Transcription
All right, y'all! The second wave of imperialism is upon us, so get your comparison pants on because we're going to look at all the different methods that imperial expansion actually occurred. So, if you're ready to get them brain cows milked, let's get to it!
Okay, before we start comparing different methods of state expansion in the second wave of imperialism, I need to set the stage with two developments. First, the geographical focus of imperialism has changed in this period. Recall that in the previous period, which is to say 1450 to 1750, European imperial expansion was focused heavily on the Americas and various regions of Asia, Southeast Asia, and yes, Africa was also important. But the main European focus in Africa during the first wave was to establish trading posts along the coast and then use them to trade for natural resources and enslaved laborers. In this period, 1750 to 1900, imperial expansion is going to focus heavily on Africa, Asia, and Southeast Asia, and not so much in the Americas.
The second development is a change in which imperial states are trying to take over everyone's crap. Now, remember in the last period, it was Spain and Portugal who were the first movers in building maritime empires, and they licked that power popsicle all the way to the stick. But in this period, Spain and Portugal are starting to lose control of their colonial holdings and are generally declining in importance. Big first-wave players like Great Britain, France, and the Dutch will continue to play important roles during this period, even while Spain and Portugal are in decline. A few new players are going to enter the stage, namely Germany, Italy, Belgium, the United States, and Japan.
Okay, so that gives us the context we need to start comparing the various methods these states use to expand their power into various places throughout the world. I'm going to introduce you to four major methods you need to know. Oh, and if you want to follow along with this video and all my videos, check the link in the description.
The first method of imperial expansion used during this period was state takeovers of private colonies. And yeah, you heard me right! There were some colonies that were controlled not by governments but by individuals or businesses. I'll give you one example, namely the Belgian Congo in Africa. Now, this was a private colony held by King Leopold II of Belgium. You see, Belgium was a relatively new state that had just become independent when the second wave of imperialism began. The Belgian Parliament decided that it would be foolish to go out claiming colonies while they were still toddling onto the world stage. Seems wise, like get your own house in order before you start conquering other people's houses. But as it turns out, old Leopold was not afflicted with a great deal of wisdom, and so he made arrangements to gain control of what became known as the Congo Free State for himself.
And why would he do that? Well, by his own reckoning, he was a humanitarian. He made it known that he intended to convert the indigenous people to Christianity, bring them the glories of Western education, and all the rest. But it turns out that was a big fat greasy lie, just served as cover for Leopold's brutal exploitation of the colony for raw materials, most notably rubber, which resulted in the loss of millions of lives. Once all this was discovered, public outrage ensued, and the Belgian government took control of the Congo in 1908 and administered it themselves. I could also mention the Dutch government taking over Indonesia from the Dutch East India Company or the British government taking over India from the British East India Company. But whatever example you prefer, just remember that one method of the expansion of imperial state power was the movement from private control to state control of certain colonies.
Now, the second set of methods for state expansion we'll consider includes diplomacy and warfare. Here, we're going to focus on the colonization of Africa. And just for poops and giggles, let's begin by considering how states expanded their power in Africa through diplomacy. Now, that's a scary word with stanky meatball breath that you will absolutely see on your exam. So let me define it: diplomacy refers to the act of making political agreements by means of dialogue and negotiation and not warfare.
Okay, so the big example to know here is the Berlin Conference that ran from 1884 to 1885. Because some European powers were already beginning to claim some parts of Africa, a fierce competition for African territory exploded, and it became known as the Scramble for Africa. I can't emphasize enough just how important this competition among states was for fueling this new wave of imperialism. Everyone just sort of agreed that the way to become a great power in this period was to hold the most territory throughout the world—like he who dies with the biggest empire wins. Now that Europeans had the technology and medicine to start moving into the interior of Africa, that competition escalated quick, fast, and in a hurry, like a bunch of toddlers fighting over the last powdered donuts.
Anyway, seeing that this competition over Africa would probably lead to warfare, our boy Otto von Bismarck of Germany called the major European imperial powers to the Berlin Conference. There, they talked and negotiated until almost the entire African continent was carved up into European colonial holdings. And you know it probably goes without saying that they invited precisely no African leaders to the conference to gain their input. That led to the drawing of borders in Africa that divided previously united ethnic groups and brought together rival ethnic groups, and that's going to cause some problems, but we'll get to that in another video. For now, Berlin Conference diplomacy—that's what you need to remember.
But second, some states used warfare to expand into Africa. Again, there are plenty of examples here, but I'll just tell you about the French in Algeria. Now, in the first part of the 19th century, France was seriously in debt to Algeria, which supplied France with much of its wheat. Needless to say, Algeria wanted to get paid, and so the French sent a diplomat to negotiate some more time on the payments. Well, the Algerian ruler wasn't having it, and things got so tense that the ruler hit the French diplomat three times with a kind of fly swat. So how did the French respond to those three swats? They went ahead and sent 35,000 troops to invade Algiers and claim the city, then continued to take parts of North Africa. I mean, obviously, a mass killing spree is justified after the horrendous dishonor done by the fly swatter incident. Anyway, despite much resistance throughout the 19th century from successive Muslim rulers in Algeria, the French ultimately prevailed and expanded their power into Africa through warfare.
Okay, the third method for expanding state power in this period included the establishment of settler colonies, and those are exactly what they sound like. The imperial power claims an already inhabited territory, then sends a bunch of its own people to live there and set up an outpost of their own society. Remember that settler colonies were big in the previous period, like for example, the 13 British colonies in North America. Well, in this period, the British went ahead and established settler colonies in the South Pacific territories like Australia and New Zealand. Once Britain had control, massive waves of British settlers came in to populate the regions, establishing a kind of neo-European society and introducing diseases that killed huge swaths of the indigenous populations, like the Aborigines in Australia and the Māori in New Zealand.
Finally, the fourth method for extending state power in this period was the practice of conquering neighboring territories. I mean, sailing across the sea to exploit and kill people for your own benefit is just way more difficult than exploiting and killing people who live next door. There are three states, all of whom were kind of new players to the imperial game, that did this. The first was the United States. The desire for westward expansion had been part of the DNA of Americans even since the days of their colonial rule under Britain. But with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and further wars with Mexico and Spain in the 19th century, the desire to expand westward into neighboring territories became so fervent that it became known as Manifest Destiny, which to them was a calling from God to possess all the territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The more Americans moved west to claim that destiny, the more they displaced indigenous peoples who had lived there from time immemorial. In order to complete the conquest, the U.S. government forcibly moved indigenous people onto reservations. Additionally, they also practiced policies of forcible assimilation with some groups, especially their children, by forcing them into American-style boarding schools where they would be stripped of their culture and Americanized.
The second neighbor conqueror you need to know is Russia. Basically, in the second half of the 19th century, after Russia's humiliating loss in the Crimean War, a militant political doctrine known as Pan-Slavism spread among the Russian elites. The main idea was to unite all Slavic peoples under Russian authority, including all who currently lived under Ottoman and Austrian rule. That ideology, along with the desire to achieve great power status on the world stage, led to numerous campaigns to claim neighboring territory. For example, in 1860, they established a trading post all the way on the Pacific coast, and by the middle of the 1860s, they had claimed the steplands of the Khalkha nomads and then expanded into three U.S. states to the south. That is not all, but you know, you get the idea.
Finally, the third state to make a habit out of conquering their neighbors was Japan, who stands out in this period as the one major non-Western power joining the imperialism party. How did they do that? Well, remember that due to its rapid industrialization during the Meiji Restoration, Japan had laid thousands of miles of railroads and quickly modernized its military. Now that Japan had joined the club of the imperial elite, Japanese authorities decided to do what industrialized nations did and start building an empire. As a result, Japan expanded its sphere of influence over Korea, Manchuria, and part of China.
Okay, click here to keep reviewing for Unit 6, and click here to grab my video note guides, which will help you get all the contents of this course firmly crammed into your brain fold. I'll catch you on the flip-flop! I'm L Rout.