Should imperialism be condemned?

Yes, imperialism should be condemned absolutely

No, despite the cost of

imperialism, it should
not be condemned
because it provided
some great benefits

- Imperialism is driven by selfish desires of the imperializing

- Modern technology:
power
sanitation, medicine, better
o Imperialism was often for economic motives. The
systems of transportation
imperializing power (country) desired to make more money,
and communication
expand and control trade, find new markets for their products,
(infrastructure) this
buy cheap raw materials for the productions, and find cheap
helped improve the quality
labor to make their products. Everything is for money. (packet p.
of life for the people
12)
- Improved education and
o King Leopold II of Belgium said, I do not want to miss a good
knowledge (science &
medicine) this helped the
chance of getting us a slice of this magnificent African cake.
quality of life for many
(imperialism quote chart) This is showing how imperializing
people.
powers only wanted to take these lands for selfish desire.
Having a a slice of this magnificent African cake would make
- Cultural exchange: cultures
Leopold and Belgium very rich and powerful.
got to meet and learn about
o Imperializing powers only wanted to seek the riches and
each other and exchange
resources in the country that they conquered because they
their knowledge.
knew that these natural resources would make them a lot of
money. For example, in the Congo had a lot of rubber (packet p. - Encourages countries to self35), Hawaii had a lot of sugar cane (packet p. 37), and South
improve. For example, Japan
Africa had lots of diamonds (packet p. 18) all things that would
was able to rise up and
make them very rich. As a result
become a super power.
many Western imperialist nations would trick and/or
scam Africans and Asians into signing away of their land
or natural resources. According to Louise L Snyder, Some
time ago a party of men came to my country They asked
me for a place to dig gold, and said they would give me
certain things for the right to do so A document was
written I asked what it contained, and was told that in it
were my wordsI put my hand to it [signed it] After three
monthsI heardthat I had given the rights to all the
minerals of my country. (packet p. 30)
The Dutch government would force the Javanese people
to only sell their cash crop them at a fix price. They
farmers usually only got enough money so that that they
would not starve (packet p. 30)
o

Imperialism is motivated by the imperializing powers

desire to have more powermilitary, political and economic
power. The imperializing power wanted to claim more territories
because more territory means more military strength, national
pride, and money. (packet pg. 12) The reason why these
countries wanted more military, political and economic power is
that they were competing (rivalry) with other imperializing
powers. They all wanted to be the most powerful nation. (cost

benefits of imperialism notes)

o

Imperialism is motivated by the imperializing powers

desire to have more power. Cecil Rhodes, a British
businessman who came to South Africa and became very
wealthy because of the diamond and gold mines there said, For
its own sake, I do not care for money, I want power. This quote
is showing the Wests true intentions in Africa and Asia. It was
not to help these people but to gain more power.

- Imperialism is driven by racism and violence

o Social Darwinism is the scientific explanation to justify the gap
between the rich and poor. It was an idea created in the 19 th
century to justify that there are certain people who are more
naturally more superior to others. The naturally superior people
have the right to dominate over the inferior people. (packet pg.
5)
o Some social Darwinist justified imperialism on the basis
that the imperial powers were naturally superior and their
control over other nations was in the best interest of human
evolution. (packet pg. 5)
o According to Cecil Rhodes, a British businessman, he says that
his people, the British are, the first race in the world and the
more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race
(Cecil Rhodes, 1877) He believed that his people, the British
were the most superior, so they should control all of Africa.
o The poem, The White Mans Burden, by Rudyard Kipling
talks about how European/Western have a burden to help
civilize non-European/non-Westerner, this is shown in this quote,
take up the White Mans burdento serve your captives
needs. The poem also shows how the West viewed these
people as savages, flutter folk and wildnew caught, sullen
people, Half devil and half child
o Africans and Asians are given little to no rights because
they are viewed as savages. For example, in the Congo, the
Belgians did not see the Congolese people as humans but just
workers. They would kidnap the women and force the men to
work for them. Those that did not find enough rubber were
beaten or had their hands chopped off. (packet p. 29)
o The West created human zoos. They were like regular zoos
but for humans, particularly people from the lands that they
conquered and imperialized. For example, King Leopold would
have human zoos of Congolese people. (packet p. 29) By putting
people into zoos, you are reducing these people to animals.
They are no longer humans anymore.
o The US Senator Albert Beveridge from Indiana states, God has
made us the master organizers of the world to establish systems
where chaos reigns. (imperialism quote chart) What the
Senator is saying is that he believes that the US was made
superior by God, the master organizers so they have the
right to govern all others and help bring peace and order
to chaos (disorder).
o US President William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt justifies

the conquering of the Philippines to help the Philippines.

Mckinley said, The American flag has not been planted on
foreign soil to acquire more territory but for humanitys sake.
While Roosevelt said, The guns that thundered off Manilla and
Santiago left us echoes of glory, but they also left us a legacy of
duty. (imperialism quote chart)
- Imperialism dehumanizes people. People in conquered lands are
enslaved or treated like slaves. In the picture of an open-shalf
diamond mine in Kimberley, South Africa in 1872, it shows how
South Africans are forced to work in the mines for the West. The
image shows how the South Africans are being beaten, stepped on
and bullied by their European overseer. (packet p. 18) The picture
of South Africans bringing ivory to the wagons in South Africa, c.
1860 also shows how these people are being forced to find and
bring back precious natural resource to Europeans. (packet p. 20).
The West also created human zoos where they put Asians and
Africans on display like animals in a zoo. This was humiliating and
dehumanizing. (packet p. 29)
- People lose the right to rule or control their own government
under imperialism. Under imperialism, the imperializing power
would control a country either direct or indirectly. (packet p. 16)
- Imperialism creates the destruction of native culture and way
of life. Traditional family, village life, cultural and religious
practices or belief is erase. (cost and benefits lecture notes) For
example, Western imperialism often forces the people they
conquered to convert their religion, accept and learn Western
culture and ideas because the West felt that their culture, religion
and ideology was superior. (packet p. 13)
- Imperialism creates the destruction of native culture and way
of life. Japan had to give up many of its traditional ways and adopt
Western culture, ideas, values, and technology to compete with the
West. Japan did become a imperializing power but at the cost of
losing some of it old native way of life. (packet p. 39)
- Imperialism caused widespread famine or starvation because
conquered countries were forced to grow cash crop or enslaved so
they could not grow their own food to eat. For example, the Congo
(packet p. 29) and Indochina (packet p. 37).
- Imperialism caused a lot of violence and warfare. In the 1900s,
when the Western nations came to conquer Asia and Africa, they
had superior technology and weapons. (Industrial Revolution notes)
This killed many people because people did not just sit around and
let the West conquered them. They fought back fiercely. It was also
violent because the West treated the people of Asia and Africa
horribly.
- Imperialism caused many long-term issues in the countries
after the imperialist power are gone, such as

Population decrease because of much of the population

would die off due to starvation, forced labor or cruel and violent
treatment. This happened to the people in the Congo. (packet p.
29)
There is a large income/wealth gap between the West
versus Africa and the East. Europe and the United Statesthe
imperializing power because more wealthy while many countries
in Asia and Africa are still struggling. (cost and benefits of
imperialism notes)
Imperialism causes ethic tension. For example, in Rwanda,
imperializing power (the Belgians) favored one group of people
over another and so that created many problems when the
Belgians left. The resentment and anger caused between the
Hutus and Tutsi as a result of imperialism would cause genocide
(packet p. 48)