DVM 2106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Pax Britannica, Civilizing Mission, Chartered Company
21 Jun 2018
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LECTURE 3: Imperialism and Colonialism
Imperialism: a political and economic system by which wealthy and powerful states control the political
and economic life of other societies (such as commercial ties… USA in Middle East)
Colonialism: processes of occupation and administration of a territory, country or region by another and
the consequences of these processes (European settlement in Africa, Asia and America)
Neo-colonialism: A system in which the economies of formally independent countries remain subject to
the control of others, especially former colonial powers even after the end of colonial rule
Indirect rule: A system of governance by which colonial powers recognized and supported the
legitimacy of indigenous authorities and legal systems and used those authorities as intermediaries to
govern the local population
Chartered company: a company that received monopoly commercial rights from a state ruler for the
purpose of promoting trade and exploration in a specific geographic area
Self-determination: a principle in customary international law and diplomacy according o which all
people have the right to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social
and cultural development
Ideologies for Colonialism and Slavery
- Idea that western civilization was based on the will of God (“civilizing mission”)
- Idea that different races emerged from different sources, which made them less than human
- Evolutionists and naturalists debated this saying that there is a unity in humanity, and that
western civilization had a human origin
Civilizing mission
- Pax Britannica (18-19th century)
Uplifiting/improving/developing
Scale of civilizations:
Indians/Asians/Africans as inferior/backwards
Europeans/Americans: civilized/modern
European civilization: universal or silent referent
Between 1815 and 1914, a period referred to as Britain's "imperial century",[3]
[4] around 10,000,000 square miles (26,000,000 km2) of territory and roughly 400
million people were added to the British Empire
Global hegemonic power
- Pax Americana (20-21st century)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Pax Americana is primarily used in its modern connotations to refer to the peace
among great powers established after the end of World War II in 1945, also called the
Long Peace. In this modern sense, it has come to indicate the military and economic
position of the United States in relation to other nations. For example, the Marshall
Plan, which spent $13 billion to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, has been seen
as "the launching of the pax americana."[6]
History of colonization
- Portuguese and Spanish: Age of discovery (15-16th century)
- European empire (France, England and Dutch) in South Africa, India and Southeast Asia (17-18th
C)
- New imperialism: 19th C
Scramble for Africa
Imperialism in Asia
Japanese Imperialism
- Inter-war period: 1918-39
- Decolonization: 1945-1997
Interest in Colonization
- Trading relation: gold, spices, textiles and oil
- Religion expansion: increasing Christianity
- Expansion of European market: finding new investment opportunities and finding consumers
- Political interest: Europeans interest in expanding their wealth, glory and power
Defining Imperialism
- A political system by which colonized state were ruled from a central seat of power in the
pursuit of economic goals (Operation of British Empire)
- An economic system in which state pursues external investment and penetration of markets and
sources of raw materials
- High imperialism (1870-1914): systematic economic exploitation of greatest number of
territories in Africa, Asia and Pacific
Causes of Imperialism
- Political and strategic: possession of colonies as a great indicator and control of trade route,
protection of territory and to prevent its annexation by the rival countries
- Economic: mass production during the industrial revolution led to the need for seeking raw
materials for industry, and new markets for products
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Imperialism: a political and economic system by which wealthy and powerful states control the political and economic life of other societies (such as commercial ties usa in middle east) Colonialism: processes of occupation and administration of a territory, country or region by another and the consequences of these processes (european settlement in africa, asia and america) Neo-colonialism: a system in which the economies of formally independent countries remain subject to the control of others, especially former colonial powers even after the end of colonial rule. Indirect rule: a system of governance by which colonial powers recognized and supported the legitimacy of indigenous authorities and legal systems and used those authorities as intermediaries to govern the local population. Chartered company: a company that received monopoly commercial rights from a state ruler for the purpose of promoting trade and exploration in a specific geographic area.
