Chapter 25 Self Reflection

I thought this chapter was one of the most interesting chapters we have discussed all year. I have always been interested in imperialism and how empires grow, along with how Europeans would colonize most of Africa and Asia. I have always found it strange to see a video of an Indian with a British accent as I didn't understand why they spoke that way. I now know that it is because of the English occupation for so many years that many people now speak English as their native tongue because of the teaching of the British and their obligation to the "white man's burden". Along with that, I found it very interesting to see how China and Japan would be opened up to the outside world at this time, as prior to this point they were both lands of mystique and mystery, and within a short time period they both would be opened up for the entire world to see. Finally, the colonization of Africa was one of the most interesting things I have ever learned about in general. After reading The Heart of Darkness last year I wondered why it was a Belgian steamboat that Marlow rode down the Congo on, and now I see why with Leopold II's harsh rule over the area. I also found it interesting to read how South Africa became led by the Apartheid, as I had always wondered how such a small minority of white men could take over such a large area of Africa. Overall, I really enjoyed reading and learning this chapter, and it truly does show how this era would lead straight into World War I.

The Suez Canal

Back in the age of imperialism, the opening of the Suez Canal would be one of the biggest factors in the expansion of empires and commerce. With its opening, a much faster sea route to China and India would be available, and global trade exploded because of the new accessibility. In today's world, the Suez Canal still plays a huge part in trade and commerce between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The canal is controlled by the Suez Canal Authority, which is a non-nationalistic organization that controls and runs the canal and examines the commerce and goods that goes through the canal. It is a relatively small canal as it can only allow one ship at a time to pass through its waters, yet it is still one of the largest shipping waterways in the world. Still today is supports about eight percent of the entire world's shipping traffic, and almost fifty ships pass through it daily. It still supports the transport of goods from Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Suez, which is right next to the Indian Ocean. Goods are passed through from Europe to Asia in masses, and it ranks as one of the most widely used and important waterways in the shipping industry today.

Current Uprisings in Egypt

Just as there were political uprisings during the age of imperialism, there are uprising in today's world against oppressive regimes and corrupt governments. One of the most recent and powerful uprisings is occurring in Egypt to this day. On January 25, 2011, the political uprisings began in Egypt. Within the next month, President (dictator) Hosni Mubark stepped down from power and handed the power to the military ruling body, which promised to have parliamentary and presidential elections, and cede power to the new government. Within the time between the overthrow and elections, the military killed a small amount of protesters. Muslim brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi would be elected president in 2012, and quickly signed a decree that would give him more power, which would once again spark protests. Within the next year, the people would force Morsi out of office, led by military leader SiSi. Protests have continued until this day against the government and its moves, and Egypt is still in a state of emergency. It is tough to say how successful it has been, as they have placed and removed a man from office and are still protesting, and Egypt is still one of the most hostile areas in the world right now.

The Sepoy Mutiny

With the imperialistic ideas of spreading Christianity and bettering civilization in the third world countries around the world, many native people felt that their old ways of living were being threatened and rebelled against European colonization. One of the best examples of this occurring was in India, with the Sepoy Rebellion/Mutiny. Sepoys were Hindu mercenaries and soldiers that were fighting in the British Army to take control of India, who suddenly had a change of heart and switched sides to fight against the British. This change of mind occurred because of conflicts between the British and the Hindu religion, mainly the use of animal fats and other sacred items to the Hindu's that were used in the British army. The sepoys, over 300,000 of them, would drop their allegiance to the British, and would fight for their home country in this major rebellion. The garrison at Delhi would establish Bahadur Shah as their leader, and would go to war against the British and the East India Trading Company. As large as the Sepoy army would be, they would eventually be defeated handily by the British soldiers and army. This loss would lead to Britain taking complete control over India and its peoples, until the 1947 when Gandhi would lead the charge to independence in India.

US events during the Age of Imperialism

The Panama Canal

During the Age of Imperialism in Europe which was promoting a global economy and enhancing commerce, President Theodore Roosevelt had a project of his own going on in Central America. Determined to make an easier trade route for ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific, he set out to finish building the Panama Canal through Central America, which would cut traveling time by a huge amount. The canal would be finished in 1914 and is still an extremely important sea route today. This was very similar to the opening of the Suez Canal through the Middle East during this time. Just as the Panama Canal allowed faster trade to the Pacific, the Suez allowed a much faster trade route to India, Polynesia, and China than had previously existed, and commerce exploded because of it.


The Opening of Japan

During the Age of Imperialism in Europe, the United States employed tactics that were very similar to those of the Europeans in terms of commerce. Just as England came into China and opened their ports with the Treaty of Nanking, the United States Navy, led by Commodore Matthew Perry, came to Japan and used gunboat diplomacy to open Japan's ports to the outside world. This opening of Japan's ports would create a huge amount of commerce in this region. Prior to this point, Japan had been extremely secluded and used isolationist principles to keep foreigners out. Thanks to Perry and his ships, these ways were thrown out and Japan became a major shipping and trade area for the world, and would continue to be up until this day.

Has the United States been Imperialistic?

In our history, the United States has been a part of many events that could make people believe we have been imperialistic, and when we really take a close look at these events, we see that the US has been imperialistic, just not on the large scale that the Europeans have been. Some reasons that show that we have been imperialistic come from our interactions with Iraq and Afghanistan, the Mexican- American War, and the our interactions with Japan in the early twentieth century. In Iraq and Afghanistan, we didn't set up colonies as the Europeans did, yet we came in and tried to establish new governments that reflected our own constitution, founded in liberty and equality, just as the Europeans came in and tried to establish their ideas of civilization in the age of imperialism. In the Mexican-American War, we had expanded westward into Mexican territory and then fought a war over the land disputes, and came out on top with a huge expansion of territory that gave us some of the largest states in our nation. Finally, with Japan, we headed across the Pacific Ocean around the same time that Europeans were expanding into China and used gunboat diplomacy to force Japan to open its trading ports to the rest of the world. Some ways that show we haven't been imperialistic are the Panama Canal, Guam and Puerto Rico, and in some ways the Civil War. The Panama canal shows that we haven't been imperialistic as we could have easily taken over the small country for our own possession, yet we left them alone, helped build and fund the important canal, and left Panama alone after that. We did not force our government upon them or abuse the native people's ways of life, and we now have no control over the country. In Guam and Puerto Rico, they are now both United States Territories that we have gained, yet they are self sustaining and are free to have commerce and run their territory apart from our government. Finally, some argue that the Civil War shows how the United States has been imperialistic as the Union retook the Confederacy and reunited the country, but that is a false claim as it was an internal conflict and no territory was changed because of it, the country was just reunited.

US imperialism political cartoon

In this cartoon, the author is depicting the United State's attempt to spread its ideas and laws across the globe, such as anti-gun legislation, anti-drug laws, and democracy. In the author's opinion, he seems to see the US as overbearing and too powerful, as their influence is wrapping all the way around the Earth, and no country is left uncovered. I disagree with the author's opinion in this case, as I believe that at this time in history the United States has the least amount of influence as it has had in a long time. We are in a huge financial crisis and owe large sums of money to multiple countries around the world, and we cannot seem to find a way to fix our problems. We have a powerful military, but if we cannot figure out our domestic issues here soon then our military will not matter. We have become less and less respected by our allies, and we need to change this soon.

Imperialism Political Cartoons

In this political cartoon, titled "The Devilfish in Egyptian Waters", the author is depicting America's view on England's expansion across the world. The author believes that England is becoming too powerful and imperialistic, to the point that now they have a "tentacle" on each continent across the globe, and that it is overall a bad thing for the native people and countries. In my opinion, I believe the author is completely correct in his views and beliefs. England at this time had the largest empire in the world, and they had strong influence over global commerce. They changed Indian life forever with their control of the nation for many years, and implemented the Apartheid in South Africa which would last until the 1990's! England at this time was much too powerful, and disrupted the balance of power that Europe had agreed on after the Napoleonic Era.

In this French political cartoon, the author is depicting the Berlin Conference and how the European powers agreed to split the continent using "effective occupation". The author seems to believe that this system of colonization was a fair way to split Africa as each European power is represented, and it appears that Bismarck is cutting the pieces of Africa fairly equally among the nations. I believe that the author is correct with his views, as effective occupation in my mind was a very fair way to split Africa. No longer could countries just come into the continent and claim land at will, they now had to be doing something in that area and have people living there, making it much fairer and more effective, along with providing all nations a chance to claim land, not just the first one to make to to a certain area.

Imperialism in the 19th and 20th Centuries

Chapter 25 - The West and the World: 1815-1914

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, European powers began to expand their horizons and envision vast, powerful empires that would benefit their countries economically and politically. Due to the unifying of many countries that occurred previous to this era, especially in Germany, nationalistic and racist ideas glorifying the white man began to sprout up all across Europe. Going along with these social developments, new technologies such as steam engines and vaccines for malaria were being produced in masses, allowing exploration of many areas that were unaccessable up to this point, especially in Africa. Exploration of the Congo would now be possible through steamships, which would lead to Belgium beginning their horrible reign in that area of Africa. Commerce, Christianity, and Civilization would be the three main goals of European imperialism at this time, and all three would be brought to the various colonies, sometimes successful and sometimes not. This large spread of European ideals would change the world forever and still have lasting effects until this day.

In this blog, I hope to explain how the European age of imperialism changed the world incredibly at that time, and still has effects in today's world. Along with this I want to show in detail how the countries and continents that were colonized by Europeans were changed and affected, and if the European expansion into their territory was beneficial or not. Finally, I want to explain how the United States played into all of this, and if they too were imperialistic or not. 

EQ: "What were the main European motives for imperialism and were they effective in their endeavors?"

The main European motives for European imperialism in this time period were to improve commerce and economy, spread Christianity and its teachings to the "heathens" in Africa and other areas of the globe, and bring European style civilization and government to third world countries that they would colonize. In some cases, they were very successful in these motives, but in others not so much. Many of the colonies in Africa would bring in huge profits from natural raw resources such as diamonds, and Christianity would be spread to many of the countries there as well. However, in Asian countries Europeans faced resistance to Christianity and Civilization as the native peoples were extremely reluctant to give up their old ways of life, and even had anti-European uprisings in these areas, such as India and China. Despite these uprisings, the Europeans would overall be very successful in their endeavors in Africa, Asia, and the rest of the colonized world.