IMPERIALISM

1890s

What is Imperialism?

Foreign policy in which strong nations extend their political, military and economic control over weaker nations in order to build an empire More colonies = more POWER

European nations started the trend

US catches on in 1890s

..By late 1890s strong countries (GB, US, Japan) are in a mad dash to grab up as many colonies as possible

Imperialism

Trendsetter: Great Britain leads the way

10 Mothers (Imperialist Nations)

Late Comers: Japan and US

Asia Africa Latin America America focuses

on Islands in the

Pacific Caribbean

Who were the Imperialists? What territories did they take?

Why be Imperialistic?

Five Main Reasons: Cultural Religious Economic Military Political

Can be summed up with “God, Gold and Glory”

Anglo-Saxonism: white race is superior

Manifest Destiny: God intended for America to expand

Social Darwinism: only the strongest nations will survive Strength = more

colonies

Christianity, seen as superior, so it should be spread to lesser nations of Asia and Africa

Imperialism giveS US more territories to Christianize

Cultural (Glory and God) Religious (God)

Josiah Strong

A religious missionary

Argued that America had a responsibility to spread its values by civilizing weaker nations This is what God

wanted America to do

The White Man’s Burden Poem written by

Rudyard Kipling in 1899

Critical/satirical view of American Imperialism

White men had burden of building an empire to Christianize and civilize other inferior races

Became a rallying cry for US imperialists

Countries need places to get raw materials from…colonies

Countries need places to sell their manufactured goods… new markets (colonies)

Nationalism – a nation’s greatness could be measured by the number of its colonies

Competition with rivals – prevent other countries from becoming more powerful

Economics (Gold) Political (Glory)

National Security Competition was

vicious; a nation had to protect its own interests

Military Advantage More bases in more

parts of the world… better navy

Gas Stations A colony can serve

as a refueling/loading station for the Navy

Military (Glory) Alfred T. Mahan

Wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History

Suggested that in order for the US to compete it needed: A better, stronger

navy More naval bases

to refuel and resupply

Military Genius

Seward's Folly

Name given to the purchase of Alaska Purchased by Secretary of State William Seward

from Russia for $7.2 million Called Seward’s Folly (stupidity) because no one

understood why America would want an icy tundra, but… Added over half a million square miles to the country Alaska was rich in oil and timber

Annexation of Hawaii

Sugar planters in Hawaii are hurting over sugar tariff Made Hawaiian sugar more expensive

than US sugar…after all at this time Hawaii was another country

Queen Liliuokalani removed the voting rights of the white sugar planters in retaliation the planters overthrew the queen with the help of US government Planters want annexation (added) of

Hawaii to the United States…no more tariffs

Government wants to annex because of sugar