Study & Essay
Study Questions
Describe at least four general motives
for empire that inspired Europe to its great imperial successes
at the end of the nineteenth century.
Motives for imperial conquest ranged from
reasons of economics, geopolitics, nationalism, and liberal philosophy.
In the economic arena, empires can provide markets for goods,
opportunities for profitable investment, protection from the boom
and bust cycle of capitalism, and sources of cheap labor for industrial
development. Geopolitics made certain territories important for
its location, such as the Suez Canal, while some countries seized
regions to prevent other European states from seizing them. Nationalist
concerns translated into the national prestige that came as a result
of gaining large expanses of territory and seeing the color of
your country painting regions throughout Africa and Asia. Liberalism,
defined as a dedication to self-improvement and the belief that
there were discoverable rules of general conduct everyone could
follow, contributed to paternalism and arguments of racial and
cultural superiority that pushed Europeans into Africa to "civilize"
local populations.
Why do you think Great Britain was able
to survive throughout the nineteenth century without the eruption
of serious social upheavals and worker revolt?
The political system in Britain was malleable
and (relatively) easily adaptable to changing mores in society.
Britain's politicians maintained a generally farsighted view and
a keen understanding of political change and, therefore, was able
to realize that the currents of change toward the end of the nineteenth
century was moving toward the worker. Change was able to come
to Britain even without a Labour majority in Parliament, suggesting
that social upheaval may have been prevented due to the relatively
responsive nature of the British political system.
Now that we have discussed the domestic
political developments in Great Britain, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary,
can you identify a general similarity between the societal changes
that took place in those states?
It is easy to see that change in all the
major state of Europe, save Russia, took place due to the emergence
of the masses as a serious force in national politics. In Britain
and Germany, the worker began to wield popular and legislative
power; in France, the mass media allowed national figures to appeal
to the agrarian poor and the workers of Paris; in Austria, every
ethnic minority, student groups, radical right leagues, et cetera
became a force as the dominance of the bourgeoisie began to fade.
Essay Topics
What geopolitical factors made the European balance
of power so unstable prior to the outbreak of World War I?
What challenges to the traditional liberal ideal--free
markets, low tariffs, no government interference in the economy
and society--was noticed in Great Britain, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary
throughout this period?
What is the "White Man's burden" and how did European
justify what we would consider racist policies in their imperial ventures?
How did imperialism in Africa and Asia differ? In answering
this question, cite specific events in the course of imperialism
in Africa and Asia to prove your theory.
Trace an historical line between the Opium Wars and
the Boxer Rebellion. In doing so, connect the events to one another
in order to show the continuity of the historical story.
How did Ethiopia manage to remain one of the two independent states
in Africa when every major power seemed interested in making inroads
into that country?
Describe at least three effects of the European imperial
venture and try to conclude whether or not the extent of empire
was worth some of the negative results.
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