Lecture outline 9 (extra)
Theme 9. The Age of Imperialism (1800–1914)
The Atlantic revolutions. The French Revolution (1789–1799). Causes: confrontation between three Estates (middle class, nobles, clergy), ineffectiveness of the King’s management, long-term debt, the Enlightenment philosophy, economic crisis. Events: 1789 – the National Assembly’s constitution (discriminative voting, slavery continued), seizure of Bastille in Paris; 1792–94 – start of the wars with Austria and Prussia (1792), the Jacobin’s dictatorship and repressions (Maximilien Robespierre and Committee); 1794–1799 – the Directory’s moderate regime, career of Buonaparte Napoleon; 1805–1814 – military expansion of France in Europe – Napoleonic Wars. 1814–1815 – the Congress of Vienna and restoration of monarchy in France.
Haiti and the Latin American War of Independence. Causes: colonialist pressure and racial discrimination (creoles, mestizos, etc.), news about the French Revolution. 1791–1804 – the Haitian Rebellion. 1810–1825 - the Latin American wars of independence (Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin), the Mexican War of Independence (1810–23), the Brazil Republic’s appearance (1822).
Western Imperialism of Europe and Japan (the mid-1800s to 1914). Causes and reasons: industrial needs in raw materials, military superiority, need in sea bases and refueling depots, overpopulation, scientific and geographical aptitude, ideological factors (racism and social Darwinism, civilizing mission). Forms of Imperialism – Overseas empires and land-based empires. Economic imperialism – pressure weaker nations for trade terms.
Geopolitical Tensions and Rising Conflict. The Eastern Question (who would control the Ottoman’s territories?), the Great Game (Russia vs Britain over Central Asia), the Scramble for Africa (1880 –1910s – partition of interior Africa by the Europeans – the Berlin Conference (1884-1885)). The Long Peace (1871–1914) with potential for a major conflict – the Triple Alliance (formed in 1881) and the Triple Entente (1907).
Europe. 1815–1848 – arch-conservative reaction after the Napoleonic Wars. Revolution of 1848 (Spring of peoples) à liberalization of political life, Austria and Prussia’ invention of constitutions, Karl Marx’s and Friedrich Engels’s “Communist Manifesto”. The Second (1867) and Third (1885) Reform Acts in the Victorian Britain – the vote to middle- and lower-class males. The Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) à the united Germany. Nationalism à unification of Italy in 1860s and Germany in 1871 (Otto von Bismarck). The Ausgleich (compromise) of 1867 à Austria renamed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Russia was defeated in 1853–56 Crimean War à 1861 emancipation of the serfs. the 1905 Russian Revolution à Parliamentarism (Duma) in the Russian monarchy.
The United States of America. The Monroe Doctrine (1823). The USA won Spanish-American War (1898) à control over Caribbean and Philippine territories. Theodore Roosevelt’s great white fleet (1907–1909). The Louisiana Purchase (1803), the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), Indian wars, the 1867 purchase of Alaska and the annexation of the Hawaiian kingdom in the 1890s. The U.S. Civil War (1861–1865).
Middle East and Central Asia. The Ottoman Empire and 1839 to 1876 Tanzimat reforms – modernization and Westernization. Abdul Hamid II’s Constitution of 1876. The Greek War of Independence (1821– 1832) and The Balkan Crisis of 1876–1878. Young Turks (1908–1914).
South Asia. India: fragmentation of the Mughal Empire. The colonialism of the British East India Company. Colonial administration and army – zamindars and sepoys. 1857-58 Indian Revolt. The Indian National Congress (from 1885).
East Asia. Japan: the conservatism of Tokugawa shogunate. Matthew Perry’s mission and opening Japan for trade (1853). The Meiji Restoration of 1868 – modernization and de-feudalization. Meiji’s Constitution of 1890 à elected parliament. Military expansion of Japan (Formosa (Taiwan), Korea, Manchuria, Sakhalin. The Russo-Japanese War (1904– 1905)).
China. The Qing dynasty (till 1912). Qianlong (1763–95). the White Lotus Rebellion (1796–1804). the First Opium War (1839–1842) and Second Opium War (1856–1860). “Unequal treaties” with Western powers. Hong Kong went to Britain. the Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864).
Africa. The Dutch Boers’ Great Trek (the 1830s) running from the British. The French colonization of Algeria (the 1830s and 1840s). The Scramble for Africa. The Ottomans and the Barbary states in North Africa, Omani Arabs in East Africa.