Imperialism in Africa

Explain what is meant by the term loftyism. hold forth the causes of imperialism in the 1800s. Kamar Findlay ID 092165839 Mico University College Imperialism in Africa Mrs. Pitter October 29, 2011 Imperialism is the creation and or maintenance of an unequal stinting, cultural, and territorial relationship, usu entirelyy between states and often in the arrive at of an empire, based on domination and subordination ( earth-closetston, 2000. p. 375). In its simplest form Farah and Karls (2001) describes imperialism as ace countrys domination of the political, economic and social life of some other country.The europiumans imperialism during the 1800s occurs go forth of the advant durations of reassure economies, sound up organized goernments and all- placeful armies and navies. Superior technology including riverboats and telegraph, as well as improved medical acquaintance as well played a crock up (Esler et al 2009. p. 752). Advances much(prenominal)(prenominal) as th e axiom Machines Guns and steam driven warships were very square signals in persuading the Africans and Asian to accept European domination. European imperialism did not begin in the 1800s. European states have had empires in the Americas by and by 1492 and in South Asia and China.Imperialism has been assemble in the histories of Japan, the Assyrian Empire, the Chinese Empire, the Roman Empire, Greece, the Persian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, ancient Egypt, and India and was a basic destiny in the conquest of weaker state. tally to metalworker (1998) the word itself, derived from the Latin verb imp seasonre (to command), the Roman conception of imperium, while the actual term Imperialism was coined in the 16th century, reflecting what are now seen as the imperial policies of Belgium, Britain, France, the Nether attains, Portugal, and Spain in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.Imperialism not completely describes compound and territorial policies, still besides economic an d/or military empowerment and influence. From about 1870 to 1914, imperialist gain engage over much of the world. Leading the mode were the soldiers, merchants, curingtlers, cathexisaries, and explorers. In Europe, imperial expansion found favor with all classes, from bankers and establishrs to workers. due western imperialism spread out rapidly for a number of reasons. The imperialism in the 1800s resulted from four hear factors.First, studyism created an zephyr in which rival European countries build up empires in their competitive quest for control condition in Europe and indeed the world. Secondly, the industrial revolution created an extraordinary demand for primitive material and rising merchandises, which in eye push alterd nations to seek over sea territories. Thirdly imperialism rested on the notion of what was called the White Mans Burden. This was a belief that was held by the European powers that it was their business to civilize the volume who the be lief was pagans.Farah and Karls (2001) lamented that servicemanitarian impulses inspired many individuals to leave their secure lives at home and head for contrasted colonies. The desire was to spread western technology, religion, custom-made and tradition to those how were seen as the un genteel. Finally, according to Ellis and Esler (2009) shadow the idea of western civilizing mission was the increment since of racial bossity. European races, the lamented, were believed to be superior to all others and domination of the weaker races was simply temperaments way of improving the human species.Nationalism played a vital usage in the drive towards imperialism. Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a unshakable identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in matter terms (Athena, 2001. p. 226) . It is in addition seen as the belief that a nation will returns from acting independently rather than collectively, accent national rather than international goals Ellis et al (2009) lamented that western leaders claimed that colonies were needed for national security. In the last half of the 1800s European nations visualize them self as the elevated country.If Great Britain parted a small colonization in distant or Africa, France had to start one too-and so did Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, Portugal and Russia. Nationalism in the extreme promotes the idea of national superiority. industrialise countries therefore felt they had the safe to stupefy control of weaker areas. Countries also tried to adjoin their power through the control of more land and peck. In the 1800s Europe underwent a renewed period of imperialism which was very in advance(p) in its nature. Much emphasis was move on gaining or controlling a colony.The resources and wealth gain from the colony was employ to finance war and the army as well as the providence. The stronger a European military gets the more power undecomposed t hat country become in Europe and as such gaining the wealth from a colony could either break or build the power and prestige of a nation. When France for example, moved into West Africa, rival nations such as Britain and Germany seized lands nearby to halt supercharge French expansion. In essence the Europeans taught of the colonies as a source of security. So strong and sophisticated was the sentiment of nationalism that it set of what was know as a circumvent for Africa.West Africa was already known to the European only if the interior was untouched. The Belgian king Leopold the support occupies and carry profitable economic activities in the Congo (South Central Africa). Before large Britain, France, Germany and Italy were all lock in a tussle, pressing rivals claim to the region. According to Bickers and Henriot (2000), the bark was turning out to be battue between European powers. However this was in some manner impedeed with the calling of the Berlin Conference in Germ any by the German Statesman Otto Von Bismarck.This conference was frame to reach a peace right agreement over the partition of Africa, but it reflect the ideals of imperialism as only the European powers were invited to the meeting and yet still it was the land of the Africans they were dividing among themselves. The industrial renewal of the 1800s knew no borders. The era known as the Industrial Revolution was a period in which rudimentary changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies and the social structure in England (Ashton, 1969. p. 24).Advances in agricultural techniques and employments resulted in an increased proviso of food and raw materials, changes in industrial organization and new technology resulted in increased production, efficiency and profits, and the increase in commerce, foreign and domestic, were all conditions which promoted the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The industrial revolution was the most cause driving force behind imperialism in the 1800s (Thompson, 1964. p. 147). The newly build machineries and factory in Europe and the united state utilizes wads of raw resources and recruits a tremendous measurement of manufactured goods.Europe alone could not raise the raw material and the bulk the re falls needed for manufacturing would have to come from outside of Europe. On the same note the European market was becoming overwhelmed with producers and a new market was also needed for the selling of the manufacture goods. As such, face with the desire for well needed raw materials and new markets, the industrialize countries of Europe set out on a quest for new colonies in order to facilitate the needs of their new industrialize cities.Fascinatingly the areas such as eastward Asia, Africa and the Americas were scarcely known to the Europeans. However the teeny-weeny they know about areas was compelling bounteous to indicate that these regions amass a capacious amount of resources. Thus it is not strike that these regions would become the safe haven for European exploit of raw material and markets. According Ellis (2009) the industrial revolution started with the textile diligence in Britain and the amount of textile produce was dependent on the availability of cotton.Cotton was full-grown in huge amount in the regions of North Africa particularly the ancient shade of Egypt. Cotton was also grown in excessive amount in India and because of this supplement it came with little or no surprise that the British would seize the opportunity to annex and bring these areas under their control. In owing(p) demand was raw material such as gold, copper, Rubber, diamond, silver, ivory, steel, Coal, Petroleum. Most of these resources if not all could be found in Africa and areas in the Middle East (Near East).As such these areas became the throttle of European exploiting and economic activities. The economic demands of the industrial revolution were on e of the reasons why these areas with the copiousness of resources relented to the onus brought by the European imperials ideals. Europeans also ventured on a path to civilized (Civilizing Mission) the people who they themselves claim as idle. The civilizing mission as it was term was notably the central principle of French and Portuguesecompound rulein the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries.Kuper (1965) lament that it was authoritative in the French colonies ofAlgeria,French West Africa, and Indochina, and in the Portuguese colonies of Angola, Guinea, Mozambique and Timor . The European colonial powers felt it was their duty to bring Hesperian polishto what they perceived as back peoples. Rather than merely govern colonial peoples, the Europeans would attempt to westernize them in uniformity with a colonial ideology known as assimilation. Those who did not practice the Christian faith were seen as pagans and as such it was the white man burden (Europeans) to save the se people by Christianizing them.According to Esler (2009) during the age of imperialism, growing numbers of catholic and Protestant missionaries decided to bring the Christian put across to the most remote parts of Africa and Asia. akin many other Europeans and Americans of this period, these missionaries believed that Christianity and Western Civilization together could benefit and transform the world. Educating the people into western education was just another aspect of European conquest as even the education itself was design in such a way to prevent the people from the colonies to accept their own traditions and culture.To get these goal missionaries usually set up church servicees schools and hospitals as well. Esler (2009) explained that some Europeans seized on the conjecture of Social Darwinism as a verification of their cultural and racial superiority. Social Darwinism is a belief, popular in the late twee age in England, and America which states that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in conjunction while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die ( Hawkins, 1997. p. 457).The European adopted this hypothesis and truly put it into effect as one of their reason for conquest and imperial rule was because they saw themselves as the controlling race with the god given right to rule. European during the 1800s and the earlier half of the 1900s work out the non-white race of Africa and Asia as barbaric and uncivilized or somewhat a lesser species of the human race. Because of these descriptions the European held it in their position that this race should be control and reign by the superior race which of course was the Europeans.European domination led to erosion of tralatitious African and Asian values and done for(p) many existing social relationships. congenital peoples were forced to work long lowering hours for subsistence pay. In an attempt to come to a conclusion, the research done have shown that imperialism in t he 1800s was cause out of four key factors. These were the Industrial Revolution, Nationalism, religion and racial superiority. The economic demands of the industrial revolution had a operose impact on European economy and the colonies the governed. The more resources came from he colonies the wealthier and more power full the mother country became. In their quest was also to civilized the people of the colonies who the thought were barbaric. As such schools and church alike was established within the colonies. Imperialism was also driven on the basis of racial superiority. The Europeans held the view that they were superior to the colonies over which they dominated. Africa and Asia were the continents that succumb to the imperialist ideals of the 1800s. They were a region with a lot of resources and wealth which was needed to value economic growth n Europe.Reference Athena,L (2001). cyclopedia of Nationalism. parvenu Brunswick Transaction Publishers Ashton, T. S. (1969) The Indu strial Revolution. capital of the United Kingdom Oxford University shift Chambers, J. D. The Workshop of the knowledge base. London Oxford University Press, 1968. Esler, A and Ellis, E (2009) World History. ground forces scholar Hall Farah, A and Karls, A. B (2001) World history the human experience. USA McGraw cumulation Hawkins, M (1997). Social Darwinism in European and American Thought 1860-1945 Nature and impersonate and Nature as Threat.London Cambridge University Press Johnston, Ronald John (2000). The Dictionary of Human Geography (4th ed. ). USA Wiley-Blackwell Kuper H,(1965) Urbanization and Migration in West Africa . calcium Mayfield Publishers Company Bicker,R and Henriot,C (2000) New Frontiers Imperialisms New Communities in East Asia, 18421953. Manchester Manchester University Press Simon C. Smith, (1998) British Imperialism 17501970, Cambridge University Press Thompson, E. P. (1964) The Making of the English Working Class. New York Pantheon