The Age of Imperialism

Essential Standards Learning Activity #5
10th Grade Modern Civilizations (Povletich) DUE: Thursday, November 29 Essential Standard 10.4.1 – Describe the rise of industrial economies and their link to imperialism and colonialism IN OTHER WORDS: You will show how the imperialistic nations of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United States, and Spain used their military power to control other nations and to gain access to their resources and markets. Essential Standard 10.4.3 – Explain imperialism from the perspective of the colonizers and the colonized and the varied immediate and long‐term responses by the people under colonial rule. IN OTHER WORDS: You will show the short and long‐term impact of colonial rule. For example, while imperial powers brought advances in technology, medicine, and education to their colonies, they also disrupted local cultures and governments. Many colonized people rebelled against their colonial powers and most eventually gained independence. The Age of Imperialism
GeneralOverview
We live in a world today in which the consequences of nineteenth-century Western imperialism are still being felt. By
about 1914 Western civilization reached the high point of its long-standing global expansion. The expansion in this period
took many forms. There was, first of all, economic expansion. Europeans invested large sums of money abroad, building
railroads and ports, mines and plantations, factories and public utilities. Trade between nations also grew greatly and a world
economy developed. Between 1750 and 1900 the income gap disparities between industrialized Europe, America and the rest
of the world grew at an astounding rate. Partly due to a rearrangement of land use that accompanied Western colonialism and
to Western success in preventing industrialization in areas they saw as markets for their manufactured goods.
European economic penetration was usually peaceful but Europeans (and Americans) were also willing to force
isolationist nations such as China and Japan to throw open their doors to Westerners.
Millions of Europeans migrated abroad. The pressure of poverty and overpopulation in rural areas encouraged this
migration, but once in the United States and Australia, European settlers passed laws to prevent similar mass migration from
Asia.
A third aspect of Western expansion was that European states established vast political empires, mainly in Africa but
also in Asia. The "new imperialism" occurred primarily between 1880 and 1900, when European governments scrambled
frantically for territory.
White people came, therefore, to rule millions of black and brown people in Africa and Asia. The causes of the new
imperialism are still hotly debated. Competition for trade, superior military force, European power politics, and a racist belief
in European superiority were among the most important causes. Some Europeans bitterly criticized imperialism as a betrayal
of Western ideals of freedom and equality.
Western imperialism produced various reactions in Africa and Asia. The first response was simply to try to drive the
foreigners away. The general failure of this traditionalist response then led large masses to accept European rule, which did
bring some improvements. A third response was the modernist response of Western-educated natives, who were repelled by
Western racism and attracted by Western ideals of national independence and economic progress. Thus, imperialism and
reactions to it spread Western civilization to non-Western lands.
Schmiechen, James. A History of Western Society, 6th ed. Study Guide vol. II. Boston: Houghton, 1999. (pp. 441‐442) YOUR ASSIGNMENT Over the next three days you will be looking at a number of sources related to imperialism. Your assignment is to complete the packet provided to you using what you have learned in class, your textbook, online resources, and your own analysis. The packet is divided in to three sections (each worth 10 points)… 1) The Transformation of the Western World
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You will read a passage, take notes, and create illustrations reflecting the changes happening in the world from 1815 to 1914. When completed you will thoughtfully answer a connecting industrialization and imperialism. This section can be completed without the use of any outside resources. 2) An In-Depth Analysis of Imperialism - The Experiences of One Country
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Each of you has been assigned one country that was the “victim” of Western imperialism. Using your textbook and online resources, you will answer a series of questions related to the experiences of that country. Textbook pages that may be helpful… ƒ Imperialism in Africa (290‐296) ƒ Imperialism in the Middle East (298‐302) ƒ Imperialism in India (303‐307) ƒ Imperialism in China (309‐313) ƒ Imperialism in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (327‐331) ƒ Imperialism in Latin America (337‐343) You will need to use online resources to complete this section. The computer lab is available to you on Monday and Wednesday of this week. Anything you don’t finish in class will need to be completed outside of class. 3) Perspectives on Imperialism Through Poetry
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You will be analyzing the text of two poems which reflect the views of imperialism by the colonizing country and the country being colonized. This section can be completed without the use of any outside resources. SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK Monday – Overview of ESLA 5 assignment; computer lab work time Tuesday – Benchmark Exam 2 for any students that were not here last Wednesday; Individual/quiet work day in the class room for everyone else Wednesday – Final work day on ESLA 5; computer lab will be available for those that need it Thursday – ESLA 5 is due at the beginning of class! Brief overview of the world in 1914 and map activity Friday – Introduction to World War I ASSESSMENT Each of your ESLAs earns a maximum score of ten points based on the accuracy and quality of your work. For this packet, each of the three sections will earn a separate 10 point grade. Incomplete work will be returned to you and you will lose professional points for it being turned in on time. The West in the Age of
Industrialization and Imperialism
Source: SARAH LYONS WATTS - Professor, Department of History
Wake Forest University
As far-reaching as the transformation of Western civilization since the Renaissance had been, no one around 1800 could
have predicted the even more profound changes that would occur in the nineteenth century. When Napoleon met defeat at
Waterloo in 1815, Europe's population was 200 million, with as many as 25 million people of European descent living in
the rest of the world. When World War I began in 1914, these numbers stood at 450 million and 150 million, respectively.
In 1815 most Europeans and Americans lived in rural villages and worked the land; during the nineteenth century millions
migrated from the countryside to cities, and by 1914, in highly industrialized nations such as Great Britain, a majority of
the population was urban. In 1815, despite two decades of democratic revolution, most governments were aristocratic and
monarchical; in 1914 representative assemblies and universal manhood suffrage were the norm in most of Europe, the
United States, and the British dominions of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1815 most governments limited their
activities to defense, the preservation of law and order, and some economic regulation; in 1914 governments in most
industrialized states subsidized education, sponsored scientific research, oversaw public health, monitored industry, and
provided social welfare care and, as a result, had grown enormously.
Europe's global role also changed dramatically. In 1815 it appeared that the Europeans' political power was declining
throughout the world. Great Britain no longer ruled its thirteen North American colonies, and Portugal and Spain were
losing their colonies in Central and South America. Decisions by several European states to outlaw the slave trade seemed
a step toward a diminished role for Europeans in Africa, and nothing suggested that the Western nations had the power or
inclination to extend their influence in Southwest or East Asia. Only the continuing expansion of British power in India
hinted at what the nineteenth century would bring -- the West's take-over of Africa and Southeast Asia, its intrusions into
the politics of China and southwest Asia, and its unparalleled control of world trade and investment.
To a certain extent, these and other changes resulted from the acceleration of trends deeply rooted in Europe's past. The
scientific and technological developments of the nineteenth century, for example, were built on a foundation dating to the
Middle Ages. Nor was the profusion of new literary, philosophical, and artistic movements unique since intellectual
ferment had characterized Europe since the twelfth century. Late nineteenth-century imperialism was but another chapter
in the long story of Western expansionism, and the struggle of disenfranchised groups such as factory workers and women
for political rights was the logical extension of the doctrines of equality and individual rights enunciated during the
Enlightenment and French Revolution.
The single most important cause of the West's transformation and expansion in the nineteenth century was the Industrial
Revolution, a series of wide-ranging economic changes invoking the application of new technologies and energy sources
to industrial production, communication, and transportation. These changes began in England in the late eighteenth
century when power-driven machines began to produce cotton textiles. By 1914 industrialization had taken root in
Europe, Japan, and the United States and was spreading to Canada, Russia, and parts of Latin America. As much as the
discovery of agriculture many centuries earlier, industrialization profoundly altered the human condition.
The Transformation of the Western World
Read the essay excerpt by Sarah Lyons Watts (on the back of the ESLA 5 handout). Use the information in her writing to compare the world in 1815 at the start of the Industrial Revolution and 1914 at the start of World War I. Take notes in the boxes below with a minimum of 7 bullets for each year and then draw a COLORED illustration to reflect your notes for each. When you are finished, answer the question at the bottom of the page. Characteristics of the world at
this time based on the reading.
Date
Colored illustration reflecting the content
in your notes about each year.
1815
The Industrial
Revolution
1914
World War I
What historical roots does the author cite as reasons for these changes? (There are at least 4; response must be in paragraph form) An In-Depth Analysis of Imperialism The Experiences of One Country
Country I have been assigned: ___________________________
Research Questions
Colonial Parent Country
1) Who was your country’s colonial parent? Which country took it over? __________________________________ 2) When did they take over? ___________________ 3) Why did they take over? What did your country have that was worth taking over for? (paragraph) 4) How did your parent country take over your country? Be detailed. (paragraph) 5) How was your country treated under its colonial parent? Provide real life examples. An answer like, “good,” will NOT be acceptable. (paragraph) Independence of Your Country
6) When did your country gain independence? _____________________________ 7) Who was involved in the process of independence? Countries? Certain People? (paragraph) 8) How did your country gain independence? Be detailed. Explain steps that led up to their independence. (paragraph) Lasting Impact/ Effects of Imperialism
9) What were the effects of imperialism on your country? You need to have at least 5 effects. (paragraph) 10) What is the state of your country now in 2012? (paragraph) “The White Man’s Burden”
A poem by English poet Rudyard Kipling, 1899
It was originally published in the popular magazine McClure's in 1899, with the subtitle The United States and the Philippine Islands.
Although Kipling's poem mixed exhortation to empire with somber warnings of the costs involved, imperialists within the United
States understood the phrase "white man's burden" as a characterization for imperialism that justified the policy as a noble enterprise.
The poem was originally written for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, but exchanged for "Recessional"; Kipling changed the text of
"Burden" to reflect the subject of American colonization of the Philippines, recently won from Spain in the Spanish-American War.
The poem consists of seven stanzas, following a regular rhyme scheme. At face value it appears to be a rhetorical command to white
men to colonize and rule other nations for the benefit of those people (both the people and the duty may be seen as representing the
"burden" of the title). Because of its theme and title, it has become emblematic both of Eurocentric racism and of Western aspirations
to dominate the developing world. A century after its publication, the poem still rouses strong emotions, and can be analyzed from a
variety of perspectives.
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following excerpts from the poem. In the box provided, write your own translation of the
poem. Use your knowledge of imperialism as well as additional research if necessary. There is a back to this page!
Rudyard Kipling
The White Man's Burden
1899
Take up the White Man's burden-Send forth the best ye breed-Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild-Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
Take up the White Man's burden-The savage wars of peace-Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.
Translation:
To me, this is saying:
Take up the White Man's burden-And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard-The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:-"Why brought he us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?
Take up the White Man's burden-Ye dare not stoop to less-Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloke your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
“The Black Man’s Burden”
A poem by British journalist Edward Morel, 1903
Kipling's poem The White Man's Burden of 1899 presented one view of imperialism. Edward Morel, a British journalist in the Belgian
Congo, drew attention to the abuses of imperialism in 1903. The Congo [for a period known in modern times as Zaïre] was perhaps
the most famously exploitative of the European colonies.
Edward Morel
The Black Man's Burden
1903
It is [the Africans] who carry the 'Black man's burden'.
They have not withered away before the white man's
occupation. Indeed ... Africa has ultimately absorbed
within itself every Caucasian and, for that matter, every
Semitic invader, too. In hewing out for himself a fixed
abode in Africa, the white man has massacred the African
in heaps. The African has survived, and it is well for the
white settlers that he has....
. . . In Africa, especially in tropical Africa, which a
capitalistic imperialism threatens and has, in part, already
devastated, man is incapable of reacting against unnatural
conditions. In those regions man is engaged in a
perpetual struggle against disease and an exhausting
climate, which tells heavily upon child–bearing; and there
is no scientific machinery for salving the weaker members
of the community. The African of the tropics is capable of
tremendous physical labours. But he cannot
accommodate himself to the European system of
monotonous, uninterrupted labour, with its long and
regular hours, involving, moreover, as it frequently does,
severance from natural surroundings and nostalgia, the
condition of melancholy resulting from separation from
home, a malady to which the African is especially prone.
Climatic conditions forbid it. When the system is forced
upon him, the tropical African droops and dies.
Nor is violent physical opposition to abuse and injustice
henceforth possible for the African in any part of Africa.
His chances of effective resistance have been steadily
dwindling with the increasing perfectibility in the killing
power of modern armament....
Translation:
To me, this is saying:
Thus the African is really helpless against the material
gods of the white man, as embodied in the trinity of
imperialism, capitalistic exploitation, and militarism....
To reduce all the varied and picturesque and stimulating
episodes in savage life to a dull routine of endless toil for
uncomprehended ends, to dislocate social ties and disrupt
social institutions; to stifle nascent desires and crush
mental development; to graft upon primitive passions the
annihilating evils of scientific slavery, and the bestial
imaginings of civilized man, unrestrained by convention
or law; in fine, to kill the soul in a people-this is a crime
which transcends physical murder.
Final Thought – The Effects of Imperialism
Take thorough bulleted notes on each of the following topics based on the content on page 330 in your textbook. Below your notes, draw an illustration reflecting your notes on each topic OR you may find a political cartoon that specifically relates to each topic and attach it to your chart in the illustration space. Cultural
Political
Economic
Notes: Notes: Notes: Illustration: Illustration: Illustration: