Section 2

Working together using this wiki

 

 Identifications - Imperialism - you are responsible for ONE this week:

 

Rudyard Kipling and White Man's Burden- Lauren Sink

•  English author and poet

   

  Born in British India
• Best known for The Jungle Book and Kim
•    Won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907
• Recognized as a “prophet of British imperialism"

• ·         Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem, “The White Man’s Burden”
• ·         Originally published in 1899
• ·         US imperialists used his poem as a justification of imperialism as a noble enterprise
• ·         Can be analyzed from various perspectives
• ·         Appears to be a rhetorical command to white men to colonize and rule people of other nations for their own benefit
• ·         Symbolizes racism and Western aspirations of dominance 

 This is a political cartoon of Kipling's poem.

Blogspot. “Janna’s Blog.” 10 December 2007. 17 February 2009. <jannaf.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html>.

 

 

 

 

La mission civilisatrice and Manifest Destiny – Rishi Simha

  This map illustrates the territory acquired by the US through the manifest destiny philosophy.

La mission civilsatrice, or civilizing mission, and manifest destiny were two terms to describe imperialism.  The former was a French thought that was a little unorthodox.  The French justified colonialism by this idea that said with proper schooling, French values, and knowledge of the French language, all colonial subjects could be just like other French civilians.  Algeria and Vietnam were colonized with this mindset.  Manifest Destiny was an American philosophy regarding Westward expansion on the mainland.  A newspaper editor coined the phrase by saying it was America’s “manifest destiny to overspread the continent.”  Legislation like the Homestead Act helped encourage this concept, although it was never an official government doctrine.  Both the civilizing mission and manifest destiny were ideas toward expansion and imperialism of Western nations. 

SOURCES: 

"Mission Civilisatrice: Information from Answers.com." Answers.com - Online Dictionary, Encyclopedia and much more. 21 Feb. 2009 <http://www.answers.com/topic/mission-civilisatrice>.

 

The Indian Mutiny (Sepoy Rebellion) - Cory Hume

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys, or Indians, of British East India Trading Company on 10 May 1857. This began in the town of Meerut, and soon spread into other mutinies and rebellions in the upper Gangetic plain and central India. The major hostilities were mostly involved in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, northern Madhya Pradesh, and the Delhi region. The British East India Trading Company feared this rebellions because it posed a great threat for them in this region. The only reason it failed was because the leader, Gwalior, died on 20 June 1858. The rebellion is also known as India's First War of Independence, the Great Rebellion, the Indian Mutiny, the Revolt of 1857, the Uprising of 1857 and the Sepoy Mutiny.

 

This is a painting of the violence and fighting that occurred. It was like a small war between Indians and Britains.

 

Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. — Infoplease.com. 19 Feb. 2009 http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0825111.html.

 

Suez Canal – SanMartin

 

For many years the thought of connecting the Meditation and Red Seas has been the fascination of many countries and rulers as this would greatly shorten the traveling distance between the two.  The main reason for this was for trade, and countries like Britain were more interested in African colonization.  Evidence suggest that Ramesses II intended to do so around the 13^th century BCE.  An effort to build a modern canal was also put into play but was hindered by a miscalculation that measured the Red Sea 10 meters higher than the Mediterranean Sea.  A group of engineers known as the Saint-Simoniens found this to be wrong, and dreamed of a Suez Canal.  No one supported them until Pasha Said, in 1858 agreed with his friend Victome Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps (the founder of the Universal Company of the Maritime Suez Canal), to support the building of the canal under the agreement that after 99 years of being controlled by the company the canal would revert to Egyptian hands.  Sure enough the company had financial problems but was saved when Pasha Said purchased 44 percent of the company.  November 17, 1869 the canal was completed with a grand ceremony to honor its completion.  In 1875 the British purchased Egyptian shares originally bought by Said Pasha because of Egypt’s financial debt, but France remained as the top shareholder.  So in 1888 under the Convention of Constantinople the canal was open to all ships of all countries in time of peace or war.  This great human feat not only created a faster means of travel to and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, but it also sparked political reforms and a new source of financial income for Egypt.

The Suez Canal in all its grandeur was not easy to complete.  Costing over 100 million dollars to construct, this man made feat is truly a wonder.

Looklex, "Egypt." Suez Canal 1996-2009 16 Feb 2009 http://www.lexicorient.com/e.o/suez_can.htm.

 

 

 

 

Anglo-Egyptian Administration (Shampa Panda)

-Both Britain and Egypt controlled what is now Sudan in the 19th century to 1955

-They ruled through condomunium, or joint authority legally

-However, power was vested in the governor-general who was British, therefore Sudan was ruled more like a colonial possesion

-By early 1900s, all those in higher level positions were British, middle level were Egyptian, and Sudanese were relegated to lower level positions

A map of Sudan under Anglo-Egyptian rule.

"History of the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium." Wikipedia. Wikipedia. 6 Feb 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sudan_(Anglo-Egyptian_condominium,_1899-1955)>.

 

Partition of Persia – Myers

·         This was a clash between two imperialistic nations.

o   Both Russia and Great Britain were racing to control as much land in Persia (Iran) as possible.

o   This conflict became part of “The Great Game” between Russia and Great Britain.

§  “The Great Game” refers to the strategic clash between Russia and GB for dominion in Central Asia.

·         The conflict in Persia between Britain and Russia was resolved at the Anglo-Russian Entente or Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907.

o   Signed 31 August, 1907.

o   Russia and Great Britain teamed up against the Ottoman Empire- their common foe who was also vying for control of Persia.

o   Divided Persia into three separate “zones”.

§  Southern portion was British.

§  Northern portion was Russian.

§  Thin “buffer zone” in the middle.

·         The Great Powers made an effort to avoid the term “spheres of influence”, although that’s what they were creating, because they didn’t want it to appear as if they were partitioning Persia.

·         This accord was, of course, signed without the consent or representation of the Persian people, and they refused to acknowledge its validity.

o   They were finally “informed” of the accord on 16 September 1907.

·         This treaty supposedly ended “The Great Game” between Russia and Great Britain over control of Central Asia.

 

 

 

 

This cartoon shows the predicament that the native people of Central Asia found themselves in during “The Great Game” between Russia and England. They were merely part of a strategic conflict between two powerful and ruthless nations.

Sources:

"Anglo-Russian Entente." Wikipedia. 2008. 17 Feb 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Russian_Entente>.

"1907 The Anglo-Russian Entente." WWI Document Archive. 2007. 17 Feb 2009 http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_Anglo-Russian_Entente.

British East India Company (19th cent)

 

 

Sir Robert Clive and the Battle of Plassey-Sara Marshall

àThe Battle of Plassey took place on June 23, 1757.

àRobert Clive led the forces of the East India Company.

àThey met the army of Sirajud-Doula. (The Nawab of Bengal)

àThe battle took place AT Plassey, which was a small village between Calcutta and Murshidabad.

àRobert Clive had only 800 Europeans and 2200 Indians to battle. (While Sirajud-Doula had about 50,000 men heavily armed.)

àDuring the battle, a monsoon storm struck and drenched both sides.

àThis storm allowed The Sirajub-Doula’s guns to be ruined due to their gun powder. They attacked anyway, hoping that their opponent had the same problem; but, they were wrong.

à The battle soon ended after a few hours, and Clive and his troops had obtained victory.

àThe result of this battle established Company Rule in India, which expanded over South Asia over the next ninety years.

 

 

 

This is a picture of Clive meeting with the leader of Sirajub-Doula, after the battle.

 

Hickman, Kennedy. "Seven Years' War: Battle of Plassey." 23 06 2007 12 Feb 2009 <http://militaryhistory.about.com/b/2007/06/23/seven-years-war-battle-of-plassey.htm>.

 

India cotton and the East India spice trade (Sarah Mann)

• Indians provided raw cotton for British manufactured goods
• Cotton closely tied to British imperialism
• Cotton was one of the raw materials Europe needed for its industries 
• Europe used Indians for cheap labor to grow cotton
• The British took advantage of Indians so that the supply of cotton and a market for British manufactured goods would continue
• Dutch wanted monopoly over spices made in Indonesia
• Spice trade is selling spices and herbs
• British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company traded a significant amount of the spice
• Both company’s competing for monopoly
• The British East India Company was originally formed to share the East Indian spice trade because Spain and Portugal had a monopoly – the English defeated the Spanish Armada and ended the monopoly – conflict then came from the Dutch
• Major profit made from selling pepper from Sumatra and Java in London
• Spice trade began in ancient times and continued though the age of imperialism

 

"Fairtrade Cotton, Will it Make a Difference?." GlobalEnvision.org. 22 Jan 2007 . Center for Strategic and International Studies . 12 Feb 2009 http://www.globalenvision.org/library/15/1426/.

 

 

"What was imperialism, and what effects did it have?." Web.Whittier.edu. 2009. 12 Feb 2009 http://web.whittier.edu/academic/history/worldhistory/Imperialism.pdf.

 

 

Zain, Sabri. "Agent of Empire." 12 Feb 2009 http://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/straits3.htm.

 

 

This is a picture of Indian and European merchants trading cotton for manufactured goods at the Bombay cotton market in 1870.

 

Beckert, Sven. "Emancipation and Empire." The American Historical Review. 2009. History Cooperative. 12 Feb 2009 <http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ahr/109.5/beckert.html>.

 

Zamindar system-Brianna Kosko

 

• Who: Zaminders were people employed to collect islamic taxes from peasants
• What: It was used to collect islamic taxes from peasants
• When: It was used in both the Mughal and British eras
• Where: It was used in places around India, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh
• Why: It was used as a key economic institution to continue the practice of the Shariat Islamic rule over the Zimmis
• How it's important: It was important because it helped regulate the economical and political ways by colecting taxes due

Citation: http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/history-wiki/1568-zamindari-system.html

Picture:

 

 

This is a picture of the Mughals, people also employed to collect taxes from peasants

 

 

The Raj- Estefania Delgado

- The Sanskrit-derived name for the British political establishment in India.

-British Raj is the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947.

-It can also be the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule.

-The region called India in contemporary usage, including areas directly administered by the United Kingdom, as well as the princely states ruled by individual rulers.

-After 1876, the resulting political union was officially called the Indian Empire and issued passports under that name.

-The system of governance was instituted in 1858, when the rule of the British East India Company was transferred to the Crown in the person of Queen Victoria.

-The eastern part of the Indian Empire became the separate colony of Burma in 1937, and gained independence in 1948.

British Indian Empire and surrounding countries in 1909

Nunn, Zachary. "The British Raj." 10 Feb. 2009 <http://www.drake.edu/artsci/PolSci/ssjrnl/2001/nunn.html>.

 

The Indian Mutiny (Sepoy Rebellion)

sati, thugge

Sati, Thuggee, and the Untouchables-

(Laura Guidry)

 

Sati was a practice in which widows would either voluntarily or forcibly fling themselves onto their husband’s funeral pyre. This act would gain the women’s family deep respect and it was believed that the family was blessed for seven generations after the women committed this act. The idea that was used in justifying the Hindu practice of Sati was that a woman’s worth was only in relation to her husband therefore showing a woman’s status in India.

 

Thuggee is the term used to describe a particular type of murder and robbery for travelers in India. Since travelers made their way in large caravans, thuggee describes the killing of a group of people. Some consider this to be some kind of religious cult while others consider this type of killing to be simply a specialized form of organized crime.

 

The Untouchables were a fixture of the Indian caste system and is thought to be one of the strongest racist phenomenons in the world. The untouchables referred to the people who worked jobs that were considered by societies to be unclean. These polluting people were treated differently depending on the area of India however they held almost no rights in society and were treated harshly.

 

Pezarkar's info site. adaniel's info site. 13 Feb. 2009

<http://adaniel.tripod.com/sati.htm.>.

 

"Sati in India, Sati - the Burning of The Widow bride." A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety ::Indianchild.com. 13 Feb. 2009

<http://www.indianchild.com/sati_in_india.htm>.

 

 

"Thuggee -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 13 Feb. 2009

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuggee>.

 

 

 

 

"Untouchables of India." Pezarkar's info site. adaniel's info site. 13 Feb. 2009 <http://adaniel.tripod.com/untouchables.htm>.

 

 

 

 

A scene of sati, the hindu act.

 

http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/spring99/parrilla/sati2.JPG

 

 

British establishment of Singapore-Shelly Franks

 

• Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, an agent for East India Company realized the potential importance of the island’s location to the British trade
• In 1819 he gained possession of Singapore harbor for Britain through an agreement with a sultan of Johor, which is now part of Malaysia
• In 1824 all of Singapore came under British control
• In 1826 it became part of the Straits Settlements, a British Colony
• The port prospered and Singapore’s population grew quickly
• Large numbers of Chinese settled in Singapore and many of the became merchants

 

Chandler, David P. "Singapore." The World Book Encloypedia. 2003 ed.

 

 

 

This is a picture of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.

http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/images/raffles_t.jpg

French conquest of Indochina- Estefania Delgado

-    The French invasion of Indochina was sparked off by the execution of Christian missionaries.

-    With the defeat of Vietnamese, Emperor Tu-Duc signed the treaty of Saigon, ceding Cochinchina’s three Eastern provinces.

-    The French forced the Emperor to place Cambodia under French protection.

-    On June 18 1867, the French seized the rest of Cochinchina and conquered Mekong delta and later Hanoi.

-    By 1897, France controlled the whole Indochina.

-    Each of the five provinces, Cambodia, Laos, Annam, Tonkin and Cochinchina had different legal status.

-     Hence, political structure might differ from one province to another.

before the French lead up to French colonization

"Under French Rule." Countrystudies. 10 Feb. 2009 <http://countrystudies.us/vietnam/15.htm>.

 

Thailand's modernization and independence -- Michael Decker

Thailand became fully exposed to modernization by 1855 during the reign of Rama IV when the Browning Treaty was concluded with Britain.  This and subsequent treaties opened the country to the West and made it vulnerable to Western imperialism.  The king began modernization to accommodate Thailand to the modern world in order to preserve national independence.  He employed Westerners as consultants, teachers, and technicians.  His son continued the reforms.  He is credited for turning the medieval kingdom into a modern, progressive one.  He in the end maintained Thailand’s sovereignty.

 

 

 

 

Thailand was the only SE Asian country not colonized by the Europeans and maintained a monarchy until 1932 when the Europeans led a bloodless coup to set up a constitutional monarchy.

 

Hynd , Michael. "FMO Research Guide." OCT 2002 2. 12 Feb 2009

<http://www.forcedmigration.org/guides/fmo012/fmo012-2.htm>.

 

Ratanakul, Pinit. "Modernization in Title." Wolrd and I 1054302 1986 1. 12 Feb 2009

http://www.worldandi.com/specialreport/1986/february/Sa10543.htm.

 

 

 

 

Cecil Rhodes- Tyler Cornett

·         Cecil Rhodes was born on July 5, 1853 in Hertfordshire, England.

·         He is most famous for being the founder of De Beers Diamond Company.

·         He was sent to South Africa as a teenager to help improve his health.

·         He soon went into the mining and oil business.

·         Rhodes was a strong believer in imperialism and European supremacy.

·         He wished for Britain to create a British Empire from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa.

·         He has had a varied opinion about him. He is sometimes depicted as racist and was speculated to be homosexual, but other times is shown to be hardworking and influential.

·         The British colony of Rhodesia was named after him. Rhodesia later became modern-day Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi.

·         De Beers at one time marketed 90% of the world’s rough diamonds, it now markets around 40%.

·         Rhodes died at age 48 in 1902.

 

 

       A picture of Cecil John Rhodes.

"Cecil Rhodes." Stortfordhistory.co.uk. Bishop's Stortford and Thorley. 14 Feb 2009 <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide13/guide13_pics/11_cecil_rhodes_use.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide13/cecil_rhodes.html&usg=__VUnMO2174DzuXucyP2W4GsItlt8=&h=370&w=295&sz=60&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=K92-4dYpnGzeeM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcecil%2Brhodes%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ADBF_enUS278US280%26sa%3DN>.

 

Shaka Zulu and the Zulus-Alison Chang

 

-A membwe of the lengeni clan

-Shaka joined the army of Dingiswayo and soon became its highest commander.

 -Under Shaka the Zulu territory expanded phenomenally.

-All the clans had to subject themselves to the one leader.

-At the beginning of the 19th century, Shaka had created the most powerful kingdom in the whole of southern Africa.

-He has been called a military genius for his reforms and innovations, and condemned for the brutality of his reign

 http://www.southafrica-travel.net/history/eh_zulu.htm

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka

 

The Boers and the Boer War

diamond and gold industries of South Africa

Zanzibar and the Arab influence in East Africa

East African Slave Trade

Outlawing the Atlantic Slave Trade: Alexandra Bauer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/hist/abolition/images/content/tactics/trade-end-slogan.jpg

(Sorry my picture would not past in directly, but there is the link)

This picture is a prominent symbol of the anti-slavery movement across the world. Images like this one helped to change public opinion on the practice of slavery, and helped to lead to the eventual outlawing of the Atlantic Slave Trade. People began to see Africans as people, rather than cargo to be traded.

• ·         The movement to abolish the Atlantic Slave trade was led by prominent Quakers and Evangelicals such as William Wilberforce
• ·         Denmark was the first country to ban involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1792, that piece of legislation became active in 1803
• ·         Great Britain banned the slave trade in 1807 by the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which imposed fines on ships that were caught with human cargo
• ·         The Royal Navy was such a great force in the Atlantic that it was easy for Great Britain to impose their policy on other nations as well
• ·         The United States Constitution legalized the slave trade for the next 10 years, and in 1807, at that day, the United States banned the importation of slaves as well.
• ·         After the years of Napoleon, Britain concentrated on blockading the West Coast of Africa from exporting slaves
• ·         That force became known as the West African Squadron
• ·         Between 1807 and 1860, the West Africa Squadron seized 1,600 ships involved in the slave trade and freed 150,000 Africans
• ·         Anti-slavery treaties were also signed between Great Britain and many African nations to ensure the abolition of the slave trade
• ·         The last country to ban the Atlantic slave trade was Brazil in 1831
•      In 1859, the last recorded slave trip landled in Mobile, Alabama, illegally smuggling in Africans.
• ·         Although the Slave Trade was illegal, slavery in the colonies and countries previously involved in the slave trade remained strong

"Atlantic Slave Trade ." Wikipedia . 10 Feb 2009. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. 11 Feb 2009 <http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=1&reqsrcid=14&mode=form&more=&source_title=Web%20Document&source_mod=&stylename=MLA>.

 

 

 

David Livingstone (Sarah Mann)

• Born March 19, 1813
• Age 27 – went from Scotland on a Christian missionary trip to South Africa
• Stayed 33 years in Africa
• Famous as an explorer and missionary
• Reached and named Victoria Falls in 1855 after Queen Victoria
• First European to reach Lake Ngami and Luanda
• Attempted to find source of the Nile River but was unsuccessful
• 1871 – Henry Stanley searched for Livingstone in Africa – greeted him saying “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”
• Livingstone died May 1, 1873 of malaria – found dead by Africans
• Took a year for his body to return to England
• Buried in Westminster Abbey
• Studied theology and medicine in Glasgow before going to Africa
• Worked in Africa to abolish slave trade
• Through his explorations, he produced geographic, technical, medical, and social knowledge of the area

 

"Livingstone, David." Answers.com. 2009. Answers Corporation. 12 Feb 2009 http://www.answers.com/topic/david-livingstone.

 

 This is a picture of David Livingstone.

 

Annan, Thomas. "Livingstone, David." Answers.com. 2009. Answers Corporation. 12 Feb 2009 http://www.answers.com/topic/david-livingstone.

 

Leopold II and the Belgian Congo - Mindy Xiong

 

 

Leopold II and the Belgian Congo

·         All major European Powers were settling as a colony in the 19^th century

·         Belgium Congo – One of the most interesting colonies (not owned by Kingdom of Belgium)

·         It was a personal property of the king’s country – Leopold II using it as a money making resource

·         He committed a lot of human violation rights in the process

·         He built public works of projects in Belgium with the money he ranked in

·         19^th – 20^th Century: European Colonies began stretching.

To be more in depth:

·         King Leopold (1835 - 1909) occupied the throne from 1865 until his death in 1909.

·         Outside of Belgium: He is known as the personal owner of the Congo Free State.

·         This was a private project by the king to extract rubber and ivory from his personal colony (relying on slavery, of course.)

·         He was held responsible for the death of about tens of millions of Africans.

·         He believed that overseas colonies were the key to a countries’ greatness.

·         The Belgium people/government disagreed – So he began trying to acquire his own colony as a private citizen.

·         He had a lot of unsuccessful schemes for colonies in Africa and Asia.

·         1867 – he organized a private holding company “Association International  Africaine”

·         It was cleverly disguised as an international scientific and philanthropic international.

·         3yrs he hired a famous explorer: Henry Morton Stanley (in Congo Region)

·         Stanley gained control of the area from local chiefs through "cloth and trinket" treaties.

·         The chiefs thought that they were signing friendship treaties; but in a matter of fact, they were selling their land.

·         The areas turned out to be 76 times larger than Belgium itself. (Which he was free to rule as his personal domain)

·         He became main an estimation at 30 million people, without constitution, without international supervision, without ever having been to the Congo, and without more than a small group of his new subjects having heard of him.

·         This was when he committed mass killings.

·         There was an army created purposely to terrorize the local people.

·         The officers were white agents of the State.

·         As of the black soldiers, many were cannibals from the fiercest tribes from Northern Congo.

·         More than few survivors have claimed to of lived by pretending to be dead.

 

ThiHere is an imposing statue of King Leopold II on his horse -

found at Place du Trône which is surrounding the Royal Palace.

 

 

B.A., Robinson. "MASS CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY AND GENOCIDES:." THE CONGO FREE STATE GENOCIDE:. May 1, 2005. Religious Tolerance. 12 Feb 2009 <http://www.religioustolerance.org/genocong.htm>

 

UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN. "Brussel Pictures." Leopold II. Dec 29, 2007. Brussel Pictures. 12 Feb 2009 <http://www.brusselspictures.com/2007/12/29/leopold-ii/>.

 

 

Melelik II and the battle of Adowa

 

The Herero Wars-Crystal Tsang

-a series of wars between Germany the Herero tribe of Southwestern Africa

-1904-1908

-the wars took place in Southwestern Africa

-white settlers began to settle on the tribe’s land

-in 1903, the Khoi and the Herero tribes started a revolt and about 60 German settlers were killed

-troops from Germany were sent to re-establish order but failed and only separated the rebels

-Oct 1904, a general ordered to killed every male tribe member and run women and children into the deserts

-prisoners were taken to concentration camps and given for slave labor to German businesses

-many died from overwork and malnutrition

-in 1908, about 100,000 Africans have been killed to fully re-establish German authorities  

 

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This is a picture of some survivors from the Herero Wars. 

 

Souce:  “Herero Wars.”  NationMaster. 2005.  http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Herero-Wars.

 

 

The British East India Company- Richard Monroe

The company was started in 1601 by a group of London merchants already involved in the spice trade of east India. The company's formation was made possible by the 1588 destruction of the Spanish Armada, which had a monopoly on the trade, as well as new developments in navigation and maritime technology. Competition with Dutch and Portuguese companies led the British East India Company to build its own military and administrative departments. The company soon had so much power that it began gto make political decisions for the land that it owned and operated. For instance in 1819, Sir Raffles of the company bought the small port village of Singapore now one of the areas greatest trade centers. After Parliamentary reforms in 1773 and 1784 the British government took more and more control over the East Indies. The company was liquidated in 1873.

 

 

A map of British controlled India

 

Landow, George P. “The British East India Company.” The Victorian Web. Brown University 8 January 2009. 14 February 2009. < http://www.victorianweb.org/history/empire/india/eic.html>.

 

 

Otto von Bismarck and the Berlin Conference

James Cook and Hawaii

Shaka was the illegitimate son of the Zulu chief Senzangakhona