7.1

The Imperialist Vision

Imperialism• Imperialism -- the economic and political control of

a powerful nation over a weaker one.• Many countries (mainly newly industrialized and

powerful European nations) all over the world began expanding and using imperialism.

• Nearly half of our world’s population passed through some degree of imperialism (almost all of Asia and Africa)

• The began practicing imperialism late in the game

Global Grab-Bag

England was the biggest power

The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914

To gain power, European nations compete for colonies and trade.

Nationalism

Europeans exerted influence over the economic, political,

and social lives of people they colonized.

Europeans believe they must spread their Christian teachings to the world.

Missionary Spirit

Demand for raw materials and new markets spurs a search for colonies. Capitalism caused imperialism.

Economic Competition

Causes of European Imperialism

THEORY OF COMPLEX CAUSES

The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914

Europeans control land and people in areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Colonization

Christianity is spread to Africa, India, and Asia.

Christianization

Europeans control trade in the colonies and set up dependent cash-crop economies.

Colonial Economics

Effects of European Imperialism

Europeans exerted influence over the economic, political,

and social lives of people they colonized.

Reasons for American Imperialism• Extension of Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Frontier

Thesis”• American Exceptionalism (Anglo-Saxonism) – Doing

God’s Work…American people as missionaries• Military Bases (mainly Navy bases)• Overseas Markets (Extension of Industialization

and Capitalism)

All these ideas came together to inspire the US to expand their Navy…

Navy is built up…Now we need Navy bases to port our ships…

Annexation of Hawaii• The U.S. wanted Hawaii for 3 reasons:

1. Good soil to grow sugar cane.2. Good harbor for a naval base. (Pearl)3. Good stopping point for ships going to Asia.

• After some political persuasion, the U.S. got Hawaii.• The U.S. finally annexed Hawaii in 1898 and it

became the 50th state in 1959.• Queen Liliuokalani was the last reigning ruler of the

Hawaiian Islands.

Queen Liluokalani

Hawaii is just the beginning…

Many historians say that before the late 1800’s we had always been “isolationists.” But were

we really? Was this new imperialism simply an

extension of what we had just done to all of North America?

William Jennings Bryan“Imperialism is the policy of an empire, and an empire is a nation composed of different races living under varying forms of government. A republic cannot be an empire, for a republic rests upon the theory that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and colonialism violates this theory [...] Our experiment in colonialism has been unfortunate. Instead of profit it has brought loss. Instead of strength it has brought weakness. Instead of glory it has brought humiliation.”

Mark Twain“I have read carefully the treaty of Paris, and I have seen that we do not intend to free, but to subjugate the people of the Philippines. We have gone there to conquer, not to redeem. It should, it seems to me, be our pleasure and duty to make those people free, and let them deal with their own domestic questions in their own way. And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.”