The concept of new imperialism emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century, and led to the creation of modern empires, primarily situated in Europe. European imperialist expansion was fueled by three factors: the industrialization of society, the national competition for power, and the development of scientific racism. European imperialism primarily targeted the continent of Africa, but also extended to other areas such as India and the Middle East. Imperial conquest was justified by the notion of the “civilizing mission,” or as Rudyard Kipling phrased it, “white man’s burden,” by which European powers felt an obligation to civilize archaic nations through means of imperialism. This ideology assumed the underdeveloped country was absent
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Imperial conquest of Africa began with the Berlin Conference, a meeting of thirteen European powers in November of 1884 to divide African territory among the European powers, and by 1912, all of Africa except for Ethiopia and Liberia was in European hands. The conquering of nations was justified by the civilizing mission, and led to the development of the notion that Europeans were inherently superior to Africans. This mindset is seen in Jules Ferry’s speech to the French Chamber of Deputies on March 28, 1884, in which he asserts that “the higher races have a right over the lower races [...] because they have the duty to civilize the inferior races.” Ferry was known for promoting the expansion of the French empire, and as prime minister of France, he was required to look out for his country’s interests, not the interests of the people in Africa. He further goes on to say that “European nations acquit themselves with generosity, with grandeur, and with sincerity of this superior civilizing duty.” For European powers, the civilizing mission was an alibi for conquering African nations and exploiting their resources; thus, Ferry wholeheartedly accepts the “burden” of civilizing Africans. However, Ferry is an outsider to the harmful effects of …show more content…
For example, Europeans “seized land and resources from the Algerians” during the French occupation of Algeria. John G. Paton, a Protestant missionary to the New Hebrides Islands of the South Pacific, in a letter in 1883 states that a primary reason Britain annexed the South Sea Islands is because they are “very rich in soil and in tropical products, and will become rich sources of tropical wealth.” Britain seeks to strip the islands away of their resources and use them for their own economies, rather than promoting the economies of the islands. However, as Paton was a Protestant missionary, he might have believed that imperialism was beneficial to the people in the colonies due the spread of Christianity which supposedly civilized natives, and thus he may be biased to reflect the positives of imperialism. John A. Hobson corroborates the notion that European nations utilized the resources of African nations for the benefit of their own economies; in his book, Imperialism, in 1948, Hobson argues how Britain relied on “undeveloped countries, chiefly in the tropics, where vast populations lived capable of growing economic needs which could be utilized” for the advancement of Britain. John A. Hobson was a prominent English economist and social scientist, but was a notorious critic of imperialism, and thus,
Imperial conquest of Africa began with the Berlin Conference, a meeting of thirteen European powers in November of 1884 to divide African territory among the European powers, and by 1912, all of Africa except for Ethiopia and Liberia was in European hands. The conquering of nations was justified by the civilizing mission, and led to the development of the notion that Europeans were inherently superior to Africans. This mindset is seen in Jules Ferry’s speech to the French Chamber of Deputies on March 28, 1884, in which he asserts that “the higher races have a right over the lower races [...] because they have the duty to civilize the inferior races.” Ferry was known for promoting the expansion of the French empire, and as prime minister of France, he was required to look out for his country’s interests, not the interests of the people in Africa. He further goes on to say that “European nations acquit themselves with generosity, with grandeur, and with sincerity of this superior civilizing duty.” For European powers, the civilizing mission was an alibi for conquering African nations and exploiting their resources; thus, Ferry wholeheartedly accepts the “burden” of civilizing Africans. However, Ferry is an outsider to the harmful effects of …show more content…
For example, Europeans “seized land and resources from the Algerians” during the French occupation of Algeria. John G. Paton, a Protestant missionary to the New Hebrides Islands of the South Pacific, in a letter in 1883 states that a primary reason Britain annexed the South Sea Islands is because they are “very rich in soil and in tropical products, and will become rich sources of tropical wealth.” Britain seeks to strip the islands away of their resources and use them for their own economies, rather than promoting the economies of the islands. However, as Paton was a Protestant missionary, he might have believed that imperialism was beneficial to the people in the colonies due the spread of Christianity which supposedly civilized natives, and thus he may be biased to reflect the positives of imperialism. John A. Hobson corroborates the notion that European nations utilized the resources of African nations for the benefit of their own economies; in his book, Imperialism, in 1948, Hobson argues how Britain relied on “undeveloped countries, chiefly in the tropics, where vast populations lived capable of growing economic needs which could be utilized” for the advancement of Britain. John A. Hobson was a prominent English economist and social scientist, but was a notorious critic of imperialism, and thus,