Trans-Oceanic Empire Building: European Empire Building After 1750

Industrialization = Power!

• Goods are made more quickly• Militaries are made more powerful• Fossil fuels unleash a huge amount of

productive capacity• Countries & empires that didn’t

industrialize found themselves weak and shocked by the huge shift in power

Causes• Industrialization in Europe drove increasing

demand for raw materials• Europe began importing more raw materials

and exporting more manufactured goods• Europe eventually tried to gain colonies to

extract other global areas’ raw materials• They moved from having little trading port

colonies to conquering full-fledged empires

Reactions• Some nations began to industrialize on their

own (USA, Russia, Germany, Japan) - - their governments helped support this effort (industrialization was state-sponsored)

• Some countries were too slow to industrialize and got taken over by Europe.

• Europe’s industrial revolution had made them so powerful, they could easily beat militaries that, 100 years before, could have taken them on and won ( )

Why Important?

• Nations like Britain and the Dutch moved from controlling small coastal trading cities (British in India, Dutch in Indonesia) and now took full political control of these areas

British Imperialism in India

India: From trading colony to “Jewel in the British Empire’s

Crown”

Decline of Mughal India after 1750

•Decentralized states controlled by Nawabs ruled

•Technically, these nawabs owed allegiance to Mughals

•British East India Company made agreements with nawabs. Brits supported nawabs’ rule & got trade and land taxes in return

Stage One: East India Company Rule(1818-1857)

• EIC = a joint-stock company focused on looking for trade & protected by the British government

• EIC collected taxes, made reforms (eg: outlawing sati)

• Depended on nawabs & Sepoys for support & had to respect Indian customs

• Sepoy – an Indian (Hindu or Muslim) recruited & serving as an EIC soldier

Sepoy Rebellion 1857• Beef & pork fat

issue• Real issue was

racism/British superiority complex

• Sepoy soldiers rebelled against bad treatment by British foreigners

• Rebellion was put down very violently on both sides

http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/india/medals/VC/1KKhan.jpg

British Colonial Rule (1857-1947)

• British government took control (to keep cotton & opium raw materials)

• Queen Victoria of Britain became Empress of India

• India = main source of cotton for English textile mills– Finished goods were resold in India– Destroyed local hand-made industries

The Good & the BadWRITE 3 GOOD & 3 BAD

• Britain improved-– Hospitals– Transportation (railroads,

etc.)– Communication– Education– Laws & safety– Women’s status a bit

• Britain made worse-– Self-determination– Ignored Habits/customs– Racism– Economic exploitation

Rising Nationalism• Nationalism – feeling of identity within a common

group of people (the “nation”)• British used Indirect Rule • Middle class of Indian officials began to rise• New Indian bureaucracy took in western political

values from the Enlightenment (liberty, equality, justice)

• Rammouhan Roy – advocated unity for Indians w/ Indian National Congress (from 1880s) (mainly Hindu; upper class movement)

• Lacked support of the average, uneducated Indians