Imperialism

Imperialism

European Imperialism

flaws in Europe's dominance in the 18th and 19th centuries can easily be noted, especially when examining Asia, Africa, and India; the consequences, in some cases, including death by the thousands. Therefore, due to this and other severe actions during their domination of the world, Europeans should be condemned for their abuses of power.

The first nation which will be discussed is China. England had two major reasons for their interest to civilize China: first, Chinese silver was desired by the empire because of its high value. Second, Britain had a surplus of Opium, a drug grown in India, and it needed vast numbers of people to purchase it. China traded peacefully although reluctantly with Britain, until the government noticed the negative effects of the drug on its people. The opium trade was then outlawed promptly by the Chinese government. The substance, however, was still smuggled into the country. The Chinese government confronted the British regarding the smuggling and this sparked the Opium War. Britain pummeled the inferior naval force and won the altercation. Now, Britain was not only free to corrupt the Chinese people with their opium, but they added a colony to their empire: the large, rich port city of Hong Kong. This abuse of the people for their own personal gain is a clear demonstration of one of the many flaws in European dominance.

The second country that the British Empire abused was Africa, and specifically Sudan. Sudan was not a military, economic, or political threat to Britain. It was blocking, however, British domination of Africa and preventing the gain of more political power for the empire. Therefore, it had to be conquered. The Sudanese population was largely Muslim and resisted English rule. It wanted to be governed by people of the ethnic majority and would fight to the death to rid the world of evil. At first, the rebels were successful. Later, the British incorporated into the war a weapon of mass...

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