Imperialism in Asia India & China

Imperialism in Asia The Crusades & Age of Exploration caused interest in Asia because of the exotic goods like silk, spices, & gold Asia was the “treasure box” for explorers & imperialists: In the 1500s, European trade with Asia began In the 1800s, European imperialism in Asia began

Change Over Time: World Imperialism

India—the Jewel of the British Empire

Imperialism in India During the Renaissance, the British East India Company became the richest & most powerful company in world by controlling trade in India England gained so much trade in India that England used its force to rule most of India by 1857 The East India Company had its own army of Indian soldiers called Sepoys & a royal governor

Indian Nationalism The impact of British Imperialism in India: Good: England built railroads, telegraphs, sewer & water systems, hospitals, & schools Bad: England did not allow Indians to govern themselves; forced India to trade only with England, & converted farms to cotton plantations

Indians hired by England to serve as soldiers The Sepoy Mutiny In 1857, the Sepoy soldiers rebelled against the British when they heard rumors that the bullets they were using were coated with animal (cow or pig) fat The Sepoy Mutiny was crushed by the British army but revealed hostility between Indians & British Indians hired by England to serve as soldiers

The Good: Creating Hospitals & Teaching Nursing Famine victims, India, late nineteenth century. The staggering death toll from famine in Victorian India – about 7 million in the 1876-78 famine alone – was the result of the British policy of exporting food from India and collecting harsh taxes even in times of serious drought. The grain imports in Britain were to improve British diets and simultaneously keep grain prices stable. ( The Bad: About 7 million Indians died during the famine of 1876 when the British forced India to grow cotton instead of food The Good: Creating Hospitals & Teaching Nursing

Indian Nationalism In 1885, Indians demanded self rule & created the Indian National Congress to gain more control over governing India Led by Mahatma Gandhi, India finally gained its independence in 1947

Imperialism in China

Imperialism in China In the 1500s, China was an advanced & powerful empire that was not interested in Western ideas or trade but grew weak from 1644 to 1912 due to European imperialism England traded opium (a drug like heroin) for Chinese tea, silk, porcelain which destroyed the Chinese population

Opium in China

Imperialism in China The Chinese government was so upset, they went to war against in England in 1842 (called the Opium Wars) England won & forced China to sign a series of unequal trade treaties: England gained Hong Kong Gained extraterritoriality Gained spheres of influence English merchants can ignore Chinese laws England gained exclusive trade rights in certain ports British control of Hong Kong ended in 1997 ()

China Chopped & Changed Other European countries used China’s loss in the Opium Wars to gain spheres of influence in China The USA didn’t get sphere of influence in China so it suggested an Open Door Policy in 1899—China should be open to all nations for trade

What can China do about foreigners? What can China do about this? Some wanted self-strengthening (adopting Western ideas & using them to make the Chinese army & gov’t stronger) Some chose to rebel against these foreigners (Like the Boxer Rebellion in 1901 to get rid of all foreigners)

What can China do about foreigners? Sun Yat-sen tried to modernize China: He promoted rebelling against foreigners Creating a democracy Increasing Chinese industry In 1912, a new Chinese Republic was formed & Sun Yat-sen became its 1st president