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Nationalism and State Identity:
European Nationalism: The 1800s saw revolutions, nationalism, and the creation of nation-states in Western Europe. Many powers asserted their authority over other territories to demonstrate their national identity and strength.
Empire Building: Building empires in Asia and Africa was a way for countries like Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands to assert their national identity.
Examples:
Britain: After losing its American colonies, Britain sought new territories, including New South Wales (Australia), India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Burma (Myanmar), the Malay States (including Singapore), and parts of Borneo.
France: Expanded its territories after the Franco-Prussian War, occupying Algeria, New Caledonia, islands in the South Pacific, Senegal, and Indochina.
Italy and Germany: Newly unified states that sought colonies for prestige, economic, and strategic reasons.
Japan: Asserted its nationalist pride by conquering Korea and Taiwan following the Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895).
Racial Ideologies:
Racism and Pseudoscience: Colonial powers believed in their inherent superiority. Pseudoscientists claimed to have proof of the intellectual and physical inferiority of nonwhite races. Phrenologists argued that skull size indicated mental capacity, a theory now discredited.
Social Darwinism:
Misuse of Science: Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was adapted into Social Darwinism, which justified imperialism by arguing that the spread of European power was evidence of the biological superiority of whites.
Cultural Superiority:
Cultural Imposition: Colonial powers imposed their languages, political systems, educational structures, and cultural practices on colonized peoples, often unifying diverse groups under a single colonial administration.
Josiah Strong: Advocated for the Anglo-Saxon race to dominate and assimilate weaker races, spreading Western culture globally.
Religious Motives:
Missionaries: Played a significant role in imperialism, combining religious and humanitarian efforts. They established schools, provided medical care, and worked to end practices like the illegal slave trade.
David Livingstone: A notable missionary who worked in Sub-Saharan Africa to end the slave trade and spread Christianity.
Economic Motives for Imperialism
Economic Expansion:
Maximizing Profits: Companies chartered by European governments sought to maximize profits by signing treaties with local rulers to establish trading posts and forts.
Industrial Revolution: Transformed economies, creating a demand for raw materials and markets for manufactured goods. European powers competed for resources, markets, and trade routes.
East India Company (EIC):
British Imperialism: The EIC was granted a royal charter in 1600, giving it a monopoly on trade with India. It expanded its influence across the Persian Gulf to East Asia, becoming a major agent of British imperialism in India by the 18th century.
Activities: Engaged in the slave trade and illegally exported opium to China in exchange for tea during the 19th century.
Dutch East India Company (VOC):
Dutch Trade Monopoly: The VOC was given a monopoly on trade between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan in 1602. It concentrated on the islands around Java, replacing Portuguese control.
New Imperialism:
British Economic Power: Britain led economically in the first half of the 19th century, with colonies providing raw materials for factories and foodstuffs for urban populations.
Second Industrial Revolution: Other nations began to challenge Britain’s economic lead, looking to Asia, Africa, and the Pacific to expand markets, obtain raw materials, and secure food supplies.
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