3-2-1

3 Things I Learned
-The reasons for New Imperialism were Christianity, Commerce, and Civilization.
-The Industrial Revolution was the main cause of New Imperialism.
-There were four types of control; Colony, Protectorate, Sphere of Influence, and Economic Imperialism.


2 Things That Interested Me
-The Europeans thought it was their duty from God to civilize the uncivilized.
-There were only two countries in Africa not controlled by European countries: Ethiopia and Liberia.

1 Question I Still Have
-Are there any countries who are still controlled by other countries, or have they all gained their freedom?

Spotlight On: Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is a link from the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea through Egypt. It allows water transportation from Europe to Asia without having to go around Africa. The canal was opened in 1869 after 10 years of construction. There are no locks in the canal due to its flat terrain.

The Canal is ran and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It is very important in today's world because it reduces the cost of transport between Europe and Asia. It also reduces the time of transport. 

Current Uprising

The best example of a current uprising the the Egyptian Revolution. Many demonstrations, acts of disobedience, marches, and labor strikes showed the rebellion against the government. The citizens of Egypt have revolted against the Egyptian government and Hosni Mubarak. He became a major figure in the revolt because he was the reason for the problem. This revolt was very successful because on February 11, Vice President Omar Suleiman stated that Hosni Mubarak was stepping down and turning his power over to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

The Maji Maji Rebellion

The Maji Maji Rebellion was a violent uprising in the German colony of Tanganyika. The rebellion was against the colonial rule because the indigenous people were being forced to grow cotton for exportation. A spirit medium named Kinjikitile Nqwale said he was possessed by the snake spirit Hongo. He began calling himself Bokero and said that they have been called upon by the spirits to eliminate the Germans. His followers were poorly armed, but it was one of the largest uprising in the African colonies. The revolt changed the future for the area by Germany placing new reforms to keep their power. Even though the revolt was not successful, it did change the way the area was viewed. It was also the main event in the history of the area.

United States events during European Imperialism

1. First Jim Crow Law enacted in 1876. The Jim Crow laws were a series of laws that basically stated "separate but equal." It restricted blacks from public places such as restaurants, hospitals, parks, and even restrooms and drinking fountains. The laws stated that the blacks needed separate places that had to be equal. They were separated, but most of the time they were not equal. This had a strong connection to imperialism because the black people were brought from Africa, where imperialism was taking place, to become slaves. Now that the slaves were free, they had to be separated from the whites. If they stayed in Africa, then they would not be in much of a better situation with the imperialistic style that was taking over.

2. On September 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shot at the Temple of Music in Buffalo, New York. He died eight days later on September 14, 1901. After he was assassinated, Theodore Roosevelt became the next U.S. president. The assassination had an impact on the entire world because the leader of a large country changed unexpectedly. Usually the world knows when there is a power change in a powerful country, but this was very random and unexpected, even though the U.S. was not as powerful then as it is today. It was an act of internal terrorism that had an effect on the entire world, not just one country.

Answer the Question...

Has the United States been imperialistic?

Since the United States was created based on imperialism, it has always been imperialistic. Examples of the United States' imperialism are the westward expansion, gaining territories like Guam, Puerto Rico, and now the U.S. is being imperialistic in Iraq.

Imperialism is not necessarily a bad thing. There have been benefits from U.S. imperialism. The United States has given Puerto Rico its freedom when they wanted it, it gained more territories like Hawaii without the locals being upset, and it also improved the U.S. economy.

It can also be viewed as a bad thing too. It costs the United States an incredible amount of money that has put the U.S. in the great debt that its in today. It also costs lives of the people that the U.S. has conquered. Also, U.S. imperialism has been very discomforting to the people that it has taken over.

United States Imperialism Political Cartoon

Even though this cartoon is a few years old, it is still accurate. It depicts former president George W. Bush at a press conference saying how change in Iraq can lead to changes in other Middle East countries. Behind Bush are representatives from other countries that are saying how they're lost and do not understand. In the artist's opinion, the two men in the background do not agree with what Bush is saying. I agree with this because even though Iraq is being forced to change by the United States, the other countries in the Middle East do not have to change.

Political Cartoons

This political cartoon shows seven different countries  "scrambling for Africa." The cartoon shows each country pulling on the continent in different directions because everybody wants control. The artist's opinion is that one of the seven depicted countries cannot completely control Africa by itself. If one country was to "let go" then everything would become unbalanced and it would become slightly chaotic. I agree with the part of the cartoon that says that one country cannot completely control Africa because they do not have enough power or people to completely keep the other countries out. I do not agree with the balance of power because if one country would "let go," then another country would just step in and take its place.

This cartoon shows a European man reaching his hands into Africa's gold fields and taking what he wants. The artist's opinion is that even though Europe was quite a distance away from Africa, they can still get what they want and make money off of it (by the way that the man is dressed). I agree with the cartoon because the European countries were making money off of Africa, even though it was costing them money too.

Introduction

Chapter 26 is on New Imperialism between 1870 and 1914, the start of the first World War. The new age of imperialism was interested in benefiting the mother country. The goal of the imperialists was "Christianity, Commerce, and Civilization." The mother countries were expanding into Asia and Africa for economic and political needs.

Objectives

Through this blog, I hope to review my knowledge of Imperialism and better understand the topic through political cartoons and connections to other subjects.

Essential Question

Why did European countries find the need to expand their empires into Asia and Africa?

The Industrial Revolution inspired Imperialism. The European countries were mass producing products that they needed to sell to other people besides their own people. They could sell to more people by expanding their empire into "uncivilized" parts of the world and forcing their people into buying the products. Also, they needed a better variety of raw materials and a lot of them. The places in Africa and Asia had the different raw materials that they needed.