HIST209 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Her Majesty'S Ship, Ronald Robinson, Social Darwinism
HIST209 Lecture Notes Monday 23rd April 2018
I oted that e ae the fiest ae i the old: The Ne Ipeialis
The New Imperialism
- Ipeialis: he oe supeio state iposes its otol oe the lad, esoues,
and population of a less deeloped egio (John M. Merriman)
- New imperialism differentiated from colonialism of 16th to 18th centuries
- Economic motivations for imperialism inseparable from nationalism
- Technological advancement lead European colonisers to believe they were superior
to akads plaes
o Tehologial adaeet poided e tos that Bitai had ohee to
play with. Hence colonising Africa.
Scramble for Africa
- 1879: King Leopold II of Belgium spurred expansion with exploration of the Congo
- 1884: The Berlin Conference
o Convened by Otto Bismark
o Established ground rules for colonisation
o Tried to slow the mad scramble and bring Germany into an even playing field
▪ Orderly division of African territories to various European empires
o Resolved to end slavery within Afia states
o Cofied the Cogo Fee “tate as effetiel Leopolds piate popet
Imperialism in Africa: Stats
- 1875: c. 10% of Africa colonised
- 1914: c. 10% of Africa NOT colonised
- 88 million people under British rule
- 47 million people under French rule
- German and Italian demands for colonies
- The advancement of trains and railways, and the profits derived from them, were a
large motivator for expansion
- The tensions between countries and their race for control of more territories is a
pretext for the first world war
Reasons for New Imperialism
- Two broad categories to explain the New Imperialism of late 19th Century:
o Eurocentric explanation
▪ Opportunity to test the limits of new technology
▪ Opportunity for new markets and economic expansion
o Peipheal appoah
Eurocentric (economic) explanation
- Economic factors
- Works of J.A. Hobson (Imperialism, 1902) and V.I. Lenin (Imperialism, The Highest
Stage of Capitalism, 1917)
- Hobson: Imperialism is outlet for domestic surplus capital
o Strictly economic explanation for the expansion of corporate economic
interests in other the parts of the world
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