany.
- Fashoda Incident: Occurred in 1898 during clashes in Africa. After it, the British and French agreed to use only the British axis.
- Riot of the Sepoys: In India (1857), a rebellion against British rule.
Clashes
Africa
The Berlin Conference (1885) was convened to establish rules for colonization:
- Effective occupation of the territory (both coast and interior) was required.
- Controversy over axes of influence:
- Great Britain: Cairo-Cape Town
- France: Senegal-Djibouti
- Portugal: Angola-Mozambique
- Freedom of trade and navigation on the Congo and Niger rivers.
Asia
Rivalry between the powers forced the creation of buffer states to avoid conflicts (e.g., Burma). The War of the Opium (1839-1842) was driven by the desire of European powers to occupy China. The Riot of the Sepoys in India (1857) was a revolt against British rule. The Riot of the Boxers in China (1899-1901) was a reaction against foreign domination.
Consequences of the Second Industrial Revolution
Metropolises
- Helped to relocate the excess population.
- Favored economic growth by providing access to raw materials and exclusive markets.
- Permitted the strengthening of capitalism.
- Led to the growth of nationalism.
- Increased tensions between the powers due to struggles to obtain new colonies (e.g., the Moroccan Crisis, the Fashoda Incident).
Colonies
- Contempt for indigenous culture.
- Introduction of new ideas like liberalism and socialism (acculturation).
- Disappearance of traditional indigenous society.
- Demographic increase due to the introduction of modern medicine.
- Economic underdevelopment, as colonies provided raw materials and markets for the products of the metropolis.
- Exploitation of local labor, sometimes brutally and systematically (e.g., in the Congo).
Taylorism
Taylorism is the scientific organization of work, aiming for the least effort in the shortest time to reduce manufacturing costs. Workers should have all necessary elements at their disposal. This resulted in assembly lines, where each worker is dedicated to a single task and specializes in it, leading to reduced costs and increased production (mass production).