Imperialism was at its height from 1870-1925, a time in which 80% of the Earth’s land was under imperial control. Arguably, Britain is the most infamous nation in terms of colonisation, where at its precipice, ruled 20% of the world’s population and was the biggest empire in history. It was also at this time that contemporary Geography was attempting to carve a place for itself as a discipline amongst other subjects, to be taken seriously amongst scholars, academic institutions, societies, and governments. Geography in the Victorian era found its footing within theories like Environmental Determinism and literally applied Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ to societies as a way of sorting people in a hierarchical manner to differentiate them …show more content…
One such institution that was responsible for deeply influencing the path which Victorian Geography took was the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). The RGS was founded in 1830 and consisted of elite white men who would fit the highest hierarchal rank of social construct at that time. It’s important to recognise the characteristics of the members of the RGS as it explains why many of the advocates for the society supported British Imperialism. One supports a cause if they benefit from it, and the expansion of the British Empire meant white men would be more powerful than ever. Perhaps this explains the reason why the RGS grew exponentially, from having 460 fellows in 1830 to 4,000 fellows in 1900. To further prove my point, I would like to point out that women were not admitted until 83 years after the society was founded. What this shows is that a young subject like Geography, that only became a university discipline in 1874 was shaped by the views of such powerful institutions that only presented a small group of people’s views, skewing the discipline. Heffernan explains in his essay the importance of the role of Geography in war, especially from 1914-1919 as revealed by the activities of institutions such as the RGS. The RGS were responsible for collecting foreign maps and related information on the military resources and topography of other countries to facilitate British imperial expansion around the world. For example, they produced a modified 1:1 million map of Europe which was designed and used as an important strategic and geopolitical device during war. This meant the RGS gained importance throughout the war and had a key role in influencing political decisions related to British expansionist policies
This shows that the British upper class or elite, were primarily interested in making large imperialistic investments due to the fact that they knew it was in their economic interest to do so. By doing so they would allow themselves to profit from their investments. Much like our government and private investors do today with oil in the mid east. : (
In the video “Guns, Germs, and Steel: Episode 3”, the relationship between geography and history is examined and, to no surprise, it is extremely strong. In fact, it may arguably be the strongest determining factor of a nation’s success. It is also important to note that geography is one of the most important factors in shaping a nation’s culture and way of life. This means that a nation who is successful in their own geography may not be as successful in one that is very different from what they are used to. Europe’s dominance over Africa is a fantastic example of this.
The British imperialism is a negative impact on political, economic and social of Indian. The British controlled the government and made the Indians pay unfair taxes, grow cash crops and increased the frequency and severity of famines and manipulation of the cloth market. The British also wouldn’t let all Indians learn English. Why did the British do this to the Indians? The Indians politics had a negative Impact because the British controlled the government and made the Indians pay unfair taxes.
Many factors influenced the development of the British colonies in North America. These factors may include government, religion, and geography. However, for the 17th century in particular, it is not true that geography was the primary factor in shaping the development of the colonies.
Would you like if someone came into your house and start changing everything you do? Well, that is what the British did to India but on a bigger scale. The British thought that Indian had a lot of resources, which it did it was called “Jewel in the crown.” So, they came in and started changing their political, economic, and social ways of life. There were some positives and some negative to what happens when the British control India. This was a negative effect of India because they had no responsibility in their government, forced to grow cash crops, and learning the English language. Although I believe it was negative, some people believe it was a positive effect on India.
The American Revolutionary War started in 1977. It began because of an open conflict between the thirteen colonies and Great Britain. The
1. What is ‘imperialism’? How did 19th-century colonialism, empire building, high imperialism differ from those of earlier times: in particular from the colonialism of early- modern mercantilism (16th to18th centuries)?
Before the Europeans began the New Imperialism in Africa, very little was known about the inner parts of the continent. However, after some explorers delved deeper into the heart of Africa, the Europeans soon realized how economically important this area was, and how much they could profit from it. At the time, Britain had only small occupations of land in Africa, but after they realized that they could make money from the rich resources from the inner regions of Africa, they wanted to invade the African countries and take over. This led to the scramble and ultimately, the partition of Africa. During the Age of Imperialism, from 1870-1914, Britain was a major country, which proved to be true in
British imperialism had a negative impact on the politics and economics of india because the British were running the country for their own good and not for the good of the indians. In contrast the British had customs that ultimately ended up benefiting the Indians.
The English colonies were an extremely diverse group; each with its own culture, geography, and purpose. All of these things influenced the colony as a whole, but the geography and the purpose of the colony is what really stands out. This “essay” will dissect each of the colonies and see how geography and purpose affect the development of the colony as well as how it led to its present iteration. As each of the 13 colonies have very diverse histories, this essay might omit useless details of minor colonies, such as Connecticut’s state tree being Charter Oak. Our dissection of the colonies begins with the Southern Colonies.
Geography is an important factor to consider when you look at this worlds past, present, or future. So whether it be the earths physical geographic features, the geopolitics stirring up trouble across the globe, or the economics of growing or shrinking countries; geography plays a major role. In todays society, geographic knowledge is one of the most important and valuable tools to possess. Without it, we are victims of ignorance and endanger ourselves, others, and the world. This ignorance, possessed by many, is posing a great risk of self-destruction. The author of “Why Geography Matters More Than Ever”, Harm de Blij, makes many strong points on this matter, but occasionally makes unsupported and unclear statements which tend to stray off topic.
1. The political motivations for English imperialism were made on country that is craving to succeed in power, to increase their land, to have an armed force, to achieve respect by captivating colonies, and increase pride and security countrywide. The Pilgrims left England to North America because they were seeking freedom from religious oppression from King James I. Even though most of them died during the cross over, the few that made it settle very quickly with the help of the Native Americans. These groups of people were very religious and wanted to keep their faith alive. Their leaders in England did not tolerate it so they decide to leave England to a place where can freely express their religion. (U.S History, 2008-2016)
Much of my passion for Geography is derived from the fact that it depicts relevance to all aspects of society. It is dynamic in a sense that my perception and understanding is constantly evolving with the growth in understanding and perception. What intrigues my further pursuit of geography is how Geography unlike other subjects has direct links to both human and physical attributes. By further pursuing geography at a higher education level, I wish to enrich my understanding of the wider significance of issues being faced and how it affects society on a local and global level. It is important to identify and understand the interconnecting aspects of the world around us and apply such knowledge towards a more sustainable future. Geography
Human geography is defined as “The study of interrelationships between people, places and environment and how these vary spatially and temporally across and between locations” (Castree, Kitchin and Rogers, 2013). It looks at how society shapes the environment and vice versa. Although physical geography and human geography are separate fields they both concentrate on spatial processes; physical geography more on the natural and physical sciences and human geography on the way in which human lives are shaped by processes in nature (Castree et al., 2013). A key principle of