Expansion and Resistance: Crash Course European History #28 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

European nations expanded their empires in the 19th century, taking away the rights of others and justifying their actions through ideas of superiority and civilization, leading to lasting effects on both the colonizers and the colonized.

Key Insights

• 🉐 European nations expanded their empires in the 19th century to gain economic advantages and acquire raw materials.
• 🗯️ Imperialism involved the suppression of rights and freedoms of the colonized peoples.
• 🔨 Tools of empire included industrial advancements, weaponry, railroads, infrastructure, and the medicalization and plantation production of quinine.
• 🥳 Resistance to imperialism took different forms, including rebellions, strikes, and intentional drops in birth rates.
• 👷 Ideas of race and civilization were constructed to justify and maintain colonialism.
• 🌗 The wealth extracted from colonized regions had lasting effects on both the colonizer and the colonized.
• 🥺 The Berlin Conference of 1884-85 intensified imperial competition and led to international tensions.

Transcript

Hi I’m John Green and this is Crash Course European History. So we’ve made it to the nineteenth century, and as European societies are trying to build cohesive political structures known as nations, many are also expanding or initiating overseas empires. And so while more European nations were grounded in the rule of law and constitutional guarante... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Europeans justify their conquests during the era of imperialism?

Europeans justified their conquests by considering themselves superior and believing that it was their duty to save less-evolved races and civilizations. ideas of race and civilization were instrumental in justifying colonialism.

Q: How did colonized people resist imperialism?

Colonized people resisted imperialism through rebellions, strikes, and other forms of resistance. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the intentional drop in birth rates in the Belgian Congo are examples of resistance to imperial oppression.

Q: How did resource extraction drive imperialism?

The discovery of diamond and gold mines in South Africa motivated colonization and territorial disputes. Africans were forced to work in mines, and South African lands were stolen to drive people into the mines.

Q: How did imperialism shape ideas of race and civilization?

Imperialism reinforced ideas of white superiority and the belief that other races were less-evolved and less accomplished. These ideas were constructed to justify and maintain the colonization and exploitation of distant peoples.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• European nations expanded their empires in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific islands to gain trading advantages and acquire raw materials.

• The Opium Wars between Britain and China, forced trade and takeovers in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and colonization of Africa were key examples of imperial activity.

• Tools of empire included industrial advancements, weaponry, railroads, infrastructure, and the medicalization and plantation production of quinine.