Western Imperialism I

Teddy Mazurek aemazure@buffalo.edu

April 22, 2014

Storming the Bastille

Napoleon

Battle of Waterloo

Louis XVIII

Coronation of Charles X

Louis Philippe

Napoleon I

Louis XVIII

Charles X

Louis Philippe

Otto von Bismarck

Napoleon III

Proclamation of German Empire

British Domination of World Trade

Economic Changes • Enormous changes from 1750 – 1850

• France has lost colonies in Canada, bits of India, and some islands in the Caribbean

The World Market• Trade must be constant and cyclical

• Must produce goods as cheaply as possible – Maximize profits

• Sell as quickly as possible

• Trade begins on a local scale – Beware of competition

Beginnings of World Trade

• Trading becomes more widespread greater potential for profits and increase

• 1750-1850 most trade was trans-European

• Haven’t we seen world trade earlier?

Portugal and Vasco da Gama

• Begun in the early 1400s

• First along the African coasts

• Reach India and Malaysia (Malacca)

Portugal • Fought to control the markets

• Colonies = controlled markets – Places to pull raw materials from– Pushed finished goods into

• More colonies = richer merchants and industrialists

Successful Colonizers

Colonial Markets – England Dominating

• By 1820: Exporting 50% of its cotton cloth– Half to Europe– Most of the rest to the US

– 6% to India • By 1850: British cotton market is booming– Europe was buying only 16%

– India taking 25%

Tariffs • Europe and US entered the world market

• Used tariffs to control imports

Bad News for Indian Cloth Production

• Hand made

• Slower in production

• More expensive

• Indian cotton production declined rapidly

Interaction with China • Trading with China had occurred for centuries

• Always been on Chinese terms

• West sent silver to China for exports

Silk

Tea

Chinese Porcelain

What is it?• After Napoleonic wars, Britain found a new trade good

• Grown in western India

• Medium of exchange

• Negative impacts on Chinese health

Opium

Chinese Trade• Trade was restricted to an area of Canton (Gwangzhou)

British Trade with China

• By 1830s, British merchants wanted to expand

• However, Chinese officials wanted to – forbid opium trade – keep foreign influence out of China

First Opium War • 1839-1842

• British shut down key Chinese ports

• Britain received 4 ports, Hong Kong and a large indemnity

Second Opium War• 1856-1860

• Britain and France occupied Beijing

• Destroyed the Summer Palace

• Treaties gave European merchants greater privileges

Summer Palace

Interactions with Japan• Japanese had ejected foreigners early in 1600s

• Only one tiny island where Dutch traders were allowed

• Anti-foreigner laws were strictly enforced

US Involvement • 1853: US forced Japanese to share their ports

• Gunboat diplomacy: imposition of treaties and agreements under threat of military violence

Commodore Matthew Perry

Industrialization • By the end of the 19th century, industrialization is common

• Trade barriers sent British back to old colonies, but it’s not enough

France • Beginning in the 1830s, conquer new areas

– Algeria– Thailand and Vietnam

– W. Coast of Africa

– Madagascar– Pacific islands

Imperialism • 1880s Germany and Italy copy France’s actions

• Mainly in Africa

• 19th century nation-state must have overseas possessions

• Locals had no say in being colonized

• No say in what they would buy or sell

• Britain is the 19th century model and continued its conquests

• Technology aided in colonialism

“An ABC for Baby Patriots” (1898)

Steamships

Railways

Improved Military Equipment

Maxim Gun

Heroes – CL 205MWF 9 to 9:50, aemazure@buffalo.edu

• Ancient Heroes• Ancient works in translation

• Archaeology • Ancient Art• Gender • Sexuality • Modern reception of heroes

• Counts as a Humanity requirement