Imperialism

Opener: Lin Zixu’s Letter of Advice to Queen Victoria
Directions:

• Skim through your highlighting and note-taking
• Identify and list the types of arguments the letter utilizes to persuade the Queen about her need to stop the smuggling of opium

Argument:	Example from letter
Righteous rule of Chinese	If there is profit he shares it with the people, if there is harm, he removes it
Flattery	The kings of your honorable country by a tradition handed down from generation to generation have always been noted for their politeness and submissiveness
Benefit of trade	The benefits of trade have been enjoyed by your rulers for 200 years
Greediness of those who trade in opium	Those who smuggle opium to seduce the profit themselves, and disregard their harm to others.
China’s lack of need for american products Guilting Modesty/ Guilt/ flattery	articles coming from the outside to china can only be used as toys. Suppose there were people from another country who carried opium for sale to England and seduced your people into buying and smoking it Certainly your honorable ruler would deeply hate that speaking matter of factly how would you feel if this was done to you
Queen victoria is better than the chinese and better than everyone	Her thoughts

Your majesty, Qing Qianlong,
I the magnificent ruler of the great country of Britain have received your plea. I had my people thoroughly look it over, and i have came to a decision. We may be the all mighty country, that you make us out to be in your marvelously worded letter, and we do indeed appreciate all that your country does for us. We wish not to harm the majestic people of china; what we wish is to make profit. We sell opium in exchange for tea and other trade goods, we do not sell it as use as a inhibilitator. We do not control the chinese people and make judgement for them on what to do with their lives, therefore we have no say in what they do with our products. They could be used as simple tea flavoring, or medicinal purposes.
Our great country does recognize the problem here, however. We see that this issue is causing tension between our two great kingdoms. That is what i would like to prevent, but not by stopping the sale of opium, instead, regulating it within the trade industry. As long as we can sustain prosperity among ourselves and our allies we can be sure to succeed in the course of our generation. Surely a man of god, such as yourself, a majestic ruler, can understand where i’m coming from wanting my people to prosper for the duration of their time on this glorious planet.
The reason you would not sell the hazardous chemical, to our country, because you know enough not to do so, and the consequences of those actions would be deadly even to the great Nation you have. The excuse is none but invalid to my ears when i hear it. That you would not sell it to us, therefore we should not sell it to you. It is what we have in surplus to offer your people, there is demand for opium in china, and we fill the supply in which fits the demand, more so even. You say we can not live without your goods, your tea, the fruits of your labor. However, could your people not live without our protection? Our trade? If we refuse to buy your goods, your economy falls into that of a desert economic depression. If you, as the all mighty emperor of china, could take control of the situation in your nation then there would be no altercation.
Who are you to say my civil nation is barbaric? Do i not hear of the brutal murders in the august China. Do you not murder those found in possession of, selling, or using the opium drug? Did you not burn down all of our opium factories in protest? These acts of self righteous anarchy will not be tolerated by her majesty The Great Queen of England. We do not accept your kind words, and counterproductive insults as flattery, but as an act of war. We the nation of England hereby accept your noblest invite to partake in the great battle over the opium trade circumstances. If the battle is to be lost by your hand, we shall not take pity, nor have mercy left for less abhorrent punishment.

IMPERIALISM AND THE WORLD A. Imperialism Map Answer the following questions based on the map 'Imperialism and the Balance of Power' (if this map does not load correctly, hit the 'reload' button several times)(use your browser's back button to return to this page) 1. How many different countries have colonies? - Belgium, Japan, Denmark, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, United States. 2. Which country has the largest colonial empire? - Great Britain 3. Which continents are almost completely controlled by other countries? Which continents are only controlled by a few countries? -Australia, Africa -Polynesia and Australia. 4. What could be a different title for this map? Colonization in 1914 B. Data on colonial empires Examine the following charts to answer these questions 1. About how many square miles of territory does France control? - The majority of north Africa. - 4,000,000 2. What is the TOTAL population controlled by the 5 countries shown in this chart? - 600,000,000 3. Based on this information, which country has the largest colonial empire? Does this answer agree with your answer to question 2 above in section A 'Imperialism Map' ? - Great Britain, yes this answer does agree with the answer i put as the answer for question two in the section above.

EXTENT OF COLONIZATION AS OF 1939







C. Impact of Colonization Data
Look at the chart below and answer these questions:
1. Which 2 areas of the world are almost completely controlled by colonial powers? Does this answer agree with your answer to question 3 above in section A 'Imperialism Map' ?

Polynesia, and Australia, yes this answer agrees with the answer i put for question three in the section A.





Make some conclusions about Imperialism based on the information above

• During this time in history, which country do you think was the most powerful? Why?

- Great Britain, because of their high population and strong colonization in areas plentiful with abundant resources.

- Colonization from Great Britain occupied most of the world, for instance Canada, Australia, and many areas of Africa.

• During this time in history, which regions of the world were most sought after by the Europeans?

- Africa was most sought out by the Europeans due to its abundance of resources and slave labor.

- Many resources such as diamond, coal, oil, stone could all be found here.

• Make a guess: How do you think imperialism impacted the continents outside of Europe?

- I think to some it may have benefited them, to others it did not. For example the natives in Africa did not find themselves in a pleasantry with imperialism, being taken for slave trade and having many of their people killed. In the America's however this was very good, we had easy access to our colonies and their resources, improving trade and economy.



The Berlin Conference
1884



Because of its size, surface features, climate, resources, and strategic importance, Africa became a prime candidate for conquest by ambitious European empires. Although Africa is physically remote from the power centers of Europe, North America, and Asia, it is surrounded by water and can therefore be reached easily from the other continents. This meant that the Europeans needed to establish rules for dealing with one another if they were to avoid constant bloodshed and competition for African resources. The Berlin Conference established those ground rules.
By the mid-nineteenth century, Europeans had established colonies all along the African coast and competed for control. The push for overseas territories was made even more intense by the Industrial Revolution and the need for cheap labor, raw material, and new markets. The competition between the Europeans often lead to violent conflict.
The conference was held in Berlin between November 15, 1884 and November 26, 1885, under the leadership of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Although controlling the slave trade and promoting humanitarian idealism were promoted as the focus of the conference, the conference only passed empty resolutions about the ending of slave trade and providing for the welfare of Africa. In truth, the result of the Conference was a method of dividing the continent of Africa between the European powers.
Article 34 of the Berlin Act states that any European nation that took possession of an African coast, or named themselves as “protectorate” of one, had to inform the other powers of the Berlin Act of this action. If this was not done then their claim would not be recognized. This article introduced the “spheres of influence” doctrine, the control of a coast also meant that they would control the hinterland to an almost unlimited distance.
Article 35 determined that in order to occupy a coastal possession, the nation also had to prove that they controlled sufficient authority there to protect existing rights such as freedom of trade and transit. This was called the doctrine of “effective occupation” and it made the conquest of Africa a less bloody process.
The Berlin Act was an important change in international affairs. It created the rules for “effective occupation” of conquered lands, ensuring that the division of Africa would take place without war among the European powers. Through the Berlin Act, the European powers justified dividing a continent among themselves without considering the desires of the indigenous peoples.
While this appears extremely arrogant to us now, it seemed to them to be the obvious extension of their imperialism. The Berlin Conference is one of the most clear examples of the assumptions and preconceptions of this era, and its effects on Africa can still be seen today.

Answer these questions based on the reading below

1. List 3 reasons why Europeans wanted to take over Africa?
-Because of its size, surface features, climate, resources, and strategic importance


2. What was the Berlin Conference?
- The Berlin Conference established those ground rules, pertaining to competition for African resources.


3. What agreements came out of the Berlin Conference?
- The conference promoted humanitarianism. However, it only passed empty resolutions about ending slave trade and providing for providing for the welfare of Africa.

- Article 34 of the Berlin Act states that any European nation that took possession of an African coast, or named themselves as “protectorate” of one, had to inform the other powers of the Berlin Act of this action.
- Article 35 determined that in order to occupy a coastal possession, the nation also had to prove that they controlled sufficient authority there to protect existing rights such as freedom of trade and transit.

4. What considerations were made by the Europeans to the native Africans?
- the doctrine of “effective occupation” and it made the conquest of Africa a less bloody process.
- Through the Berlin Act, the European powers justified dividing a continent among themselves without considering the desires of the indigenous peoples.


5. Make a guess: How will the decisions made at the conference change Africa?
- I think the decisons in the conference will change africa in a way that, the imperialized areas will prosper while the native land will fall. As is the consequence of imperializing, they have to conform to the ways of the invading people, if the case is so. With the natives in africa, most spill into the shift of the slave life. Unfortuante as it may be, i find this as being the inevitable effect of the berlin conference. The strong thrive, and the weak fall.




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data above compiled from Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction , 1999 by McDougal Littell, page 308 Answer the following questions based on the chart above
1. What percentage of Africa was colonized by 1913?
- 97%


2. According to the graph, Which 2 European countries held the most territory in Africa? (did you get the same answer as #4 in the Map Comparison above?)
-French and British


3. What percentage Africa was controlled by the rest of the countries (excluding the 2 countries mentioned in #2)?
- 32%

4. Think about it: Would the information in MAP 2 and the pie chart above be the same if there had never been a Berlin Conference?
- I doubt it, because then there would be less reason to be civil and Great Britain would demolish everyone.

Link to today:
Compare MAP 2-- PARTITION OF AFRICA with the map of Africa from 1997 below
How did the Scramble for Africa in the 1800's and 1900's effect the current borders of Africa?
-




The Scramble for AfricaSCRAMBLE CARTOON
Answer the following questions based on the Scramble for Africa cartoon
1. According to the cartoon, which European countries were fighting for a position in Africa?
-France, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain.


2. How did the Berlin Conference lead to the situation shown in this cartoon?
- Each country was competing for land in Africa causing a struggle for territory within the nation.


AFRICA MAP COMPARISONExamine the Maps below. Then answer the questions that follow
MAP 1

MAP 2

above maps from //http://fresno.k12.ca.us/schools/s090/lloyd/imperialism.htm//
1. What is the main difference between the 2 maps?
- one shows trade areas, and the other shows territory of colonial powers. The Borders are changed, within the the map on the top of the page.


2. What part did the Berlin Conference play in the creation MAP 2?
- It separated the countries in a way so the strongest nations had the most land.


3. What happened to the native African political entities by 1914?
- They were converted into slave labor workers, and traded within the slave trade.


4. According to Map 2-- Which 2 European countries held the most territory in Africa?
- Great Britain controlled the most power and territory in Africa around this time.