Imperialism And Colonialism

TOPIC 3: IMPERIALISM AND COLONIALISM (1860-1945).


1- Introduction


Between 1815 and 1880, three of the five colonial powers had suffered heavy losses and could do no more than safeguard what was left:


a- Spain had lost Central and South America
b- Portugal was confined, after being deprived of Brazil, to the African coastal enclaves of Guinea, Mozambiqueand Angola
c- Dutch were left only the East Indies and Surinam (after ceding the Cape and Ceylon to Britain in 1815).


The other two colonial powers continued to be active
d- France deprived by 1815 of one empire, started the task of building another, conquering Algeria, Senegal, Tahiti, Marquesas Islands and part of Indochina.
e- Britain spread her powerover Australia and New Zealand, Singapore, part of Burma and Laos.


Both powers tried to avoid conflicts but during the last two decades of 19thc and the immediate pre-war period, imperial rivalries were renewed. Africa, Far East and the Pacific were divided by different powers: Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy. So, new powers appeared: Germany, Belgium and Italy, USA andJapan. (Check the MAP).
In 1885, the Berlin Conference regulated the European colonisation and trade in Africa. Its outcome, the General Act of Berlin Conference, is often seen as the formalisation of the Scramble for Africa.
The powers represented were: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden andNorway, Turkey and The United States.
The Conference assembled at Berlin on November 15, 1884 and after deliberations the General Act was signed in 1885 except the United States. The G. A. dealt six specific subjects:
1-Freedom of trade in the basin of the Congo
2-The slave trade
3-Neutrality of territories in the basin of the Congo
4-Navigation of river Congo andriver Niger
5- Rules for future occupation on the coasts of African continent.


The signatory powers undertook that any fresh act of taking possession on any portion of the African coast must be notified by the power taking possession or assuming a protectorate, to the other signatory powers. It was further provided that any such occupation to be valid must be effective. Itis also noteworthy that the first reference in an international act to the obligations attaching to “Spheres of influence” is contained in the Berlin Act.

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Photo of the Berlin Conference

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1-Analyse the elements of this photo: the map, type of table, etc






2- FACTORS THAT EXPLAIN THEIMPERIALISM IN THE 19TH CENTURY.

1- Economical factors: The Imperialism is an effect of the Industrial Revolution. Trade and industry needed new markets to sell goods to and to invest excess of profit obtained. They were in search of new resources in the colonies: cheap labour force, soldiers, raw materials and energy resources.
2- The new transports such as the train, the steamboat,….helped to conquest new territories.
3- Religion: The powers thought that the native people of some countries were “uncivilised”. They could send missionaries (a person sent abroad to carry out religious work) to convert the native peoples of empire to Christianity.
Missionaries didn’t just go to Africa to convert people to Christianity, they went all over the world – South America, India andthe Pacific Islands are some of other places the visited. There were both Protestant and Catholic missionaries. Their effect had varied. They sometimes brought knowledge about medicine or education with them. Some respected The African people but other missionaries were less admirable. Even though the missionaries were often well-meaning and work hard, the effect of their work wasn’t necessarily...