Imperialism Part 6: The Sepoy Rebellion

One of the most well-known uprisings during the British colonization of India was a mutiny of the native troops known as sepoys.   When it began on Sunday, May 10, 1857 the Sepoy rebellion was a complete surprise to the British, many of whom were blind to the unrest that had been created. After Britain had gained two-thirds of India's land and imperialism had begun to affect every part of Indian life there was an incredible amount of tension that only needed a small spark to set off a huge revolt. The spark that came to begin this period of revolts was the introduction of the new, more accurate breech-loading Enfield rifle.  The loading of these rifles entailed the biting of a greased cartridge, which the sepoys feared was made with either cow or pig fat. The Hindus in the army held the animals sacred, while the Muslims found them to be unclean.The first event was the bloody uprising at the garrison in Meerut, in which the mutineers murdered every European they found. Throughout May and June the idea of mutiny spread. On July 17 it was discovered that 200 European men, women, and children had been murdered a month earlier in the mutiny and siege at Cawnpore. Suspected mutineers were tied to cannons and executed. In six months, the mutiny had been broken, and, within the next year, British power was restored.

Imperialism Part 5

The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-foreign movement by the Righteous Harmony Society in China between 1898 and 1901, opposing foreign imperialism and Christianity. The uprising took place against a background of severe drought and economic disruption in response to growth of foreign spheres of influence. In response to reports of armed foreign landings and demands, the initially hesitant Empress Dowager Cixi, urged by the conservatives of the Imperial Court, supported the Boxers and on June 21 authorized war on foreign powers.The Eight-Nation Alliance, after being initially turned back, brought 20,000 armed troops to China, defeated the Imperial Army, and captured Beijing on August 14. In the end, the Boxer's were defeated and their empire was absorbed.

The rise of Japan as an Asian power provoked Russia's anxiety, especially in light of expanding Japanese influence in Korea. Following Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1895, Germany and France forced Japan to return territory conquered before in Liaodong, leading to a Sino-Russian alliance. In June 1900, the Chinese bombarded the town of Blagoveshchensk on the Russian side of the Amur, and in retaliation, the Russians killed several thousand Chinese in that town. In retaliation, Boxers destroyed railways and cut lines for telegraphs.By 21 September, Russian troops took Jilin and by the end of the month completely occupied Manchuria.

The Boxer Rebellion and the Russian Invasion of Manchuria are very closely related in history, being part of the same war struggles, but a comparison between the two is a great connection across continents. When looking at these events, it makes it possible to understand the European disposition and it differences with the Asians'. In fact, through the Russian forces, you can see how determined the rest of the world was to have their spheres of influence in China seen through by the death of the Rebellion

Imperialism Part 4

U.S. IMPERIALISM

I myself do not think that the U.S. has been Imperialist but there is evidence for both sides.

Pros for Imperialism:

1)The Examples of the Louisianna Purchase and the government's urgent Manifest Destiny push both provide the basis for belief in an Imperialist America. In these situations, most would say that the country was intended to gain land from the Native Americans for selfish purposes.

2) The induction of Hawaii into the American states is a common example of Imperialism. The country took over the island, regardless of the fact that it was a long distance from its coast, and has kept it ever since.

3)The U.S.' takeover of Central American islands after the Spanish-American War is considered to e extremely Imperialistic by nature. We practically invaded their homes and told them that we were in charge.

Cons for Imperialism:

1)The U.S., while being present in many of these nations, has steered clear of takeover in the Middle East, leaving Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan etc. to continue their governmental control without anything more than their military presence.

2)If the U.S. desired to take more land and create greater spheres of influence, it would have been done already. We have the intelligence, drive, and power to intiate a takeover of any country in the world, but we have not, because we are not truly Imperialistic.

3)The Constitution sets forth a principle that calls for the "consent of the governed." To imperialize, and thus annex other colonies would violate this important aspect of our democracy.

Imperialism Part 3: Current Political Cartoons

This political cartoon and in turn, the author, are very direct in their interpretations of the U.S. government's involvent in world affairs. The American flag is shown swallowing the world whole, possibly the most dramatic representation of Imperialism so that its intentions are seen as manipulative and dictatorial. The Picture does not deal with a specific event so there is no back history to necessarily to go over but the resentment over American global activity is very present. Even though it is an intelligent pictoral portrayal of Imperialism, it doesn't have anny true basis so it ends up not being very persuading. There is no direct insinuation that through some sort of action or event America should be considered Imperialistic, it just say it IS. This is why it is not compelling. It is a child throwing a tantrum over not getting a candy bar as opposed  to an adult who rationalizes the fact that they need to eat food...if that makes sense.

Imperialism Part 2: The "Whimsical" Side of Politics

Political cartoons can be sources of humour, entertainment, scrutiny, public ire, and political insightfulness. Oftentimes, in this medium, they are all one and the same. Here are some political cartoons from the time period that reflect on and poke fun at Imperialism.

1)

This cartoon, published in 1899, portrays Uncle Sam holding his new possessions: Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Hawaii, Cuba, and Ladrones (Guam). The author indicates that the U.S. has been Imperialistic in it "conquests" through the impoverished (and Phillippines' and Landrones' unhappy countenances) stature he portrays the countries in. Sam, while being dressed somewhat embarrassingly, is mostly clothed and the men/boys and barely wearing anything at all, showing that they are quite opposed to the takeover or influence of America. Personally, I think this is a brilliant cartoon, even if I don't necessarily agree with its message. It very accurately depicts the way in which many perceived the bold actions of the American government at the time and the visual representation of Uncle Sam holding up the different countries as if they are savage children is very fitting in its depiction.


2)

This Harper's Weekly cartoon by W. A. Rogers encourages an aggressive American military reaction to the Boxer Rebellion in China.The shock of Japan's defeat of China in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 spurred the Chinese government to initiate reforms and open itself to Western influence. However, the Empress Dowager, Tz'u-hsi, and many other Chinese favored traditional ways, so the reforms were only implemented in one province. The Western powers took advance of this period of turmoil to carve up China into their own spheres of influence. During the Boxer Revolt of Peking, McKinley sent 2500 troops to repress the situation there and was labelled "Imperialistic" because of it. This hadn't happened at the time that the cartoon was illustrated however. The author inteded to wind people up to the crises in China  by portraying the Boxers as weak and sporadically insane, next to the gentleman-ly stature of Uncle Sam preparing to sail his forces to put down the uprising. I think that this work is very important in the span of history that it occupies. I'm not enitrely sure how influential the cartoon was itself, but it is very striking and straighforward in its message. I'm sure many people supported military mobilization because of this.

Imperialism Part 1

     This blog, under the direction of Maz, will serve to explain/discuss/evaluate the many sides of Imperialism and how it is involved in Chapter 25 in A History of Western Society, as well as the world today. The chapter itself details the time between 1815 and 1914 when industrialization had led to innovation, invention, and imperialism. As the empires of the European markets expanded and the populous overflowed out of the continent, no country was left untouched by the influence of Westernization. Yet some, meaning those under practical enslavement, had the age of Imperialism off a little worse than others.

An essential question for thought: Though this may be over a century in the past, is Imperialism still a concept that is used and expressed today.

Yes, in many ways Imperialism is still active and arguably ubiquitous. Many individuals and groups even consider America's reputation as a country of freedom to be based on the political, economic, and social domination that is Imperialism. Though this is a subject of strong debate, there is no doubt that even within the past thirty five years there have been instances of governmental takeover by outside forces, spheres of influence.