Since the beginning of humankind, Africa had always been a difficult continent to colonize. The amount of natural barriers, the rainforest, the climate, and the dry and wet seasons are why Africa wasn’t able to be colonized until the 19th century. The Europeans were first able to colonize Africa in the late 1880’s but, that success didn’t come without many challenges they faced. They had issues with medicine, politics and their economy was failing. In the 1500’s, European colonialists tried to invade Africa in the 1500’s, before being fought off by unified African forces. The Songhai empire and the Mali empire were responsible for the defense against the Europeans. However about 300 years later, the cure to malaria was found in 1832. This drug …show more content…
There were very few technological advancements in Africa that didn’t benefit all demographics of Africa. Only richer people, usually of European descent were able to access western technology. None of the famous inventions like the telegraph, even medicine, weren’t brought to Africa until decades after the rest of world received the technology. Furthermore, the Europeans didn’t want to help them upgrade their medicine because it was easier to politically and socially control them. A reason for this is, “Starting from a base of total ignorance, the imperial resources to disease went through many stages.” Also, “The journey from hap-hazard experimentation to full-blown public health systems was a long and painful one that cost millions of people their lives.” Furthermore, Florence Nightingale proved statistically that her sanitized hospital regimes, which insisted on cleanliness, exercise, and edible food and fresh water were far more effective than the laissez-faire approach of dealing with sickness. The recollection of these experiences points out a huge flaw in Africa. There was no real attempt at treating or solving medical problems in Africa at a low affordable cost. Not to mention, the British were capable of developing vaccines for African natives, they just didn’t because that was their method of keeping African slaves under their ownership. Nowadays, the life expectancy of African natives can be from forty five, to seventy years, all because the British had no interest in helping the locals during imperialism. On the other hand, the cure for malaria was invented in 1832, it was called Quinine, it suppressed pain and helped with other medical concerns as well. However, they never distributed it to everyone, only British
After the civil war, United States took a turn that led them to solidify as the world power. From the late 1800s, as the US began to collect power through Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines, debate arose among historians about American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesinger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority.
Since Africa had many diseases such as malaria, Europeans were able to create drugs to protect themselves from such diseases. Africa was vast, and there was an abundance of different languages and cultures. This made
Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power. The European colonization of Africa brought racism, civil unrest, and insatiable greed; all of which have had lasting impacts on Africa.
After the Civil War, the United States struggled to keep up with other countries in the world. While figuring out how fix the corruption in the American government, the other countries were practicing imperialism. Imperialism is a policy by which strong nations extend their political, military, and economic control over weaker territories. Realizing that we needed to make a change, the United States started working towards the goal of practicing imperialism as well. To do this, our first few targets were Hawaii and Alaska. In 1867, we sought to buy Alaska because they had resources that we wanted, such as lumber and minerals. This was known as Seward’s Folly after the Secretary of State William Seward. In 1898, our desire of Hawaii was fulfilled when they agreed to annexation. However, this was not without struggle. King Kalakaua of Hawaii wanted the white planters to vote, but when he died, his sister, Queen Liliuokalani reversed his decision. She took away the power of whites, which eventually led to her being overthrown with the help of the United States Marines. The Hawaiian people opposed annexation, but when Mckinley became president, Hawaii was declared American territory. Sanford B. Doyle, a white plantation owner who asked for the annexation, became the first governor of Hawaii. This addition into American territory drastically influenced our economy.
American Imperialism has been a part of United States history ever since the American Revolution. Imperialism is the practice by which large, powerful nations seek to expand and maintain control or influence on a weaker country. Throughout the years, America has had a tendency to take over other people 's land. Authors like Frederick Jackson Turner, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Albert J. Beveridge, Mark Twain, and William James all distinctive perspectives on U.S expansion and imperialism at the turn of the 20th century.
Josiah Strong, a reverend and famous Protestant clergyman, wrote in his book, Our Country, about why the United States should support imperialism. He himself is American, but where exactly in America is unknown. It is important that this established, as it makes it easier to understand his motivations for promoting what he thinks are best interests for America. The exact date of this publication is not given, but further research states it is from 1885. At around 1885 was a period of time where imperialism was a concept which was spreading quickly to many large countries, and there were many who supported it in the United States. His book, given the quote, appears to embrace American imperialism for spreading the ideals of the United
Imperialism is when a larger, more powerful nation takes control of smaller, weaker nations. The American idea is for freedom. As a nation the United States promotes the freedom of itself and other countries. America once fought for the freedom from a larger, more powerful nation, so why would the government want to go back on what this country was started on, which was freedom.
Imperialism is a recurring theme in the history of the world. Stronger countries see themselves as superior to other societies and believe their ways are right. They force religion, government, and practices on countless foreign lands. At the very end of the nineteenth
The technical advances in the early and middle part of the 19th century enabled Western European powers to exploit imperial objectives in Africa. Among these advances were the steam engine, extraction of quinine, invention of the telegraph, steal processing and improved weaponry. The steam engine was important in increasing the speed and reliability of transportation. Extracting quinine from the bark of the cinchona tree helped treat malaria; a mosquito borne disease that killed thousands; it was now possible to survive in the interior of Africa. The telegraph was invented in 1837 and allowed fast communication over long
America wanted to expand their foreign policy to help boost their economy. They felt threatened because not only did they have to compete with countries like Germany and Japan to secure access to Chinese markets. The first foreign policy the U.S. had was the Monroe Doctrine, which closed the Western Hemisphere to further colonization from European countries. This secured the U.S. foreign trade with Central America. The American foreign policy warned European nations to stay away from the Western Hemisphere while the U.S. also competed for trade in the Eastern Hemisphere.
In the 19th century Europe underwent imperialism, Europe wanted to take control of different continents one of which was Africa to gain power, civilize the African people and grow the economy of Europe. With intentions to help, the Europeans moved to Africa in order to get the resources that were grown there forcing the Africans native to those regions to move to North and South America (Document 9). By 1885 the amount of people living in Africa had increased due to the amount of Europeans (Spielvogel and McTighe 234). The Europeans took resources and goods from Africa to sell and increase their capital. These reasons changed the way of life for the Africans making them adapt to the changes without being able to fight back. While imperialism
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, people around the world lived with awful conditions, as they lacked more modern innovations. Such innovations included indoor plumbing, roads, and faster means of transportations (Hobson 103). With the Europeans introducing the native people to these types of inventions, it’s clear that positive development ensued, as only good can come from many things that the Europeans had brought with them. Especially in Africa, which came almost completely under European control in 1884 following the Berlin Conference, the territories developed for the better. Indoor plumbing, among many other things brought better sanitations, ultimately leading to less disease (Lynn). Developed roads and faster means of transportation, including steam boats to move goods from continent to continent, meant it was considerably easier to maintain international trade. With faster transportation, Africans were introduced to a number of products that had previously been unavailable, because of the length of time needed to ship them. They were also able to export goods, typically through the European nation that was controlling them, which brought in a new source of income (Said 114). Imperialism often did good for the people living in in areas that were significantly
One such invention was quinine: “Until the mass manufacture of quinine, the Europeans possessed little defence against the malaria that raged throughout the ‘dark continent’” (Document F). Before the Industrial Revolution, many of the potential European colonists in Africa died to the many diseases there. However, the discovery of quinine meant that the European settlers could survive a lot longer in Africa, and therefore colonise more of it. Also, major advancements in military technology, such as “The invention of the machine gun” (Document F) and “A[nd]... innovation[s] in field artillery gave the Europeans the lead over others.” (Document H). Pre-Industrialisation, the native African armies could easily defeat any force the Europeans sent at them. However, after the invention of the machine gun and advancements in artillery, the European armies, small though they were, could now stand a chance against the larger native armies. Finally, the new steam engine made long ocean voyages affordable, and allowed the Europeans easier access to farther parts of Africa; “The combination of iron hulls, high-pressure steam engines, and screw propellers guaranteed the preponderance of steam over sail on almost all long-distance ocean routes.” (Document H). The European nations that had industrialised could now easily transport goods to and from their colonies, cheaper than before. Imperialism in Africa could not have happened without these major technological
In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the
The United States experienced a period of growth and maturation during the twentieth century. Now, this is not to say that this was the only period of growth, but it was a significant time during which the United States began to establish its military force at an international level. By establishing itself during the twentieth century as one of the world’s largest superpowers, America grew to be respected by most of the world’s nations. America also grew to become much more active in foreign affairs, even in ones that had no relation to the nation. The United States began to look for chances to expand their country, as well as opportunities to benefit financially from these territories. Imperialism is the word that best describes the foreign