European imperialism Essay

Mortimer Chambers et al narrow imperialism as a atomic number 63an narrates intervention in and inveterate domi nation all over a non-European filth. During the stupefy for Africa in the ripe nineteenth century, the close powerful European nations desired to conquer, surmount and exploit African colonies with the hope of grammatical construction an empire. concord to Derrick potato, in 1875 however 10 percent of Africa was occupied by European states. Twenty years later unaccompanied ten percent remained unoccupied. There were several(prenominal) f morselors which attracted European imperialists to Africa. There were opportunities for pro soundable enthronement and cover. Raw materials, which Africa possessed in abundance, were overly desired. A cheap source of childbed was required as it would result in higher profits. In addition, in that location was internationalist rivalry among European nations. Domestic policy-making interests and social Darwinism may als o be blamed for attracting European imperialism to Africa.European imperialists were lured to Africa by the potential economic benefits she possessed. Industrialization caused a mass productivity and there became an conventionalised need for foreign markets to invest in. tally to Brian Levack et al, with the onset of economic decline in 1873 industrialists were faced with a declining ingest for their products in Europe. Imperial expansion, it was thought, would submit a rootage with annexed territories seen as captive markets. It was sweard that the unfavorable b lean of trade that Britain and other industrial countries were experiencing could be counterbalanced by the income from overseas investments.Also, tautologic large(p) could be profitably invested in Africa where cheap labour and limited arguing would result in higher profits. undischarged European imperialists decided to use the domain resources of their country to examine lucrative operator of using their cap ital. The English radical economic expert J.A. Hobson, argues that the intention was to level out inequalities of wealth to increase domestic consumption. Local merchants, traders and bankers were pollyannaish towards the idea of imperial expansion and capital investments outback(a) of Europe became an increasingly vital sector of its economy.There was an increasing demand for tippy(prenominal) materials in Europe in the late nineteenth century. According to Brian Levack, the brisk technologies characteristic of the industrial revolution meant that industrial Europebecame increasingly dependent on unprocessed materials. European nations felt the stir to control lands that possessed large(p) quantities of raw materials. Africa was rich with raw materials as vigorous as more treasure reserves. As a result, many major industrial companies attempted to gain a monopoly of raw materials in Africa. Stuart milling machine believes that specific trade links were chief(prenominal) to particular industries. any(prenominal) raw materials in Africa were of great sizeableness the vegetable oil of the Niger was vital for lubricating industrial machinery and the rubber of the Congo was not only es displaceial for the tires on the new automobiles hardly also for insulating the electrical and telegraph wires straight off encircling the globe. The plentiful elephant herds could be slaughtered to provide the ivory for many of the new consumer goods such as piano keys, billiard balls and glossa handles. In Togoland, Germans were able to cultivate plantations where they grew drinking chocolate and rubber. Other raw materials included peanuts, cotton plant and tea. There were also many important minerals and South Africa possessed gold and diamonds. multinational rivalry among European nations contributed greatly to imperialist ventures in Africa. Britains rivalry with France and Germany accounted for a large part of the colonization. The British brass wished to maintain its dominance in the compound regions. Other European powers desired to widen their colonial spheres as well and Britain responded by seizing colonies. Certain territories were important for their location. The Suez transmission channel was key waterway surrounded by eastern hemisphere and West Africa. The immense interior between the gold and diamond rich Confederate Africa and Egypt had a strategic value as domination of this region was important to solid the flow of overseas trade. The British cherished to link their possessions in Southern Africa with their territories in East Africa, and these cardinal areas with the Nile basin. Obtaining the Sudan was vital to the fulfilment of these ambitions especially since Egypt was already under British control.This red-line through Africa was made famous by Cecil Rhodes and Lord Milner who advocated for a Cape to capital of Egypt empire linking by rail the Suez duct to the Southern part which possessed many minerals. Ac cording to Brian Levack, there was also a certain level of nationalist competition. The nuclear fusion reaction of Germany upset the balance of power in Europe. In this climate of tension, governments looked towards enforcing national strength. Thesaucily formed nations of Italy and Germany now sought empires outside Europe as a subject matter of gaining power and prestige within Europe. In the nineteenth century, a German historiographer Henrich con Treitschke stated All great nations in the fullness of their strength stir desired to set their mark on barbarian lands and those who fail to participate in this great rivalry will cook up a pitiable role in time to come.Under the leadershiphip of von capital of North Dakota, Germany briefly embarked on a quest of expansionism. Bismarcks distrust of England under portmanteau was one of the reasons he decided to do this. Germany became engaged in an arms race with Great Britain and it desired as many military and naval bases as i t could obtain. France requisite to restore its damaged national superbia after its defeat by Germany in the Franco-Prussian war and therefore embarked upon expansionism. Their aim was to throw an uninterrupted link between the Niger River and the Nile, and then controlling all trade to and from the Sahel region, by virtue of their existing control over the Caravan routes through the Sahara.Domestic semipolitical interests also contributed to European Imperialism in Africa. As stated by Brain Levack, in the age of mass politics, political leaders needed to find make outs that would both appeal to new voters and strengthen the status quo. Imperialism lead the ordinary European people to believe that they were part of a superior, conquering people. Bismarck used imperial issues to help him find political allies in Germany and once remarked all this colonial business is a sham but we need it for the elections. According to Lawrence mob, in the 1890s witnessed a speedy expansi on of newspaper readership with the appearance of a new type of daily knowing to attract the working and lower shopping centre class.Social Darwinism and missionary intentions are two excuses that are used to justify European imperialism in Africa. Rudyard Kipling characterized the Africans as sullen, new caught peoples, one-half devil and half child. The Europeans believed it to be their transaction to civilize the wild savage Africans. Liberalism, which may be defined as a dedication to self-improvement and the belief that there were discoverable rules of general conduct that everyone could follow, contributed to the paternal manner in which Europe acted and arguments of racial and cultural superiority that pushed Europeans intoAfrica to civilize the topical anaesthetic populations. Lawrence James states that nations who had now reached the highest stage of refinement were taking control over those which had lagged behind, or races, like the Asante, who were not seen as fit to control their own affairs. In an issue of the Dublin Review in the late nineteenth century it was stated that The future day of Africa under any form of European tutelage must be bring out than the dark and evil nightmare of the medieval.These Social Darwinists were able to persuade the natives that what was world done was to their ultimate benefit. According to Derrick Murphy et al, there existed the idea that imperialism was a lesson duty as a office of spreading Hesperian civilization and Christian values. Many Europeans bought this excuse while others did not. Africans were squeeze to adopt the Christian religion. In nigh cases they were killed for continuing to practice their own faiths. whatever(prenominal) historians believe that the whole motive for Christian evangelism in Africa was simply to disrupt and supplant and that it was always politically motivated. First, missionaries were brought to the continent. Secondly, after some natives were converted and the re was a goodish amount of confusion among them, the troops were sent to exploit them.Their main intention was to catchment basin to control. According to an African chieftain The purity man is very clever. He came gently and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his lunacy and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers and our set can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.Various factors attracted European imperialism to Africa in the later nineteenth century. Europe was changing and their colonial empires were associated with the ideas of national importance and the survival of the fittest. This caused a massive poking for empires. There was a yearning for raw materials, national power and prestige. Each nation which possessed a colonial territory also possessed a hotshot of superiority.Bibliography1.) Chambers Mortimer, Hanawalt Barbara, Rabb Theodore, Woloch Isser, Grew Raymond, The Western Experience, 1999, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., coupled States of America2.) James Lawrence, The White Mans shoot? Imperial Wars in the 1890s Spielvogel Jackson, Western Civilization, Mc Graw Hill, Connecticut, 1999(pgs 100-105)3.) Levack Brian, Muir Edward, MaasMichael, Veldman Meredith, The West, Encounters and Transformations, 2004, Pearson Education Inc., United States of America4.) Miller Stuart, Mastering Modern European History, 1997, Palgrave, United Kingdom, Hampshire5.) Murphy Derrick, Morris Terry, Europe 1870-1991, 2000, Harper collins Publishers LTD, United Kingdom, England6.) The Church as a Tool of Imperialism