Spotlight On... The Suez Canal

The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, and is an extremely useful waterway, both now and long ago. It is controled and maintained by the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Suez Canal Authority. However, anyone is allowed to use it at any time, regardless of wars or what country the ship is from. Today, about 7.5% of the world's trade goes through the canal, and in 1955, two-thirds of Europe's oil was being transported through it. This is obviously an important canal, because without it, ships would be forced to either travel around the southern-most tip of Africa (adding about 2,700 miles to a trip) or unload everything, have the goods driven across land, and reloaded on another ship on the other side. The canal really makes everything go quicker, and is very useful in today's world of trading and transport.

Modern Day Uprising - Egypt

On January 25th of this year, Egypt experienced a very dramatic uprising. A ton of Egyptians all got together and demanded the overthrow of the president, Hosni Mubarak. It started out with peaceful intents, just demonstrations, marches, and civil resistance, but ended up becoming violent when the miliary, police, and some protesters started in with fighting. Most of the action took place in Cario, and on February 11th, Hosni Mubarak resigned.

The protesters had a lot that they wanted changed, including freedom of speech policy, food prices, election rules, government corruption, minimum wages, and police brutality. The government tried to control things by making a curfew, but it wasn't enforced. After Mubarak stepped down, he appointed a new panel to take over running things and to try to fix things, and agreed not to seek re-election. While things are far from over, we can only wait and watch what happens. By now things are quieting down, and details and plans are being worked out.

European Uprising - The Second Boer War

After reading The Power of One, I know so much more about colonization and imperialism in Africa! In 1899 there was an uprising that found its roots in many places in history. Ever since Europe had come to Africa, there had been tension between Europeans and Africans. When the British tried to put even more control over the Transvaals and Orange Free State, they didn't take very well to that. Ultimatums were exchanged, and then rejected. Eventually, the Africans demanded that all British troops be gone within 48 hours. That didn't happen, and war was declared.

Paul Kruger lead the Transvaals, and Christiaan de Wet lead the geurilla warfare portion for Africa. On the English side, Herbert Kitchener was an important commander in chief for a time, and Cecil Rhodes played a role, mostly in annoying the military people who were there. No one regarded him as helpful or cooperative, but his company did help with providing many valuable materials. By the end of the war in 1902, the British had gained more control over the South Africans, but it was still an important point in history, as it showed the oppressed actually standing up to their oppressors where imperialism was concerned.

Is/Has the U.S. Been Imperialistic?

I think that America was somewhat imperialistic in the past, but we were in no way imperialistic in the same sense as Europe. Here's why:

-European countries placed a lot of emphasis on the three C's: Christianity, Commerce, and Civilization. America hasn't placed nearly that much emphasis on any of those, and we rarely even come close to even being able to use one of those as justification. Sometimes we go to aid another counrty (possibly civilization), but we don't look at them as being a backwards culture, just one that needs aid in some way.
-America doesn't want more land just to expand our power or resources. We didn't go over to the middle east to take their resources, and we don't just plan takeovers to obtain workers, material, land, or power.
-While the United States has gained territory in the past, we adopted our last state in 1959, and have not recently shown imperialistic tendancies.

Some may argue that the United States is an imperialistic nation though, and here are somw reasons they use to back up their claims:

-America has territory like Peurto Rico and the Virgin Islands, which are not actually states, but are often referenced as 'the 51st state' and such because of the way we treat them and our power over them.
-In the past, we have been quick to show more imperialistic tendancies, and there are still left over effects and realms of control from those times.
-We are still going over to other countries and working with the people there to change things (such as in the middle east). While I don't think these actions reflect imperialism, there are those who argue for that, so it has become a common arguement.

Imperialism in the U.S. Today - Political Cartoon

This cartoon shows a before and after look at countries the United States has become involved with. On the top, in the 'before' section, the countries are oppressed, enslaved, and unhappy. On the bottom, in the 'after' section, we see nicely dressed men looking happy with bags of money and various signs. The signs say what countries they represent, and it refrences the ways in which the United States has taken charge in those areas. For example, we have Hawaii, which went from being oppressed in industrial slavery to being the stable state in America that they are today. Another example is Peurto Rico, which is shown attached to a yoke before, and is now connected with the United States.

The artist isn't outrightly arguing against American imperialism, but seems to be pointing out that when we become involved with a country or territory, we end up having a good deal of control over them. I think that sometimes this is a good thing, and some times it can be taken too far. Even today America is involved in a lot of other countries' affairs, and we will most likely exit those countries with some further form of power over them.

Political Cartoon #2

This political cartoon represents the affair with King Leopold II and the Congo. It shows explorers putting a black man (probably African) through a press and receiving coins or some form of a coveted material. A preacher stands by reading from a Bible. This represents the way that many European countries handled imperialism in Africa. They pressed all the work possible out of the natives, and justified it by saying they were bringing them civilization and Christianity. There is also a man on the left pouring something into the man's mouth. I assume he is giving him water, to represent the idea that Europeans were providing Africans with things they needed to live, like food and water.

The artist obviously doesn't like imperialism, as they depict the man who is effected in being in a painful/deadly position. He seems to be making a statement regarding the mistreatment of many Africans, such as those under the control of King Leopold II. The expression on the preacher's face is also interesting. He is reading the Bible to the men, but he has his eyebrows positioned in such a way that seems to depict shock or discomfort. I believe the artist is making a point about the bystanders of imperialism - those who realized that there was mistreatment going on, but didn't say anything. I think this cartoon is very effective, and is extremely interesting in the small details.

Political Cartoon #1

In this cartoon, the Philadelphia Inquier depicts America's role in the Imperialistic claiming of land in the late 1800's. It shows representatives from various countries watching as one of them plays a card game with 'Uncle Sam', who is representing the United States. They are 'betting' with countries and territories that they have control over, and are presumably using cards that represent their strategies and plans. The group of people behind the table (the chorus) are giving their commentary on the game, and wondering what sort of things the United States has up our sleeves. I think that this artist was trying to show that America was on the verge of becoming Imperialistic, and was being taken into the game with the rest of the world. However, the point is made without being overly offensive, which is very nice, and the comic leaves a lot of room for differing interpretations. For example, maybe the U.S. is trying to halt imperialsim instead of join, and our cards represent ways to stop it. While that seems unlikely, it is another possible explanation for the cartoon. It is one of the better ones I have seen from the age of imperialism, and I think it's interesting that the world's affairs are shown as a game, since that's how I tend to simplify lots of history to make it more comprehensive.

3...2...1...

3 Things I Learned...

          I learned about the evolution of expansion ideals from Glory, God and Gold to Commerce, Christianity, and Civilization.

         I learned about the different types of control that were exhibited and the effects it had (for example, Asia was raised up, while Africa was suppressed)

         I learned the difference between a protectorate, a colony, a sphere of influence, and economic imperialism, and how to apply those terms to modern times as well as the past.


2 Things That Interested Me...

          It was really neat to learn about the different justifications for imperialism, such as egocentrism and such. It's funny to think that entire countries can become so full of themselves that they truly believe their way is the only right way, and it's also good to learn the pros and cons that come out of thinking like that.

          I liked learning about the different types of imperial conquests and the forms that they can take. I hadn't really understood any of that before, but it's very clear now, and it's cool to be able to apply that knowledge.


1 Question I Still Have...

          What was the 'white man's burden' exactly? I understand the basics of what it entailed, but I really want to know exactly what Mr. Kipling was thinking of when he wrote it.

Spotlight On... The Sepoy Mutiny

The Sepoy Mutiny started because of the religious beliefs of the sepoys in British service. They believed the cow to be a sacred animal, and so would not eat it. When they were given new muskets that were made using fats and oils from cows (and would be required to rip open the packets with their teeth to reload), they rejected the idea and mutinied. The mutinies started on May 10th, 1857, and spread quickly. The rebellion was surpressed, but had it not been it would have been very bad for the East India Company's business, and bad for England, by extension. The Sepoy Mutiny is also known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and India's First War of Independence.

US Event - The Civil War

The American Civil War is probably one of our country's most famous historical events, and the basics of it are well known: It was the Union against the Conferacy, fighting over a number of things, but primarily over slavery. The war lasted from 1861 until 1856, and ended with a victory for the Union, and the country coming back together after the famous surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

During the war, the Confederacy held out hope for being saved by a European power, like England or France. However, the Union forces blocked any useful help they could, so the international involvement in the war was minimal.

There were a number of advances and interseting things that came out of the Civil War, such as the photography by Mathew Brady, the Underground Railroad, and Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address.

US Event - Women's Suffrage

Women's suffrage wasn't really brand new in the 1800's and 1900's, but it started to become a very big deal in America at the time. Europe had already had many attempts at rights for women, such as Olympe de Gouges' Declaration of the Rights of Women and some of the movements that came out of the Industrial Revolution, but in 1848 a convention was held (The Seneca Falls Convention) to demand more rights for women. The cause received even more attention and debate when black men got the vote in 1869 but women were still powerless.

This time period saw the rise of many famous ladies, such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Julia Ward Howe. While the famous Nineteenth Ammendment wasn't put into action until 1920, many women still found ways to vote in other elections in their states, and to show that women should have a voice in their government.

People in the News - Leopold II of Belgium

Leopold II of Belgium was the king of Belgium from 1865 until 1909. He is chiefly remembered for his control of the Congo Free State, which he founded (with the aid of Henry Morton Stanley). However, he was not a good ruler for those people, as he ignored almost all of the regulations and agreements the Berlin Conference had set up, and ran things in Africa with only the goal of personal gain. The people were treated brutally, and it was common for a hand or foot to be chopped off if a worker was not collecting enough rubber or such. He was indirectly responsible for the deaths of over a million people, but was eventually forced to relinquish control of the Congo.

People in the News - Cecil Rhodes

Cecil Rhodes was a man who was very concious of the changes going on in the world and how to utilize them. He was an American who established not only a mining company, but also a new state in Africa. The mining company was the De Beers Company, which used to market 90% of the world's diamonds (that number is around 40% today). He named his new state after himself, calling it Rhodesia. Today, it is known as Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Rhodes University in South Africa is also named after him, as well as the Rhodes Scholarship, which is funded by some of his profit from the diamon mines.

Throughout his life he utilized imperialism to expan his fortune and gain more territories for Europe in Africa. He sought to build a railroad from Cape Town to Cairo, and while that plan never quite came through, it was a wonderful idea, and would have been quite profitable. He was very interested in accessing mineral deposits, and besides helping Europe to gain land in Africa, he also helped them to secure a good number of mineral deposits that were able to be mined.

People in the News - Matthew Perry

Matthew C. Perry was born to a naval captain, and his military life just escalated from there. By 1809 he was in the United State's Navy, and spent time assigned to many different ships for many different battles and duties. He was in high demand, and was even offered a post in the Russian Navy, which he declined. He is most famously known for opening up the way to get to Japan again, and for his claiming of the Key West territories.

Essential Question

Q: Why didn't the practice of imperialism gain fame in the days of Columbus, when explorers went out for Glory, God, and Gold, instead taking about three hundred years to evolve into Christianity, Commerce, and Civilization?

A: In the days of Columbus, the world hadn't been fully explored yet, and people were looking for new products, not so much new territories to control, only to exploit. When the age of imperialism came, people knew where pretty much everything was, and had many resources already. The Industrial Revolution was producing many things, and people became more concerned with their country's power. The ideas of ethnocentrism and social darwinism justified expanding empires, and the blooming indusrties were requiring more raw materials and the workers to go with them.

Since countries wanted more power, and could justify their expansion as 'civilizing the heathens', expansion continued to provide countries with the power and things they wanted.

Introduction to Imperialism

As defined by Merriam Webster, imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. This was a great way for European powers to expand their empires, and to become more of a world power. While this practice has been seen all throughout history, it became prevalent in the 1800's, especially in European countries.

 

The practice of imperialism lead to phrases such as "the sun never sets on the British empire." This was not an entirely new concept, as the same phrase had been applied to the Hapsburg Dynasty a few centuries earlier, but the rate at which the practice spread was much swifter than in prior times. The effects of imperialism were seen in Africa, Asia, and India, as well as other areas.