A New Branch of History

Imperialism is a product of the greed and materialism found in the Industrial Revolution. However, it was so different as to introduce an entirely new dynamic of interactions amongst nations. The Industrial Revolution produced materialism by flooding society with a surplus of objects that were not essential for survival. Imperialism was a logical continuation of the Industrial Revolution, except now they exploited others in order to improve their own way of life. It was completely new in that it pushed the suppressed peoples of colonies to create new forms of government such as communism and socialism. An example was Vietnam which, under the harsh French colonial rule, forced people to turn to communism. Even today it remains a socialist nation. 

Imperialism and Us

Imperialism follows a trend of fighting for power that can be seen throughout history, though some of of the specifics are different.  All throughout history are examples of countries attempting to gain ultimate power. Napoleon, Hitler, Alexander the Great and many others. In the Ottoman Empire, Suleyman tried to conquer all of Europe for power. During imperialism, the British Empire attempted a similar thing, controlling strategic outposts all over the world not only for cultural influence, but also in order to fully manipulate trade, much like the Ottomans did within their own Empire. All these examples focus on control. A controversial idea is revolutions. Revolutions focus on overthrowing superiors and taking back control, and going forth with ideas they believe is right. 

While the general idea was the same in previous years and during imperialism, there were some key specific differences. For example treatment of native people in conquered lands was different because in previous history,  like during the Ottoman Empire, treatment of native people was a lot better than it was when the British went and conquered places like South Africa. The British treated these native people terribly, and did not allow them to have any power whatsoever in their own land. 

Imperialism (not to be confused with Star Wars)

Imperialism is yet another advancement in MWH because it follows the trends of our studies while simultaneously shaping the way we do things today. Along with past events such as the French Rev and the Industrial Rev, Imperialists used fear and superiority to maintain power over their laborers and subjects. This historical trend highlights the origins of human interaction and how it has shaped our world today. For instance, the Committee of Public Safety during the French Rev used the guillotine as a method of ensuring absolute loyalty from their citizens. The Third Estate leaders instilled fear in citizens to maintain power over them, as with the Imperialists leaders. In the Congo Free State, King Leopold cut off people's body parts to make sure that they would not disobey him. He too instilled fear to keep power. This highlights the way people interact when there is an inbalance of wealth or a difference in government policies. Economic incentives affect how people treat each other for the better or worse, as shown through imperialism and the demand for naural resources.

The Congo Free State: Belgian Colonization

During the Berlin West Africa Conference in 1884, the Congo region of Africa became known as the Congo Free State and was ceded to Belgium, more specifically King Leopold II. Several years beforehand, King Leopold II had established the Association Internationale du Congo (Committee for Studies of the Upper Congo). The formation of this committee and its title provided Leopold with an official reason to utilize Congolese territory. However, this committee was not state-formed; it was Leopold's private investment. Therefore, he must have either used his own money or money from the state, a questionable circumstance itself. 

King Leopold II had several reasons to imperialize the Congo. He wanted to obviously expand Belgium's worldwide influence, but his primary ambition was to take advantage of the Congo's rich natural resources and sources of human labor. Wild rubber, palm oil, and ivory were the three main resources that Leopold targeted for mass production. He also planned to prosper financially and economically from the production of these resources.

Although his economic ambitions were fair during the time, his methods for acquiring labor and resources were atrocious. He hired Congolese workers to harvest all of the three resources he desired, using menace as a motivator for laborers. If workers refused to work or did not work efficiently, Belgian officers would cut off a hand and/or a foot, or simply kill them. To further enforce this policy, the Belgians hired local Congolese men to act as local officers of the Belgian government, creating a divide in the Congolese people. The Belgians also brought European disease with them, killing countless Congolese people and disrupting the natural continental immunity system. 

Two journalists during this time looked into the Belgian imperialism: Edward Morel and Roger Casement. Both wrote journal entries on the horrible treatment of Africans and truth of the matter of what was actually going on in the Belgian Congo. To effectively convince and captivate the public, these journalists took photos of children and other Congolese people without hands and/or feet. These photos were soon published, which led to Leopold's eventual withdrawal from the Congo. Some consider Leopold's use of the Congo as a genocide. Regardless, the Belgian Congo reveals the dark sides of imperialism and its inevitable consequences.

Imperialism as a Nationalistic Phenomenon

Hayes proclaims that colonialism united countries within themselves by giving them a common goal of power. As examples, he references several physically small yet powerful European countries that colonized many regions in order to raise their homeland's power and status in the world. It pressed a reaction that lead to the desire to maintain or recover national prestige.