Free Essay

History Essay

In: Computers and Technology

Submitted By kwebbb
Words 1458
Pages 6
Essay 3 In the late 19th century much of the world was captured in an expansionist wave. The focus was mostly on Africa, but was seen also in much of Asia. The French had control over Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and the British controlled much of Malaysia. Most of the major powers in the world wanted some influence over China and India, which led the British to take over Burma. Britain and Russia fought over territories in Afghanistan and Asia, while the United States expansion was mostly capturing new territories and making them into new states (Tignor, et al, 648). During this time Britain had a lot of control over Indian colonies. Many wanted to follow in Britain’s footsteps and have control in a country, but many also saw the unhappiness brought forth by British rule. After the Indian Rebellion authorities changed and modernized India and all of their public works. The Indians however, did not want to be taken under British rule or into British life, but they had to be governed in some way. After changing the government, the economy needed to be changed for more stability. The British wanted to make India a more stable territory (Tignor, et al, 648-50). The British set forth to modernize India in many ways including the government, transportation and communication. These changes would eventually help to unify India like it hadn’t been before. The modernization began under the rule of Governor-general Lord Dalhousie of the East India Company. He left office in 1856 claiming that he was responsible for unifying India with railroads and telegrams. Only a year after him leaving office the Indian’s erupted into rebellion. Fortunately for Britain their new ways of communication and travel helped to squash the rebellion by alerting and the ability to send British troops (Tignor, et al, 650). After the rebellion was over the British returned to modernization with a new drive. At the beginning they focused mainly on railroads, and spent approximately 150 million euros on these railways. By 1853 the first railway opened and in 1910 India had 30,627 miles of railroad track, which was the fourth largest in the world (Tignor, et al, 650). Next, many dams were built in rivers to irrigate the land and telegraph lines were opened to connect far parts of India with each other. Britain wanted India to supply them with cotton, tea, wheat, and vegetable oil seeds. The dams that were built in rivers helped to make massive cotton fields with plenty of water. The British used North East India to grow tea, which was marketed as much healthier than Green tea from China. India became a larger consumer of British textiles, which were often made from Indian cotton (Tignor, et al, 650). Because of the new resources and raw materials that India was now producing, they were in a surplus with foreign trade. The surplus was then given to the British as payment for many different things including interest payments on the railroads. Despite the money many positive things came of this for India. India now became a unified territory, and people even began to call themselves Indians. The one downside still was there was no central language, so people still had a very difficult time communicating (Tignor, et al, 650). Just as the British did in India, the Dutch tried to modernize and integrate with Indonesia. In the 1830’s the Dutch began by taking over many of Indonesia’s affairs. The Dutch tried to make Indonesia more stable economically than the British had made India, by making deals with the people of Indonesia. Even though they attempted to make peace with the natives, the changes that the Dutch made still had great consequences. The Dutch wanted to focus mostly on food products for exportation, such as coffee beans, sugar, and tobacco. With the great amounts of exports they had there was much less food left over for the people of Indonesia, which caused a famine to spread and kill over 300,000 Indonesians. The people that survived were greatly angered, which scared the Dutch causing them to become much stricter with the people. This was viewed widely as an embarrassment, and forced the Dutch to make an ethical policy for governing the Indonesians, such as more private settlement instead of government settlement. Even with private Dutch settlers, in the beginning, Indonesians tried to fight them off. Eventually they accepted, and Indonesian exports helped Dutch become richer still (Tignor, et al, 650-51). Africa was affected the most by the spread of colonialism. In the beginning only France and Britain had colonies in Africa, but within thirty years there were seven new European countries with colonies. Much of the obsession with colonializing Africa began when the British took over Egypt, which was seen by the French as their territory. This intensified Britain and France’s want for territories and also encouraged other countries to come and get their share of Africa. In 1884-1885 there was a meeting held in Berlin between Germany, Portugal, Britain, France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, USA and the Ottoman Empire. They discussed how they were going to divide up the remaining colonies in Europe (Tignor, et al, 651). Because the Europeans drew up new boundaries according to European trade centers, they caused a catastrophic mixing of peoples in Africa. The Europeans paid no attention to the split of culture or language divide between each African country. So many European countries decided they wanted a piece of this land for trade and for personal fortune. An example of that would be Cecil Rhodes changing boarders to fit his diamond mines. King Leopold II of Belgium also decided he wanted a large chunk of Africa, and got one eighty times the size of Belgium. He was the sole rule of the Congo until 1908 when it came out that he had enslaved and killed many innocent citizens of the Congo, and Belgian government took the territory away from Leopold (Tignor, et al, 651). One of the other major reasons that European countries wanted a piece of Africa was because they may have been able to spread Christianity to many new peoples. The missionaries tried to stop the armies, and try and get them to come in peace instead of fighting their way into Africa (Tignor, et al, 651). Even though the Europeans thought that the Africans would have no issue with them invading their country, they had to decide between two ways of stopping the Europeans; one being negotiations about how much land the Europeans take and the other would be fighting for their land. Most decided that fighting would be the better option, such as Lat Dior, a warlord in Senegal who said that he would fight this even after he was dead. Lat Dior was killed in battle in 1886 (Tignor, et al, 653). Menelik II was able to fight off the Europeans by pitting each country against each other, getting weapons from all of them and taking out whoever was left. In the battle of Adwa the Ethiopians were able to fight off the Italians, and inspire many African’s later. Unlike Menelik II most of the Africans did not understand how advanced the weaponry of the Europeans was, and tried to use the same fighting techniques that they would use against each other instead of adapting to the new challenge. Some did upgrade proving to be difficult to fight off, such as Samori Toure (Tignor, et al, 653-55). Once most of the major battles were over Europeans created permanent armies with their African supporters to force the communities into doing what they wanted. After a while of this bullying angry Africans rose up, and fought the new colonists. None were successful, and the Europeans were able to set up economically sound territories. Most countries on the outside thought that these colonies were very durable, but In reality they were actually very fragile (Tignor, et al, 655-56). The Americans were also interested in expansion, but in a very different way. Instead of sending people to live over in these other territories, they just wanted harbor spaces, supplies of raw materials, and someone to buy up Americans excess farm production. America declared war on Spain in the late 1890’s and invaded the Philippines and Cuba. When America defeated Spain in Cuba they disarmed the Cubans and returned land to its owners. America said they were just trying to free them from Spain’s rule, but changed stories rapidly. Unlike the other colonization of this time the United States did not want to make the Philippines and Puerto Rico part of the United States or formal colonies, just make them dependent states (Tignor, et al, 656-57).

Similar Documents

Free Essay

History and Memory Essay

...gate and one other related text of your own choosing represent history and memory in unique and evocative ways. The interplay of history and memory combine to provide greater insight into events. Through the manipulation of textual forms and features, Mark Bakerʼs hybrid text “The Fiftieth Gate” expands and humanizes oneʼs understanding of the Holocaust in unique and evocative ways. A unique feature of the text is clever fusion between personal accounts and documented history using mediums such as, interviews, official documents, poetry and song. This enhances the stories of the authorʼs parents, Yossl and Genia, whilst evocatively capturing the atrocities of the Holocaust. The relationship between history and memory is further explored in Kevin Ruddʼs “Sorry apology to Stolen Generations”. Bakerʼs “The Fiftieth Gate” suggests that memory humanises historical events, juxtaposed by the emotionless discourse of history in unique and evocative ways. Baker provides insight into the historical events associated with the Holocaust,emphasising number of deaths that occurred during the genocide. In Gate 26, Baker explores the deaths Geniaʼs parents witnessed in the lines, “Among 1380 people, one family survived by chance. They were Leo Krochmal and his wife Rosa who witnessed the shooting,” The impersonal tone and simple language in the lines underscores the straightforward and detached nature of history. In contrast, the recount of Genia hiding from Germans in Gate 6...

Words: 1051 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Expository Essay: History Of The United States

...Expository Essay Will there ever be a time when all mankind could decrease to the point where nothing is left, not even the history itself on how mankind was demolished? History, without us knowing, is being made every second that we are living. Unlike before, events now can be recorded in a blink of an eye. The development of technology allows individuals to update many events, some brilliant, some abysmal, with just a click of a button. It is exceptional to document many affairs going on in the world, but is it alright to have large historical data for future generations to access and scrutinize every little action we made through our time? A large historical records can lead to results to different effects and serious consequences. Not...

Words: 802 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

History of Persuasion Essay

...First to start off everything in life has a history of some sort and that’s the same for persuasive writing which is a form that’s used so many times by so many people. I have used this style of writing on many occasions myself when I wanted to get my point across and show others that my way of thinking was a better idea or thought process than someone else. It’s very important to understand what being persuasive really is. Persuasion in itself including writing. It’s a form of expression getting someone or reasoning with them your way of thinking on an issue or argument. The Sophists were teachers and professors who came to Greece cites. Here’s a short introduction Fifth century B.C.E. “The word  sophists was still broadly applied to ‘wise men’, including poets such as Homer and Hesiod, the Seven Sages, the Ionian ‘physicists’ “ I thought this would be a good understanding of who these people were and their thoughts. A theorist that I decided to go with was Antiphon after doing some of my research I found him to be the most interesting. The bio of him is fairly unclear probably do to lost information in the past since he was in BC time before Christ. One thing that I found in my research that was very unresolved was whether or not he should be identified with Antiphon of Rhamnus who was a teacher of rhetoric. For those that don’t to what that means it’s a art of persuasive speaking and compositional techniques. Back to the man at hand the man was a member of the oligarchy...

Words: 786 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

What Does History Mean To Me Essay

...History, will always repeat itself. No matter how hard we study it, how hard we observe it, the same things will always happen, Why is that? Because we are the most magnificent creatures in the universe. We are humans. We are defined by our history and how it repeats in our lives. As for me, my history follows a twisting and winding timeline that leaves many cliffhangers and loose ends. No part of my existence has been the standard apple pie, as-seen-on-tv type of life. There were no sunday barbecues and get-togethers with neighbors. The Braley household was more complex behind our front door and bolted windows. Happy stories were a fantasy I wished to live, but that’s alright, because it is these things that define me. My history and how it repeats/repeated itself through my life is what makes me, me. Me, I am worrying person, I am full of anxiety. I am called smart by others, although I believe I merely meet sub-par. I am self-conscious, and very emotional. I am too nice to people, and I trust too much. I get my hopes up too often, and I allow people to walk all over me. I am a perfectionist, and I stay up too late for assignments. I’m versatile, and athletic, silly and a little annoying....

Words: 1417 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

American History Our Hope For The Future Essay

...American History: Our Hope for the Future Today, history, as a body of knowledge, encircles not only the events of the past but also the consequences that affect our future. History shapes our lives today. It largely affects the way we think, speak, and interact with each other is all affected by history. The impact of history on society is so significant, it practically molds our future. Look around, we have running water, telephone, electricity, vehicles, and so much more inventions that make life simpler. However, if someone in the past had not thought of these inventions then our present would be completely different. History has a such an enormous impact on society because the interaction between the society and its past is an unending one. History is not simply about facts and dates, instead look at it as if it was a map. It helps provide information that dictates where we came from and where we are going. Decisions and events in history have directed events in the present. Visualize a world without the modern medicine we have today. It’s hard to believe that a few centuries ago diseases were viewed to be caused by evil spirits or it was punishment for sinners. In the 19th century, Louis Pasteur’s work led to the acceptance of the germ theory, this allowed for cures to developed to destroy many...

Words: 687 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Art History Essay Ch 29 Dq 1

...Tiffany Fong Period 2 Gibson Discussion Question #1 When analyzing Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe with Giorgione/Titian's Pastoral Symphony, one can see many similarities and differences. When Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe was first introduced in 1863, it was placed under the title of Le Bain at the Salon des Refusés and was the central attraction of laughter and outrage. Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe depicts two nude women and two clothed men having a picnic. The painting presents problems for the viewer as they are forced to question the morality of the scene, whether to consider the nude, naked in a public place and exhibited to the public or if they are an active partner. Even though the intended reaction to the picture is unclear, the presence of the nude controls the viewer's emotional response. The presentation of the figures in soft focus and broadly painted landscape promoted severe criticism. Also, the loose manner of painting contradicts the crisp forms with the bright clothes and food in the left corner. In the main figures, there are only a few lights and darks, which makes them distinctive from the background. On the contrary, the painting of Titian's Pastoral Symphony, both mysterious in meaning and authorship, has been known as one of the most influential paintings of the nineteenth century. The main figures are two men who are seated on the grass against a vast countryside setting. Titian had been interested on landscapes in his early career, and...

Words: 495 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

History Essay

...Christina Greene Professor Sample AMH 2020 27 January 2015 Essay 1: Battle of Wounded Knee The Battle of Wounded Knee resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Sioux Native Americans and 25 United States soldiers (Wikipedia 2015). With the possibility of using a Time Machine, the following steps would have prevented this tragedy from happening. Forcing relocation, miscommunication of the Ghost Dance, and the seizure of Sioux weapons all lead to the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. Tensions have been rising between the European settlers and Native Americans for hundreds of years before this battle. When the Ghost Dance movement came along, the Indians thought it was a peaceful end to white expansion. A holy man named Wovoka founded the Ghost Dance. “When you get home you must make a dance to continue five days. Dance four successive nights, and the last night keep us the dance until the morning of the fifth day, when all must bathe in the river and then disperse to their homes. You must all do in the same way” (Wovoka 1891). This piece of the message from the messiah shows that the Indians were doing the ghost dance as a way to get their homelands back and in no way had the intent to be violent. The Indians believed that it would free the area of white men so they could return to their original lands and live freely. Wovoka preached nonviolence, however, whites feared that the Ghost Dance would lead to an Indian Rebellion (Education Portal). This excerpt from Harper’s Weekly...

Words: 740 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

History Essays

...History Essays American Congress The American Congress is one of the three arms of the American Government. The other arms of the Government include the Executive headed by the American President who is elected on a four-year term that is eligible for the re-election. The third arm is the Judiciary that adjudicates the policy process as well as interprets the US Constitution. The US Congress that is the core of the legislative arm of the American Government has a long history tracing back to over 200 years since the establishment of the USA. The revolution of the 1776 gave the American s an opportunity to provide the legal framework that would steer them to their management of their public affairs. It traces to the 13 North American States that were colonies of the British who after intense effort had managed to declare their independence in the famous Declaration of Independence that followed the birth of the USA in 1776. The USA constitution was a document that was written basing on the colonial experience that they had under the British since the discovery of America and the establishment of the plantation agriculture in the 16th century. After frantic efforts, the 13 colonies went ahead to have a unilateral declaration of their independence from Britain. Today, the USA is the model of an ideal democratic outlook of the modern times. The USA Constitution for which legalizes the presence of the Congress has become the model of the modern democracy. It has withstood the test...

Words: 677 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

History Essay

...CJ Mamalias History – Essay 1 Professor Hopkins February 21, 2015 Olmec and Maya Complex Societies confer to a set of factors that contain an agricultural surplus, urban settlements, specialized labor and trade, government, a stratified society, and sophisticated ritual traditions. Ever since the beginning of time, humans formed through generations and generations of species. It took quite a while for humans to fully develop their brains to start thinking out of the box and creating new ideas for their own. Nevertheless, complex societies arose independently during the centuries 3500 to 500 B.C.E. in several regions of the world. Out of all the other complex societies, the Olmec and Maya societies have some comparisons and differences that meet within the lines of the complex societies set of factors. The Olmec society appeared near the Gulf of Mexico during 1200 to 100 B.C.E., located near the modern Mexican City of Veracruz. When people refer to the first complex society of the Americas, they refer to them as the “Rubber People” because of the rubber trees that flourish in the region they inhabited. Their proper name is still unknown, so people labeled them Olmec, which means rubber people. There were many mysteries concerning the downfall of the Olmec’s around 400 B.C.E. when archaeologists studying the area found statues broken and buried. Although the Olmec’s declined, they influenced many other societies with astronomical observations, which helped...

Words: 931 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

History Essay

...8/17/11 Captains of history or Robber barons? The capitalist who shaped industrial America made the southern industry more developed. Although it shaped society for us today the capitalist went about it the wrong way. Industrialization was often introduced as beneficial to all, profitable even in history. In document I “John D. Rockefeller , testimony to the U.S. Industrial commission, before the house of representatives, 1899.” It says “their chief advantages are:… power to give the public improved products at less prices and still make a profit for stockholders…” this discusses the advantages that the industrial oil company has and how beneficial it was to the public. To add some reality to this there were flaws with industrialization an example is in document H “Clement Studebaker, manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles, testimony to Chicago Conference on Trusts, 1899” it says “No true monopoly is possible in this country..” The way this quote was perceived was that in this country there was no big money guaranteed. The capitalist were corrupt “Robber Barons”. Industrializing was hard work but not for the capitalists. As in many cases in the south the wealthy had it easy and the poor had it hard and now children were mistreated as well. The wealthy class was considered the superior to the poor. They were the bosses and they benefited a lot from the industrialization of the south. The wealthy had to share their “knowledge” with the poor. Document C “Andrew...

Words: 501 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

History Essay

...Emilee Eason Professor Hollis History 132 March 29 2015 Propaganda during World War I In July 1914, propaganda was used for the first time to build support towards the war. The First World War began suddenly, it was caused by many different conflicts. The origins of conflict include competing imperial ambitions that had led to economic rivalries, the military alliances, and diplomatic maneuvering had divided Europe into two blocs. Although the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife is considered the original factor that led to the Great War. Propaganda In order to promote support for the war, the government used propaganda strategies and enacted legislations to control social attitudes and behavior of the people. The Committee on Public Information, also known as the CPI, was created by President Wilson to manipulate the public’s opinion on national unity, the loathsome character of the enemy and the war a grand crusade for liberty and democracy. To ensure that the people knew only what the government wanted them to know about the war, the CPS used persuasive tactics to change the view towards the war, they achieved this by surrounding them with vulgar, manipulative and damaging media. All media were controlled by the government, newspapers, press releases, advertisements, cartoons, and editorials. They were all designed to help win “the fight for the minds of men” and to change the people’s opinion of the Germans. Propaganda impacted the attitudes...

Words: 678 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

History Essay

...During the period of 1963 to 1972 there was definitely a growing demand for greater personal freedom amongst a number of different groups of people, all with different aims and motivation. In both source 5 and 6 there is evidence to prove why demand for freedom increased but also with my own research I have found out about a number of events and organizations which show the extent of growing demand. The main reasons for this growing demand would be Kennedys motivation and idealism and also the discrimination and oppression which many groups, minorities in particular faced. The main groups which I am going to explore in this essay are the African-Americans, students, gay people, students, and women, all of which wanted to live their life freely and equal. In both source 5 and 6 there is evidence to prove why demand for freedom increased but also with my own research I have found out about a number of events and organizations which show the extent of growing demand. Kennedy’s motivation and idealism inspired and motivated many young people and groups to adopt this new way of thinking. In source 6 a “fighting spirit” is mentioned and in source 5 we see the “sisters unite in their struggle”. Both of these express a strong feeling and bravery which led to the fight and the growing demand for freedom. Students in particular wanted to change the systems politically and socially as well as wanting to liberate the minorities for example the African-Americans, this idea of idealism...

Words: 313 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

History Essay

...How important was the attack on Pearl Harbor as a reason for the entry of the USA in the Second World War? (24 marks) The Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor played a vital role throughout provoking the USA into war. On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise air attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. After just two hours of bombing, more than 2,400 Americans were dead, 21 ships had either been sunk or damaged, and more than 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed. The attack at Pearl Harbor so outraged Americans that the U.S. abandoned its policy of isolationism and declared war on Japan the following day, officially bringing the United States into World War II. The Japanese were tired of negotiations with the United States. They wanted to continue their expansion within Asia but the United States had placed an extremely restrictive embargo on Japan in the hopes of curbing Japan's aggression. Negotiations to solve their differences hadn't been going well. Rather than giving in to U.S. demands, the Japanese decided to launch a surprise attack against the United States in an attempt to destroy the United States' naval power even before an official announcement of war was given. The Japanese practiced and prepared carefully for their attack on Pearl Harbor. They knew their plan was extremely risky. The probability of success depended heavily on complete surprise. On November 26, 1941, the Japanese attack force began its 3,000-mile journey...

Words: 751 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Essay History

...How far do you agree that neither the U.S. nor the USSR intended to cause the Cold War? Historians have many different viewpoints of who is responsible for the Cold War. The post revisionist group is integrated by the ones who support the fact that neither the U.S nor the USSR was responsible. Meanwhile, countering this argument there are two more groups, the first one is called the Orthodox view who blame the USSR and the second one is the Revisionist view who blame the U.S. The historical position known as the Orthodox places the responsibility for the Cold War on the Soviet Union and its expansion into Eastern Europe. Their main argument is based on Soviet expansionism; they said Stalin had an aggressive policy towards Eastern Europe. For example, the Salami tactics were a way of expanding and securing communist control over Easter Europe by initially establishing a broad alliance of anti-fascists with Moscow as the Central government. Moreover, the most important event which confirmed this aggressive policy of the Soviet Union towards expanding and securing control over East Europe is the Berlin Blockade, were Stalin ordered the cut of railways, roads and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied control. His aim was to force the western powers to allow the Soviet zone to supply Berlin, thereby giving the Soviets practical control over the entire city. Furthermore, the Kennan telegram warned the U.S of the Soviet expansionists ideas and that they fed communism...

Words: 793 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

History Essay

...Civil War Essay Sofia Gravina Pd. 6 The American civil war had a huge impact on the literature of its time. Because of the preceding literature, it caused people to become unhappy with their surroundings. They wanted to cause a Renaissance-like movement. Many works were written very hostile to convince people of the horrors of the war. Some works also brought out the romance of the war and glorified it. The civil war transformed American literature. Literature works before the war were extremely sterile. Most of the popular works came from foreign countries, like England. There was almost no originality in writing at the time. Every American author wrote like an English author. Because of this, Americans were viewed as inferior. Even Americans themselves felt inferior. They were basically devoid of a literary culture. A feeling of inadequacy caused people to have a need to create something entirely their own. Americans felt like they had a completely different situation which called for a completely different idea of American literature. Iambic pentameter and rhyme schemes in poems were effectively forgotten and intentionally not used. American poets especially wanted to do something different with their writing. They felt very rebellious toward the English way of writing. One theme as American writing became one of a kind was a want for a moral revolution in a reader. The writer wanted the reader to look at something and think about how they could incorporate...

Words: 492 - Pages: 2