Why It Was That Europe Colonized Asia and Africa in the Nineteenth Century - Assignment Example

Assignment: Essay (Business) Topic: Explain why it was that Europe colonised Asia and Africa in the nineteenth century, rather than Asia and Africa colonising Europe Student’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Introduction Industrial revolution dominated the European society during the nineteenth century but the latter half of the century saw imperialism taking over. Imperialism that began in in the 1870s, saw European states acquire vast empires mainly in Africa and also in Asia and Middle East (Tamaqua, 2015). Europe experienced a second industrial revolution between 1870 and 1914 which hastened the rate at which change was occurring in science, technology and industry. This enhanced economic growth in Europe at a rate that was only exceptional to Europe. Steel production was improved and this had a tremendous change as it enhanced ship building and transportation. During this time there was also the development and establishment of railways, internal combustion engines and electrical power generation. The economy of Europe was booming hence the need to new avenues to expand. This expansion ideology was also accelerated by political desires that were linked to national greatness and social and religious motives that accelerated the western society imposing their superiority on the so thought “backward’ societies. Thus, through military force, economic rewards and annexation, European countries invaded Africa and Asia, Britain taking the lion’s share (Tamaqua, 2015). This essay will explain why it was easy for Europe to colonise Africa and Asia and not the other way round. Why it was that Europe colonised Asia and Africa The compelling factors for Europe to take over Asia and Africa include, but not limited to the following; 1. Economic reasons The second industrial revolution of 1870s meant that Europe produced more than it can sell locally. Hence the need to spread wings globally. Due to industrial revolution, businessmen and bankers had more capital that needed investment and investing it in the global arena could prove more profitable. There was also the need for cheap labour and constant supply of raw materials like manganese for steel industry, oil and rubber. Hence there was aneed for these industrialised European countries to take control of these unexplored avenues. In order for these Europe countries to have direct control of these unexplored areas it had to set base in these areas, Africa and Asia (Tamaqua, 2015; Eder and Roberts, 2010, p.232). The end of slave trade in Europe in the nineteenth century left the gap for commerce between Europe, Africa and Asia (Boddy-Evans, 2015). This prompted the invasion of Europe into Africa and parts of Asia. Many raw materials that were important to the manufacturing industries in Europe; manganese, tin, petroleum, gold, coal, silver to fibre were native to areas like Indonesia, Malaysia, West Africa and North Africa as well as the parts of south and east Africa, the Europeans were compelled to take control of these lands that produced such materials to guarantee uninterrupted supply of such materials. Hence they had to set up colonies in Asia and Africa in order to maintain the stability that would protect their investments or so they thought (Eder and Roberts, 2010; p.232). 2. Way ahead in technology than the rest of the world European medicinal discoveries and technological advances contributed to Europeans penetrating deeply into Africa and Asia. Malaria was a deadly disease that was confined to Africa. This threatened the Europeans into getting into Africa and even if they did, they wouldn’t dare visit the interior regions. But with advances in medicine in Europe there was the discovery of quinine. Two French scientists, Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaime Caventou, in 1817 extracted quinine, a prophylactic drug for malaria, from the South American cinchona tree. This was a solution to the problem of malaria which impeded Europeans from travelling into Africa and parts of Asia. The Europeans could now comfortably invade these parts without any fear of malaria because they were equipped with quinine. Thus the Europeans were now able to firmly root themselves in Africa and Asia (Saylor Foundation, 2011, p.1; Boddy-Evans, 2015). Quinine made it possible for the Europeans to survive tropical diseases and travel into the mosquito-infested interiors of Africa and Asia (Tamaqua, 2015). There were reserves of minerals and other raw materials required by factories in Europe in such areas as Indonesia, Malaysia and Africa but the technology of exploiting those reserves was lacking. Europe emerged as the only area where such technologies existed at the time and was way ahead in terms of advancement. So the Europeans invaded those areas with their technology. And because the technology wasn’t cheap they had to set colonies in those regions to ensure that what they had so far invested in terms of technology was safeguarded from takeover (Eder and Roberts, 2010, pp.232-233). There was also the invention of the steamboat that enabled the western powers to travel into Asia and Africa. This coupled with the discovery of the telegraph enhanced the mobility of the Europeans and made it possible for them to quickly respond to threats threatening their dominance (Tamaqua, 2015). This gave them an edge as far as conquering Africa and Asia is concerned. 3. Military innovations and military reasons for invasion In terms of military superiority, Europe by the nineteenth century was ahead of the rest particularly Africa and Asia. There were key innovations in the military that afforded Europe a massive boost, the first being capping of cartridges in that what previously came as a separate bullet, powder and wadding now came a single package hence easy to transport and relatively waterproof. The other innovation that gave Europe a cutting edge was the breach loading rifle which had two to four times the rate of fire compared to those possessed by Africans and Asians. The older guns that were possessed by Africans and Asians were front loaders and would only be loaded while standing but the breach riffles in the hands Europeans would be loaded at any position (Boddy-Evans, 2015). This aspect gave the Europeans an added advantage when it came to taking over Africa and Asia using Military force which they actually did and came out on top. The Europeans had superior military technology and larger professional armies most of the were recruited Africans. Also during the Brussels convention of 1890 European states resolved not to sell their state of the art military technology to Africans (Ohaegbulam, 1990, p. 167). The rapid-fire machine gun boosted their military advantage over the Asians and Africans and was very helpful when it came to convincing Africans and Asians to accepting Western control. The urge to show mighty in military also contributed to the invasion of Africa and Asia by Europeans. In Europe around this time there developed a competition to acquire colonies as a show of mighty and prestige. European states felt setting dominance in Africa and Asia was necessary for military power. Those in charge of military indicated to the European governments that a strong navy was an important ingredient to greatness thus the need to set up naval bases in Africa and Asia (Iweriebor, 2011). For instance the Portuguese that colonising Angola and Mozambique could be a proof of their power (Mungazi, 1996, p.10). The military superiority of the European states can be seen in the First Opium War (1839-1842) where the Chinese tried to stop the British domination in China. They tried to stop the British from importing opium. Britain’s superior military and industrial mighty easily destroyed the Chinese military forces (Tamaqua, 2015). 4. Political motives The European states had political motives that drove them to invading Africa and Asia. After Germany and Italy unifying in 1871 there was no room in Europe to expand. In 1870 after France losing its two provinces to Germany, it looked to Africa to gain more territory. Britain came to Africa through Egypt and also explored Asia as well. The seizing of Suez Canal by Britain in 1869 made it possible for Europeans to travel to Africa and Asia. For Britain the canal was a lifeline to India. The Europeans were convinced that annexing colonies for themselves was an indication of greatness as colonies were status symbols (Boddy-Evans, 2015). 5. Humanitarian and religious motives Western people believed that it was the moral obligation of Europe to spread its civilization to those lands that were deemed to be of less civilization; Africa and Asia. They saw it as necessary for non-whites to receive the blessings of western civilization such as medicine, law and Christianity. Missionaries were in support of colonization believing that if Europe will take control of Africa and Asia it would be easier for them to spread Christianity (Tamaqua, 2015) In 19th century there was a burst of religious rejuvenation in Western Europe and this led to the emergence of world-wide missions to convert the people of Asia and Africa to Christianity. There were those isolated incidences where the missionaries were attacked or put in danger by the natives. This led to a so powerful public sentiment in Europe forcing European governments to send military help. That being the first step in setting up colonial administration (Eder and Roberts, 2010, p.232). For instance, in Malawi missionaries urged the British government to help stop slave trade that was rife in Malawi through numerous letters in which the British government obliged and sent troops in 1880s. The letters of the missionaries were just a convenient excuse for the British to cultivate a niche for themselves (Saylor Foundation, 2011). 6. Mature democracies in Europe After the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, there was political equilibrium in Europe. Peace and stability was in the air. This made it possible for European states to have their attention exclusively their imperial undertakings without any domestic distraction. The European were also able to resolve in rivalry between them democratically without resorting to war enhancing solidarity among them making it difficult for the Africans and Asians playing one European power against another (Ohaegbulam, 1990, p. 167). The European states even went further in holding a conference under the leadership of Otto Von Bismarck to discuss on how the European states should share their colonies in order to avoid collision and conflicts. The conference dubbed the Berlin Conference was held in Berlin between 1884 and 1845. The conference produced the Berlin Act which provided the basis for partition and invasion of colonies (Boddy-Evans, 2015). 7. Industrial revolution The industrial revolution that was taking place in Europe in the 19th century had its toll on the European states. People were displaced from the rural areas to urban areas (Yavuz, 2015). Many people clogged the urban centres. These European states had to look elsewhere to take these increasing populations. Africa and Asia provided the best remedy to this. And in order to safeguard its people these European states had first to take control charge and control in these regions hence the reason for setting up colonial administrations in these regions. Why it was that Africa and Asia did not colonise Europe 1- Weaker democracies In the 19th century Africa and Asia were experiencing inter-state and intra-state rivalry and conflict (Ohaegbulam, 1990, p. 232). This made it difficult for Africa and Asia to invade Europe and colonise them. They couldn’t organise themselves effectively and wage a successful invasion because of the conflicts. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia still remained a world power in spite of her serious internal problems that threatened her own existence (Mwakikagile, 2000, p.204). This is simply because of unity an ingredient lacking in Asia and Africa. The lack of unity was depicted in Julius Nyerere statement “Hardly a week passes but Africa is humiliated by outside powers. Our interests are ignored, our opinions are brushed aside, and our warnings disregarded. And this happens because the states are disunited-for on other reason than that” (Mwakikagile, 2000, p.204). For instance, in East Asia the political structures were not strongly integrated. It was dominated with family and clan rivalries and conflicts. Political organisations outside village levels were non-existent (Church, 2009, p. 211). This was also the case in Africa. 2- Underdeveloped Military The military in Africa and Asia was underdeveloped. They couldn’t come up against a well-developed military of the European states. After China’s defeat in the Opium war, this raised a lot of concern on the superiority of the West’s advanced military technology. This demonstrated the mighty of the Western army and the inferiority of Asia and Africa (Stuchtey, 2011). 3- Poor transportation system The transportation system inherent in Asia and Africa by that time was underdeveloped. There were traditional systems of transport in those areas by then, compared to the advanced systems inherent in the European states including steamships (Hwan, 2010). This made it difficult for the Asians and Africans to travel to Europe and colonise the area. There was also the control of the Suez Canal by the British, the route to Europe meaning that the Asians and Africans wouldn’t penetrate into Europe (Tamaqua, 2015). They couldn’t be able to subdue the British army keeping vigil at the Suez Canal simply because of their underdeveloped military. 4- Illiteracy and non-exploration spirit The Europeans had high levels of literacy and thus were able to document happenings and events of importance. They were thus able to draw maps and routes and knew how to use them. They also had in them the spirit of exploration wanting to tour the world. In comparison to Europe, Africa and Asia, the inhabitants of these areas were illiterate, most of them, hence were not able to follow maps since they cannot interpret them and didn’t document events whenever they happened. Henry Morton and Livingstone explored Africa documenting what they had seen wherever they went and sent home good reports of the areas they toured. Reports of lots of opportunities and resources (Boddy-Evans, 2015). These reports were received back at home and plans to conquer these areas were formulated and for full control of those opportunities and resources there was the need of establishing colonial administrations in those regions. This spirit of exploration was not among the Asians and Africans. And thus the reasons as to why they were not exposed to the outside world to know what lurked beyond their traditional boundaries. 5- Low levels of technology in these areas by then The technological advances in medicine and industry that was taking place in Europe were only restricted to Europe alone. These meant that Africa and Asia wanted also to leap from the fruits of this blessing they thus had to collaborate with the European states in order to take part in enjoying the fruits of industrialization and medical advances (Saylor Foundation, 2011). So because these regions were technologically disadvantaged they had to bow down to European states and welcome them to their beds. Hence the chance of colonising them was zero. Conclusion In conclusion, the standing of European states in terms of technology, democracy, medical advances, military prowess, industrial advancement and literacy level made them the likeliest candidates to colonise Africa and Asia. The solidarity that was inherent in the European state compared to the infightings that were being experienced in Africa and Asia alike meant that Africa and Asia wouldn’t wage any successful attempt at colonising any European state. The Financial crisis and corruption that was being advocated by the then leaders of Africa and Asia won’t have afforded Africa and Asia alike a chance of colonising Europe. These two Asia and Africa also lacked motives of invading Europe in terms of economic, political, social fronts compared to the economic, social and political reasons that spurred the imperialist take-over of Africa and Asia. The divisions inherent in the populations of Africa and Asia were also a good chance at invading them and becoming successful in the attempt. There were those who even collaborated with the Europeans and supported their agenda in both Africa and Asia. References Boddy-Evans, A. (2015). What caused the scramble for Africa?. Retrieved from the African history website: http://africanhistory.about.com/od/eracolonialism/a/ScrambleWhy.htm Church, P. (2009). A short history of South East Asia. Clementi Loop, John Wiley and Sons. Eder, J. M., and Roberts, S. A. (Ed.). (2010). Barron’s AP European History. New York: Barron’s Educational Series Inc. Hwan, K. D. (2010). A world History of Transportation, 1810-1910. Retrieved from the Zum website: http://www.zum.de/whkmla/sp/1112/shining/kdh1.html Iweriebor, E. E. (2011). The colonisation of Africa. Retrieved from African age website: http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-colonization-of-africa.html Mungazi, D.A. (1996). The mind of Black Africa. West Port: Praeger Publishers. Mwakikagile, G. (2000). Africa and the West. New York: Science Publishers Inc. Ohaegbulam, F. U. (1990). Towards an understanding of the African experience from historical and contemporary perspectives. Maryland: University Press of America Inc. Saylor Foundation (2011). Why did Europe colonize Africa. Retrieved from the Saylor website: http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/HIST252-Subunit-2.3.2-Why- Did-Europe-Colonize-FINAL.pdf Stuchtey, B. (2011). Colonialism and Imperialism, 1810-1910. Retrieved from EGO website: http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/backgrounds/colonialism-and-imperialism/benedikt-stuchtey- colonialism-and-imperialism-1450-1950 Tamaqua (2015). The age of Imperialism (1870-1914). Retrieved from the Tamaqua website: http://www.tamaqua.k12.pa.us/cms/lib07/PA01000119/Centricity/Domain/119/TheAgeof Imperialism.pdf Yavuz, E. (2015). The industrial revolution and consequences. Retrieved from the Yeditepe website: https://www.yeditepe.edu.tr/dotAsset/74101.pdf Read More