...The Anti-Drug Campaign and the First Opium War In 1930, Chinese officials began to have growing concerns about the increasing trade of opium with the British. China’s social and economic status started to decline due to the opium trade agreement. Chinese addiction to opium became overwhelming and eventually forced China to launch Lin Zexu’s Anti-Drug Campaign in 1839. As a result, this campaign was viewed as a violation of the trade agreement with Britain and helped led to the First Opium War. China isolated themselves from the western world, believing they didn’t need anything from foreign trade. For eight decades, the only port that China opened was called the Canton System. The problem was China only wanted silver in exchange for their exports to Europe. Unfortunately, Europe only traded in gold and silver was hard to come by. Desperate to resolve the foreign trade, Britain realized they can acquire such a commodity in opium from India to exchange for exports in China. The trade of India’s opium started as a medical drug in the early 1800’s between China and Britain. Eventually, it triggered massive dependences throughout China’s society that affected the rich and poor equally. Before long, the demand for the drug was overwhelming, resulting in China importing more opium than exporting trades. Thus, resulting in an imbalanced foreign trade and stability of China’s society. A decree issued in 1810 from the Chinese Emperor stating, “Opium is a poison, undermining our good...
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...population and most of African territory (5 million square miles) where under British control. By doing this Britain was able to gain the ‘Lion’s share’ over the other European powers which were competing for control in Africa. On the other hand by the end of the 20th century Britain’s influence in its African empire had shrinked dramatically. The process of colonization which mainly took part between 1870-1914 and decolonisation which started from the end of the Second World War until 1981 took place due to many and various reasons. Some of the reasons include Imperialistic and nationalistic feelings of the British people and of the Afrikaners , military conflicts, political actions and economic reasons. This essay will try to prove that the most important reason which influenced British relationship with its empire in Africa between 1870-1981 were economic reasons to a great extent as each and every action of the British leaders concerning Africa was either purely based on economic interest or had an indirect economic motive. To begin with before the 1870’s British policy towards its African empire was mainly focused on informal imperialism. This type of control was mainly focused on trading agreements as Britain did not establish territorial control. The primary purpose focused on purely economic interests. However everything changed during the period of the 1870s. The shift of British policy towards formal imperialism reflected a significant shift in Britain’s relationship...
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...especially strategic objectives, it’s important for one to realize just what of just what is covered under the term ‘strategy.’ It could mean political, economic or militant strategy. In this essay I will be exploring what Britain’s strategic objectives were, but I will focus on foreign policy for the most part, and aim to explore how foreign policy changed under different government parties. Strategic objectives, whether it’s defined corporately or politically, are the long-term goals to convert a mission statement, (or in this case, a manifesto,) from a broader vision into specific plans and projects. For 1870’s Britain, the goals set were to maintain and expand the British Empire, and by extension, economic superiority. But also Britain had set out to grow trade networks via improvements in infrastructure, and also the purchase of shares in the Suez Canal made international trade quicker and cheaper for the British to operate. The industrial revolution of Great Britain also added to this, as Podmore states, “The British Empire’s pioneer industrial supremacy was the basis of this pioneer imperial supremacy.” (Podmore, 2008) 1 Trade was a vital element to Britain’s economic successes, which is what made the purchase of Suez Canal shares so imperative to its sustainment. Because of the expansionary British Empire, Her sphere of influence spanned greater than most other powerful countries. Countries such as India, Cyprus, and Canada had all felt the effects of Britain’s sphere of influence...
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...Mackinder is credited with laying the theoretical foundation for modern geopolitics. Mackinder’s contemporary, Alfred Mahan, was a naval war theorist who studied the history of maritime warfare and empire to develop a strategic outlook on the imperial control of maritime space. Mackinder admired Mahan, but argued that industrialization and the resulting establishment of railroads were shifting the center of gravity for imperial power from the sea to land by the early twentieth century. Mackinder’s pursuit of his geopolitical project arose in response to a challenge by the British Royal Geographical Society to improve geography instruction in the British education system (Kearns, 2004). Framed explicitly as necessary in the maintenance of British supremacy on the world stage, the call was taken up by Mackinder, who dedicated his career to the service of the British Empire. Mackinder’s most well-known work, The Geographical Pivot of History, argues that the political world has become a “closed system.” The age of conquest, in which European colonial powers expanded beyond their borders in pursuit of “unclaimed territories” had...
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...colonial dependency to sovereignty.’ John Springhall, supports this notion and suggests himself that “Decolonization signifies here the surrender of external political sovereignty, largely western European, over colonized non-European peoples, plus the emergence of independent territories where once West had ruled, or the transfer of power from empire to nation-state.” However, historians are yet to acquire an agreed definition of decolonization and so is often interpreted differently. For example, John Darwin suggests that “decolonization is often equated with the end of colonial rule, but this is much too narrow.” He continues to critically analysis it as the “demolition of a Europe-centred imperial order in which territorial empire was interlocked with extra-territorial rights.” This essay will aim to provide evidence that nationalism within the colonies does not provide significant explanation for the downfall of European Empires after the Second World War and suggest that other influences played a role in the process of decolonization. W. David McIntyre suggests that decolonization as a whole “must be viewed in three levels, Metropolitan (Domestic), Global (International) and Colonial (Nationalist).” John Gallagher...
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...colonies and the British crown due to unpopular taxes such as the tea, sugar and stamp act (Dennis Lecture notes). The Stamp Act crisis inaugurated not only a struggle for colonial liberty in relation to Great Britain but also a multisided battle...
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...Compare and Contrast Japanese and Western Imperialism in Asia and the Pacific 23 October 2013 at 18:10 The Japanese pursuit for an empire in South East Asia helped changed the balance of world power away from Europe, by taking their most lucrative colonies. Soon after the Japanese defeat in World War II, most of the colonies won their independence from their European masters. This essay will be arguing that despite the vast geographical distance and cultural, racial differences, as well as the different time periods involved, Japanese and European intentions were very similar, and that these similarities contributed to the weakening of Imperialism as a doctrine. To do so, this essay will be examining the reasons for the Japanese conducting policies of imperialism, when they expanded, what methods they use to expand and the systems of government. Japanese Imperialism will be compared to those of a well known European power active in the region, Britain. J.A Hobson’s seminal work Imperialism: A Study puts forward the idea of the ‘Economic Taproot of Imperialism’. A taproot is the largest root in some plants and is the plant’s primary source of nourishment. Military aggression is simply capitalist expansion. He described it as “As one nation after another enters the machine economy and adopts advanced industrial methods, it becomes more difficult for its manufacturers, merchants and finaciers to dispose profitably of their economic resources and they are tempted more and more to...
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...Shooting an elephant - By George Orwell Imperialism is the appellation for a policy, where a ruler in a country attempts to oppress another country. This is mainly the theme and point in the essay “Shooting an elephant” The story is written by the author George Orwell, and centers about this problem which was going on between the British and the Burmese. The essay is written as a metaphor describing the British imperialism, and gives the readers an insight in how George's opposition against the imperialism is expressed. Another theme in the story is the meeting between two cultures – in where it describes the burmese, that despise the British. Apart from that, George himself is going though a process of self-deception, which is showed clearly in this story. George Orwell was born on 25th June 1903, and was a well known English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. George Orwell was one of the most influential English writers in the 20th century, and is mostly known for the novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and the novella “Animal Farm”. George Orwell was working in The British Imperial Police from 1922-1927, where he wrote the essay “Shooting an elephant” as a reflection about the British imperialism in India. The setting is in Moulmein in Lower Burma in the 1920's, and is taking place in a poor city. “It was a very poor quarter, a labyrinth of squalid bamboo huts, thatched with palm-leaf, winding all over a steep hillside.” (Page 112, line 12-14) The society...
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...former 13 United British colonies, but ended in a global war between several European palatable powers. For about a decade, tension had been mounting between Great Britain and the American Colonies. The British government had passed a series of laws in an attempt to take control over the colonies. Americans had become so used to having control over their own local government so they objected to the new laws and protested against being tax without their consent. This was the sudden and unfair taxation of the colonists that led to the Revolutionary War. The American Revolution was the result of a series of social, political, and intellectual transformations in early American society and government, collectively referred to as the American Enlightenment. Americans rejected the oligarchies common in aristocratic Europe at the time, championing instead the development of republicanism based on the Enlightenment understanding of liberalism. Among the significant results of the revolution was the creation of a democratic elected representative government responsible to the will have of the people. However, sharp political debates erupted over the appropriate level of democracy desirable in the new government, with a number of Founders. Seventeen sixty-three was a year of great celebration; it was the year of the French and Indian War’s end. The British defeated the French and their Native American allies, in North America. The colonists were pleased with the British victory, because...
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...MABM217 Аз-наративът в британската и американската литература MARINO MARZIALI - F81122 Thomas Paine, Common sense The ideological weapon for the independence of the USA The years before the American Revolution knew the intensification of the political and cultural debate among the colonies. After the Treaty of Paris of 1763 the relations with England were quite complicated because of the new tax policy and administration of the motherland. The new laws clearly represented a change of direction in the management and especially in the conception of the colonies by the British government. The harsh protests and riots that started overseas showed that the colonists insinuated a doubt about the intentions of England, whose behavior was seen as a direct attack against their freedom. In the atmosphere of the colonial debate there were two main options on the positions to take regarding the facts. Many still supported the need for a reconciliation with England, either for the tradition that it bound the colonies or for the protection of trade and security of the American continent. So the fear and uncertainty to be an independent nation in the future restrained settlers' minds. More and more, on the other hand, were the voices, who courageously invoke the separation from the motherland as the only real alternative for the development and prosperity of the colonies. Therefore, the idea of independence had been circulating in the debates and private conversations, but before January...
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...understanding of the part played by the Indian subcontinent role and its people in the making of the modern world. From the decline of the great empire of the Mughals and the rise of British hegemony, to the rise of nationalism, the coming of independence and partition, the consolidation of new nation states despite regional wars and conflicts, and the emergence of India as the largest democracy in the world, this paper is a comprehensive and analytical survey of the subcontinent's modern history. The dynamic and complex relationships between changing forms of political power and religious identities, economic transformations, and social and cultural change are studied in the period from 1757 to 2007. In normal circumstances students will be given 6 supervisions in groups of 1 or 2. Key themes and brief overview: The paper begins by examining the rise of British power in the context of economic developments indigenous to southern Asia; it analyses the role played by Indian polities and social groups in the expansion of the East India Company's activities. It tracks the emergence of modern intelligentsias and their definitions of what constituted proper religious, public and domestic behaviour. The paper places these changes in the context of the concurrent decline of Indian handicrafts and the impact of British revenue arrangements on rural society, and explores India's place in the...
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...A Focus on the Thesis Statement Historical Context: Between 1875 and 1900, the relationship between Africa and Europe dramatically changed. Within a quarter century European imperial powers partitioned and colonized almost the entire African continent. The prospects of exploiting African resources and the nationalist rivalries that existed between European powers help to explain this frenzied quest for empire, often referred to as the “scramble for Africa.” The policies adopted by imperial powers and colonial officials forced peoples of different societies to deal with their colonizers on a regular and systematic basis. These interactions provoked a variety of responses from Africans. 1. Traditions and Encounters; Jerry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler; 2006; McGraw-Hill 2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica Inquiry Question: How did Africans react to European imperialism? Part I - Working with Four Source Documents[1] Document #1: From a letter from one African leader to another in German South West-Africa. 1904 All our obedience and patience with the Germans is of no use for each day they shoot someone dead for no reason at all. So, I appeal to you my Brother, not to ignore the uprising, but to make your voice heard so that all Africa may take up arms against the Germans. Let us die fighting rather than die as a result of bad treatment, imprisonment, or some other calamity. (Disaster). Tell all the chiefs down...
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...Assess critically three causes of the outbreak of the First World War 1914-1918. There were certain events leading up to the outbreak of the first World War , in late July of 1914. For decades different historians have researched and presented what they believe and suggest to be the causes of this war that drastically changed Europe. In this essay, i intend to discuss and assess three longterm causes and to what extent the system of alliances, militarism and imperial rivalry contributed to the development of the crisis of 1914 and consequently the war. Europe was split into two rival alliance groups, connected by a secondary set of treaties and agreements to countries spread out around the globe. A number of alliances had been signed between countries between the years of 1879 and 1914. The division of the principal nations of Europe into two camps, did not necessarily make for war. It only made it inevitable that any conflict involving two great powers would bring general war. This system has often been justified as being necessary to maintain the balance of power and thus initiate peace amongst nations. This unfortunately was not the case as the Alliance System was based on secret diplomacy, mutual suspicion and fear were created among the powers. In 1905, for example, William II provoked the First Moroccan Crisis in order to see whether or not the Entente Cordiale really existed. Secondly, the Alliance System promoted armament races, too. Anglo-French military cooperation...
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...National Congress win support and what part did it play in ending British rule? The Indian Independence Act of 1947 marked a watershed upon the history of India and imperialism, predicating the protracted, but evident, retreat of empire. A body of influences are readily available in providing a depth of understanding of the event; it is, however, the permeating legacy of the Indian national congress that has been routinely identified as a political organisation synonymous with the departure of empire and colonialism. The remit of this essay focuses our attention upon the development and narrative of the Indian National Congress, and the use of its political structure in exercising and mobilising nationalist sentiments throughout the Asian subcontinent. Although instrumental and inherently central to the discussion of Indian independence, one must retain an open and wider view of the multitude of pressures, from within and without, that ultimately led to British withdrawal. It would be prudent therefore to accommodate the international economic and political circumstances that restricted the manoeuvrability of the British following the Second World War, and its noticeable influence upon the retreat of imperialism, upon the wider discussion of the end of British rule. Although providing the structure of national identity, the degree to which the congress had a direct impact upon the redirection of imperial policy is subject to speculation. The narrative of the Congress developing...
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...went from a debtor country in the WWI to a creditor in WWII. British’s strategy of a gradual devolution of power, its representation to the Indians successive constitutional acts and a deliberate Indianisation of the administration, gathered a momentum of its own. India moved towards self-government. (Dr.Chandrika Kaul, 2011) The timing of independence owed a great deal to WWII and the demands it put on the British government and people. The United States foreign policy pressured the end of western subjugation and imperialism. It was only a matter of time before India gained its freedom. Protests and rioting also played a role. (Dr.Chandrika Kaul, 2011) In this essay I will discuss why India broke up in 1947 and how does the violence of the break up speak to some of the benefits of imperial rule. The conflict between India and Pakistan originated as a clash between Indian and Muslim nationalism during British colonial rule. The Indian National Congress led the Indian nationalist struggle, while the Muslim nationalist political organization was the Muslim League. Once the British government retreated from South Asia after WWII, it served notice on these two organizations to negotiate a constitutional framework for post-colonial India before its departure in 1947. But bitter...
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