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the Rush for Colonies
One country’s control of the government and economy of another country or region is known as imperialism. As countries became more industrialized, they needed more raw materials for their factories. New markets for products had to be found. Nationalism led some countries to feel the need for a colonial empire. All of these were factors during the period from 1850 to 1914, which is often called the “Age of Imperialism.”
European Expansion
the British called India the “Jewel in the Crown.” India supplied Britain with tea, coffee, cotton, and other agricultural products. The Dutch controlled a chain of Southeast Asian islands that they called the Dutch East Indies. These islands are now the country of Indonesia. The islands formed one of the richest colonies, however, the Indonesians did not share in this wealth. France had colonies in Indochina, a peninsula in Southeast Asia that includes present–day Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. China became weak during the 1800s and Europe seized regions there. Europeans created spheres of influence where they had special privileges and economic control. Asian people resented these practices and rebelled. In 1900, Boxers in China tried to drive foreigners out of China by attacking the foreign section in Beijing.
The “Scramble for Africa
After 1880, Europeans “scrambled” for colonies in Africa. By 1900, there were only two independent countries on the entire continent. Europeans often put Africans from different cultures in the same colony and forced them to work. Unsuccessful wars for independence took place in the early 1900s. |
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