Imperialism

        Imperialism was used by the western European countries in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Imperialism was the extension of a nation’s power over other lands. The purpose of imperialism was economic gain, rivalries among nations and national greatness. Imperialism, during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, caused war, poverty, and cultural disruption.

        The first effect of Imperialism on the colonial societies was war. An example of war was the Tai Ping Rebellion of 1850-1864 in China. The Tai Ping rebellion was led by Hong Xiuquan who believed that God had given him the mission to destroy the Qing dynasty. He wanted to start a new dynasty because the old one was failing at stopping European invasion. Another example of war was the Peasant revolt in 1930 in Burma. Saya San led a peasant revolt against the British. The British were driving the peasants off of their land, and this angered them. Also, the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 in India was another example of war. A group of Sepoys refused to load their rifles with British cartridges because of their beliefs. The British then humiliated the Sepoys. This angered fellow Sepoy soldiers who then attacked the British.

        The second effect of Imperialism was poverty and starvation within the colonies. In India, the British caused many people to lose their jobs and become poor. British manufacturers put many people out of work. The British also let the Zamindars collect the taxes, but the Zamindars increased the taxes and took land from the peasants. In Africa, Chief Kabongo’s tribe was starving. The British took their land so they could grow cash crops. This caused the tribe to starve because they could not grow food. Similarly, In India, the British made farmers grow cotton. This meant that less food was being grown. As a result, many Indians died from starvation.

        Another effect of Imperialism was a cultural disruption. The British hurt the culture of the Indian people by damaging the Taj Mahal. The British would throw parties at the Taj Mahal. Some people would break off parts of the Taj Mahal and take them home as souvenirs. In Africa, the British caused tension within Chief Kabongo’s tribe. The British prevented young Africans from gaining power. This angered many people. This caused class tension in the tribe. The Opium war in China caused tension in the Chinese government. The Chinese government was unable to prevent the British from importing Opium into China. This angered many people and even caused some rebellions.