In the latter half 19th century, the nations of Europe were looking for new places to spread their culture, new markets, and new areas for obtaining raw materials. A hundred years before, the British lost North America to the colonists and as time went by, the European countries were slowly pushed out of their colonies in the Americas, leading to this age of imperialism in which European nations would carve up Africa and Asia to spread their empires. The belief of the Europeans was that the more territory you controlled the more powerful you were as a country. There were several different reactions from the native peoples of Asia and Africa concerning this European rush for land. Some people reacted with the optimistic approach of cooperation …show more content…
There are several example of violent responses to imperialism in Asia and Africa. One statement from people of Canton, China says “Let us all rise, arm, unite, and go against them” (Document 2). The Chinese have always been a proud, solitary people, and the intrusion of the British and the enforcing of British rule in China, would have pricked the pride of the Chinese who saw them as barbarians. These people wanted their country back, so they advocated violence. This is not the only instance of violence in China over imperialism. There were two wars fought in China over opium because the British were trading it extensively with the Chinese, resulting in thousands becoming addicted to opium. The Chinese wanted this trade to stop so they went to war twice over it and were defeated both times. In India, the British tried to force Indian soldier to go against their religion by making them use powder bags for guns that had beef in the cap. When the Indian soldiers refused to use them, it would lead to the Sepoy rebellion in which the Indians tried to force the British out. Sadly, yet another failure to forcefully remove a European power. In Africa the tribes of the Sudan region attempted to fight the British to stop them from taking their land. The battle is known as the Omdurman Massacre as thousands of Sudanese were