British Colonization Of China And Africa

Beginning with the creation of the East India Company and a brief history, we can see how the British East India Company became successful. “Founded on 31 December 1600, and chartered by Queen Elizabeth, the English company was one among several European trading ventures that sought to tap the riches of the ‘East’.” (Metcalf, 44, DQ). Among others including the French and Dutch, the British wished to get their share of

The British Empire was an empire on which the sun never set. Lasting for over three hundred years, Britain became the global hegemonic power of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From the wilds of Australia, to the fertile lands of Africa, the British Empire ruled over a quarter of the world’s population. With the empire ever expanding, visual and material culture became relied upon to help consolidate the empire. Overall, whether an advertisement for soap, or the funeral for Dr. Livingstone, visual and material culture was at the forefront of British imperialism.

In the late 1800’s and early 19th century, strong countries like Britain, France, and Germany became imperialist powers in the world. Most of these countries were industrialized and hungry to grow their economies and territory so they looked upon weaker and smaller countries with great resources they could take advantage of. Although colonizing these countries was tremendously beneficial to the imperialist powers, there were many consequences to the people of the countries that were colonized during this time period. Powers such as Great Britain, had much affect upon the countries that they colonized such as India and parts of West Africa. Their colonization of these countries changed the world in which these people lived in and affected these colonies negatively, by obstructing culture, opposing ways to live upon people, and creating racial oppression, and exploitation of resources and labor; all for personal gain.

Africa had been known as the ‘dark continent’ considering Europeans knew little of its culture or background. Europeans sought control over Africa because of its natural resources and plantation. By 1914 almost all of Africa was colonized by Europeans, with Britain and France being the biggest colonizers. The imperialization in Africa by European countries have had a significant impact on the continent and its indigenous people. The colonization of African countries has had a negative effect, as the native Africans were treated poorly in the Belgian Congo, resources were exploited for the benefit of the Europeans and African culture was lost.

From 1688 to 1918, the British Empire was formed. At its peak, it was the largest empire in history. With 59 territories ranging from Egypt to Canada, it held sway over 14 million people. It was “the empire on which the sun never sets,” for the sun was always shining on at least one of its many territories. Britain was known as the “workshop of the world,” with a rise in population, wealth, inventions, and much more.

I chose the above mentioned article for my research that describes the British Empire in Africa. The expansion of the British Empire in Africa began in 1880. In less than 40 years, it had “control over 458 million people and 25% of the world’s land.”(1). After a long time of colonization, the British rule finally ended in 1981. Its rule ended because it could not maintain such a big Empire and Africans were fighting for their independence.

Steven Wright had once said, "The sun never sets on the British Empire. But it rises every morning. [...]" The British empire grew so extensive that there was always at least one part of its territory that was in daylight. How did the British manage to colonize quarter of the world? They owe their thanks to the Industrial Revolution which is a new era of development and progress that evolved after the Agricultural Revolution in the late 1700s. New machines and methods were invented; new ideas were discovered to produce goods in huge masses, increase trade and boost the economy. According to experts, “[...] rather than a national phenomenon, industrialization is actually a regional phenomenon” (Mercadal). In other words, nations that undergo industrialization are not homogenous, and industrial regions do not develop equally within their borders. Therefore, England was the first country to go through this massive change and experience the material benefits and social costs of industrialization for many decades. By the 1780s, the British Industrial Revolution, which had been developing for several decades, began to further accelerate. Manufacturing, business, and the number of wage laborers skyrocketed, starting a trend that would continue into the first half of the 19th century. England's early industrial lead had multiple causes: an abundant labor supply, strong domestic and overseas markets, plentiful capital, a sound banking system, good transportation, rich coal deposits,

By the late 1700s, industrially made goods were gaining popularity in Europe. With all of the factories, the British needed resources to continue making all of the products that were in high demand. In the early 1700s, India’s government was falling apart. With their political vulnerability and great climate for growing crops, India was ideal territory for the British to take advantage of. The East India Company, a British company, took workers and land after victoriously beating India in the Battle of Plassey. Over time the company gained control of more and more land. When Britain took control of India, they set up a new government, opened up trade with other countries, made efforts to preserve the environment, and reduced the

In 1870 the beginning of African’s colonization commenced. The country faced aggression, Military invasion, and colonization. Natives made an effort to resist foreign influence but were unsuccessful. In the early twentieth century, most of Africa was conquered excluding Ethiopia and Liberia. European imperialist push into Africa was motivated by three main factors, economic, political, and social (Iweriebor, 2002). Was the canalization of Africa beneficial to the continent? Foreign influence from Western Countries was not an advantage to Africa since this influence affected the nation’s education, conviction and created division.

Imperialism was largely practiced by Europe in the nineteenth century, and was widely accepted all around the world. Britain, France and Germany were the main imperialist powers in Africa; as all of these countries were in a constant struggle to become the most powerful, to have the most riches, and control over high abundances of the natural resources of Africa. Most Europeans felt that Imperialism was necessary for successful improvements in the economy, and all classes supported it and were benefitted by it. During the nineteenth century, most countries in Europe wanted to expand their power and trading outlets. The colonization of Africa was a huge milestone for Europe because they could have more shipping ports, more land, and more power.

Beginning with the creation of the East India Company and a brief history, we can see how the British East India Company became successful. “Founded on 31 December 1600, and chartered by Queen Elizabeth, the English company was one among several European trading ventures that sought to tap the riches of the ‘East’.” Among others, including the French and Dutch, the British wished to get

Without the British Empire’s dependence on slavery in the Americas, the Industrial Revolution as it is known today along with the capitalist system would not exist. Historians Carter and Warren and Marks both argue that the triangular trade network between Britain, the Americas, and Africa was responsible for supplying the resources necessary, along with creating a demand for manufactured goods, that allowed Britain to break free from the “biological old regime.” Burbank and Cooper also argue that due to Britain’s unique ability to connect its imperial colonies and their output to mainland Britain without forcing Britain to devote its land or labor force to resource production, capitalism was able to take hold in the industrial world. Therefore, without the slave-holding colonies of the British Empire acting as a catalyst, it would not have been possible for mainland Britain to industrialize in the method it did. This system of slavery created the supply and demand needed to fuel the Industrial Revolution, through trade and exports. Additionally, it allowed the labor force of mainland Britain to devote their labor towards manufacturing rather than resource production, creating the capitalist system of the Industrial Revolution. Finally, it provided a way for Britain to break free from the limits of the “biological old regime” and the need to allocate land for resource production or food, rather, it allowed Britain to focus on industrial innovation.

Soon after the discovery of the Americas in 1492, various European powers raced to colonize the New World in order to accumulate more wealth, become a global power, and spread religion. The four most powerful and prominent empires that colonized the Americas were the Spanish, British, Dutch, and French. The British colonies attracted far more immigrants than the others because the British colonies were allowed freedom of religion as compared to the strictly Catholic French, the Spanish poor relations with the native population, and the Dutch colony quickly eroded because of poor government.

The tension between the national and the international is essential to understanding the very nature of imperialism. The 19th century marked an era of “Pax Britannica”, where Great Britain was the world hegemon, unrivaled at sea, marking the height of British economic and imperial power. Britain’s power was rooted in its prized national economic system of capitalism and free enterprise. This capitalist empire ushered in a paradoxical British monopoly on world trade as well as wealth and progress on the Isles. However, Britain’s economy and survival involved a dependency on foreign trade, and its most important possession, India. During the late Victorian Era, this global, informal trade empire began to decline, setting the British government on a quest to secure the nation’s global economic assets and status accumulated at its height. Thus, its expansionist policy during the late Victorian Era were centered around preserving its unraveling, old “empire of trade and influence,” with a new empire of occupation and annexation, most prominently in Africa. Due to Britain’s parasitic dependency on global trade, the decline of Britain's informal empire led to the pre-emptive expansionist policies of the late Victorian era.

The European and British traders initially came to India for trading purposes. The Industrial Revolution in Britain led to the increase in demand for raw materials for the factories there and at the same time they also required a market to sell their finished products. India provided such a platform to Britain to fulfill its needs. There was great political unrest within the country during the 18th century and with the declining power of the Mughals, the British officials gained an opportunity to get hold of the Indian subcontinent. This was followed by a rapid expansion of British power through the greater part of the Indian subcontinent in the early 19th century. By the middle of the century the British had already gained direct or indirect control over almost all of the region. British India, consisting of the directly-ruled British presidencies and provinces, was established and contained the most populous and valuable parts of the British Empire