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1. UNIT 6
IMPERIALISM AND THE
FIRST WORLD WAR

2. 1.IMPERIALISM: DEFINITION AND CAUSES
2.IMPERIALISM: THE DIVISION OF THE WORLD
3.IMPERIALISM: CONSEQUENCES
4.THE FIRST WORLD WAR: MAIN CAUSES
5.THE FIRST WORLD WAR: OUTBREAK AND PHASES
6.THE FIRST WORLD WAR: PEACE AND CONSEQUENCES

3. 1. IMPERIALISM: DEFINITION AND CAUSES
1. Definition of Imperialism

4. Historically à process in which the main and
industrialised powers (mostly European) took over African,
Asian and Oceanic territories between 1870 and 1914.
Second Industrial Revolution
Transformation of European
economies
Economic, technical, financial
and military superiority
Conquest of new territories

5. Europe - 2nd half 19th c.
ASIA
AFRICA
Territorial expansion and
conquests
Second Industrial
Revolution
Demographic growth
Economic
prosperity and
transformations
Economic, technical
and military
superiority

6. 2. Causes
“In the area of economics, I am placing before you[…] the
considerations that justify the policy of colonial expansion,
as seen from the perspective of a need, felt more and
more urgently by the industrialized population of Europe
and especially the people of […] France: the need for
exports. Is this a fantasy? Is this a concern for the future?
Or is this not a pressing need, one may say a crying need,
of our industrial population?”
Jules Ferry speaking to the French Parliament, 1885.
Economic: Economic needs of European industrialised powers:
• New markets for expanding the sale of production (there were protectionist measures in
Europe).
• Obtaining of raw materials (coal, iron, cotton and rubber).
• Buying colonial products at lower prices (sugar, chocolate, tea).

7. Political causes:
• Prestige and competition among European powers è Rivalry à WW 1.
• Powerful armies.
• Distraction from internal problems.

8. Demographic causes:
• Reduction of mortality → from about 210 million people
in 1800 to 450 million in 1900.
• Great migrations → About 40 million people to other
continents
• First from IRE, GB, GER.
• Then Austro-Hungary, RUS, ITA and SPA.

9. Ideological causes:
• Some → Necessity of exploring and
discovering new territories and culture.
• Most → Racist ideology:
• Conservative nationalism è Right to rule
over others.
• European cultural and moral superiority
è Civilisation as mission (helped by
technology) è Imposition to EUR’s
civilisation to the rest of humanity (mostly,
religion)
• Social Darwinism.

11. “Gentlemen, we must speak more loudly and more honestly! We must say
openly that indeed the higher races have a right over the lower races [...]
I repeat, that the superior races have a right because they have a duty. They
have the duty to civilize the inferior race [...] In the history of earlier
centuries these duties, gentlemen, have often been misunderstood […]. I
maintain that European nations acquit themselves with generosity, with
grandeur, and with sincerity of this superior civilizing duty.”
Jules Ferry, Idem, 1885
“Superior races! Inferior races! It's easy to say it. But I am completely
opposed to this view [...] The so-called superior nations have no rights
over the so-called inferior nations […]
The conquest that you support is the abuse, plain and simple, of the
power of scientific civilizations over primitive ones, to take man for
himself, torture him, and exploit all the strength that he has, for the
benefit of a so-called civilizing project”
Georges Clemenceau speaking to the French Parliament, 1885

12. 3. The great colonial empires: the division of the world
Barely unknown for
Europeans until mid
19th c.→Factories and
ports around the
coastline.

13. New economic needs → France and Great Britain
promoted expeditions to the interior of the
continent.

14. Berlin Conference (1884-5) → Promoted by Bismarck
For avoiding colonial conflicts among European powers.
Agreements:
- No international support for ‘continuous empires’.
- Effective right of conquest: military conquest and
control of territories.
- Free navigation of the Niger and Congo rivers.
- Free trade in Central Africa

16. Consequences: drawing
the map of Africa.
European control except in
Liberia and Abyssinia
Almost continuous empires

18. THE COLONIAL POWERS

19. BRITISH EMPIRE
Over 450 million inhabitants.
Military and commercial control over the seas.
▪Africa: North-South empire (Cape-to-Cairo), from Egypt to South Africa,
Nigeria, etc.
▪America: Canada and smaller possessions
▪Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, etc.
Asia: India (Jewel of the Crown) and Malasia.

23. INDIA (Jewel of the Crown for the British)
• Huge source of raw materials and huge market for
British products.
• East India Company (from 17th century)
• Tea, cotton, silk, etc.
• Increasing control over the land
• 1857 à The Sepoy Rebellion (Indian nationalist mutiny)
è Direct administration over the colony (India,
Pakistan and Burma), and abolition of the East India
Company → BRITISH RAJ

24. Independence in 1947
India
Pakistan
Bangladesh

25. FRENCH EMPIRE - 95 million people
Africa: From the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean
(stopped by the British). Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia,
French West Africa (Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso,
Senegal, etc.), French Equatorial Africa (Chad, Congo,
Gabon), Madagascar.
Asia: Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia).

28. Indochina: Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos

29. BELGIUM
Leopold II conquered Congo → Personal domain
From 1908, colony

30. “[...] with my mouth full of Bible and my pelt oozing piety at every pore, and implored them to place the vast and rich and
populous Congo Free State in trust in my hands as their agent, so that I might root out slavery and stop the slave raids, and lift
up those twenty-five millions of gentle and harmless blacks out of darkness into light, the light of our blessed Redeemer, the
light that streams from his holy Word, the light that makes glorious our noble civilization — lift them up and dry their tears and
fill their bruised hearts with joy and gratitude — lift them up and make them comprehend that they were no longer outcasts
and forsaken, but our very brothers in Christ [...]
These meddlesome American missionaries ! these frank British consuls! These blabbing Belgian-born traitor officials! — those
tiresome parrots are always talking, always telling. They have told how for twenty years I have ruled the Congo State not as a
trustee of the Powers, an agent, a subordinate, a foreman, but as a sovereign — sovereign over a fruitful domain four times as
large as the German Empire — sovereign absolute, irresponsible, above all law; trampling the Berlin-made Congo charter under
foot; barring out all foreign traders but myself; restricting commerce to myself, through concesionaires who are my creatures
and confederates; seizing and holding the State as my personal property, the whole of its vast revenues as my private "swag" —
mine, solely mine — claiming and holding its millions of people as my private property, my serfs, my slaves; their labor mine,
with or without wage; the food they raise not their property but mine; the rubber, the ivory and all the other riches of the land
mine — mine solely — and gathered for me by the men, the women and the little children under compulsion of lash and bullet,
fire, starvation, mutilation and the halter.
These pests! — it is as I say, they have kept back nothing!
[...] One of my sorrowing critics observes: "Other Christian rulers tax their people, but furnish schools, courts of law, roads, light,
water and protection to life and limb in return; King Leopold taxes his stolen nation, but provides nothing in return but hunger,
terror, grief, shame, captivity, mutilation and massacre." That is their style! I furnish "nothing"! I send the gospel to the
survivors[...] if they obeyed me I have without doubt been the humble means of saving many souls.”
Mark Twain, ‘King Leopold’s Soliloquy’ (1905)

31. ITALY

32. NETHERLANDS
Dutch East India Company (1602-1800) → Dutch East Indies
GERMANY

33. PORTUGAL

34. SPAIN

35. RUSSIA JAPAN
Turkestan, Manchuria (N-E China)
Meiji Revolution (1868) → Industry, technology, maritime
empire Vs China and Russia.
Russian-Japanese War over Manchuria, Korea, Taiwan

36. USA
Pacific (Philippines
and Hawaii), Central
America (Cuba,
Puerto Rico, Panama,
Nicaragua, etc. à
Monroe Doctrine).

37. CHINA
Attempted to stop the colonial intervention
Opium Wars Vs GB

38. Colonial powers managed to create ‘special economic
zones’ → “Unequal treaties”: favourable tariffs, trade
concessions, reparations and territory to Western powers.
Open Shanghai and Hong Kong became British colony.
百年國恥
Century of humiliation

39. 2. SUPERIORITY AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE COLONIES
Steps:
1) Geographical and scientific expeditions and travellers (Stanley and Livingstone) and religious
missions → Maps and knowledge about indigenous cultures.

40. 2) Western countries sent advisers, economists and soldiers in order to control natural
resources in those areas (economic interest)
1. Occupation by conquest due to military advantage.
2. Political and administrative control (administration connected to the metropolis)
3. Exploitation of the resources (economic organization of the colony).

41. ADMINISTRATION: different types of political and economic organisations of the colonies.
SETTLEMENT COLONIES
Colonies with good climate, small
population and no special resources.
Certain level of autonomy and self-
government.
GB: Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
South African Union; FR: Algeria.

42. EXPLOITATION COLONIES
The most common. Due to the economic value.
Metropolis controlling the colonies → Control and
monopoly over the land and its resources (plantations,
mining), and over their trade. Local labour.

43. PROTECTORATES
Recognised states occupied by a metropolis → their own administrative organisation, but
rule of colonisers over the local government, defence and foreign policy.
Ie. Morocco (FR and SPA) and Egypt (GB)

44. CONCESSIONS
“Areas of influence” or specific enclaves (mostly ports) controlled by Western powers and
obtained from independent countries. Ie. Hong Kong and Shanghai.

45. 3. IMPERIALISM: CONSEQUENCES
1. The impact of European civilisation in the
colonised countries
Really important impact à Effects on today’s word.
• Exploitation of natural resources.
• Modification of the landscape (forests, agricultural
areas, etc.)
• Infrastructures: ports, railways, roads.
• New cities.
• No consideration for the local ethnic, tribal, linguistic or
religious differences.
• Demographic growth (cut epidemics) è Broke balance
population-resources (Africa: 74 mill. in 1820-125 in
1915).
• Exploitation of resources by Europeans à Lack for local
people.

46. 2. Other consequences
Political consequences:
tension, rivalry and
competition among
Western countries →
outbreak of the First World
War.

47. Economic consequences: Imposition of economic interests
(obtaining profits, regardless conditions of indigenous people).
• Land: property of colonisers.
• No traditional crops → Large plantations for European
markets.
• Indigenous workers → adapt to monetary system → Work in
plantations.
• Local artisans and merchants → Ruined because of
monopoly of metropolis.

48. Demographic consequences: improvements in
health and hygiene → decrease in mortality
rates and huge population growth.
Socio-cultural consequences:
• Reduction of illiteracy (schools)
• Imposition of languages, culture and customs
(acculturation) → Broke indigenous social
structures → Loss of identity.
• Social and racial segregation.
• Religious missions → Conversions to
Christianity.

49. 4. THE FIRST WORLD WAR: MAIN CAUSES Constitutional and parliamentary
political systems: separation of powers,
parliaments, individual and collective
rights, political plurality, etc.
• England and France: greater
democracy.
• Greater suffrage.
• Social laws (education, labour,
etc.).
• German Empire: constitutional, but
Kaiser as authoritarian ruler.
• Universal suffrage.
• Social protection (education,
pensions, etc).
• Southern Europe (ESP, ITA, POR) à
Greater difficulties because of weak
economies.
• Electoral fraud, despotism, etc.

50. Authoritarian regimes: still behind
regarding the application of liberal
measures, and even close to the Ancien
Régime.
• Astro-Hungarian Empire:
• Some reforms, but the emperor
held enormous power.
• Secessionist movements within
the empire.
• Russian Empire:
• Absolute power of the Tsars.
• Block of reforms.
• Turkish Empire:
• Began to break up. Nationalist
movement.
• Sultan forced to several reforms,
but stopped by WWI.

51. 1. The Armed Peace
1870-1914 → Not open war, but growing
tensions and great efforts to
manufacturing weapons and the military
structure in Europe.

52. Causes
1. Diplomatic conflicts and territorial rivalries since the
Franco-Prussian War (1870):
a) System of allegiances and the formation of blocks
b) Recovery of Alsace and Lorraine by France
c) Distribution of power in the Balkans (Austria and
Russia wanted a growing influence in the region, as
well as Serbia, annexation of Bosnia by Austria-
Hungary in 1908, Balkan Wars (1912-13), etc.
2. Economic competition.
3. International policy and colonial clashes: control of
certain colonies overseas (ie. FR and GER for Morocco)
4. Growth of nationalisms.
These reinforced the creation of the international blocs and
presented an unavoidable conflict between them.

53. Balance of power in Europe à Changed after the unification of Germany and Italy.
Germany: Realpolitik with Bismarck; Weltpolitik (world dominance) later →
Political and military allegiances.
2. The German Empire and the creation of two confronted blocs

54. BISMARCKIAN ALLEGIANCE SYSTEM (1871-90)
• Kaiser Wilhelm I, Chancellor Otto von
Bismarck.
• system of allegiances for maintaining peace in
Europe, benefiting all the great powers and
protecting Germany (allowing it to strengthen).
It needed to isolate France.
• Three Emperors (1871-8): Russia, Austria and
Germany.
Ended because of rivalries in the Balkans
(Russia Vs Turkish, but Austria had interests in
the area).

55. WELTPOLITIK (1890-14). Kaiser
Wilhem II → Expansionism in
Europe and colonies. Bismarck
stepped down. Rupture of
relations with the Russian
Empire. Formation of blocks
towards WWI.
- Triple Entente (1907): Russian
Empire, France, United Kingdom.
Franco-Russian Allegiance
(1894).
- Triple Allegiance: Germany,
Austria-Hungary and Italy.
Changed during the war: Italy
neutral, Ottoman Empire and
Bulgaria important.

56. 28th June 1914 à Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to
the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in
Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist (Gavrilo Princip).
5. THE FIRST WORLD WAR: OUTBREAK AND
PHASES
1. The spark of War and the beginning of the
conflict

57. Austria accused Serbia à Ultimatum (impossible to meet)
Serbia could not accept the ultimatum à Declaration of war on Serbia (28th July)
“The history of recent years, and in particular the painful events of the 28th of June last, have shown
the existence of a subversive movement with the object of detaching a part of the territories of Austria-
Hungary from the Monarchy. The movement, which had its birth under the eye of the Serbian
Government, has made itself manifest on both sides of the Serbian frontier in acts of terrorism,
outrages and murders.[…]
This culpable tolerance of the Royal Serbian Government had not ceased at the moment when the
events of the 28th of June last proved its fatal consequences to the whole world.
[…] The Royal Serbian Government shall further undertake:
[…] (3) To eliminate without delay from public instruction in Serbia, both as regards the teaching body
and also as regards the methods of instruction, everything that serves, or might serve, to foment the
propaganda against Austria-Hungary;
(4) To remove from the military service, and from the administration in general, all officers and
functionaries guilty of propaganda against the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy whose names and deeds
the Austro-Hungarian Government reserve to themselves the right of communicating to the Royal
Government;
(5) To accept the collaboration in Serbia of representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government for
the suppression of the subversive movement directed against the territorial integrity of the Monarchy;”

58. Russia declared the war Vs Austria for
protecting Serbia, Germany on Russia
and France, Britain on Germany and
Austria because of the German invasion
of Belgium, etc. è The whole system of
allegiances of the Armed Peace came
into action.

59. The outbreak of the conflict presented a war never seen
before.
Unprecedented territorial extension, forms of combat,
offensive weapons (machine guns, flame throwers, toxic
gases, mines, tanks, airplanes, submarines, etc.).
Unseen consequences and transformations during and
after the war.
During the war: war industry as main priority, huge
numbers of young men to the front, women to required
economic sectors, intervention of governments in the
economy (rationing, trying to control high prices and the
black market.
2. The Great War or World War

60. 1915
1917

62. PHASES OF THE GREAT WAR (1914-18)
War of Movements
Trench warfare
Crisis of 1917 and end of the war.

64. Germany: Schlieffen Plan → Flash
victory over France so they could move
all their troops to the East and defeat
Russia.
Crossed Belgium and Luxembourg, but
stopped near Paris (Battle of the Marne)
thanks to the British help to the French.
• Russia attacked the Eastern German
boundaries, and were defeated. But
German army divided.
• Balkans à Austria was stopped
against Serbia.
3. The War of Movements (1914)

66. 4. Trench Warfare (1915-16)
Defensive positions → Fixed fronts from
Switzerland to the North Sea è Very little
advances, very high casualties (introduction
of chemical weapons).

68. Large war massacres: Battles of Verdun and Somme.
1916 (Feb-Dec) à Battle of Verdun.
Germans offensive trying to break the French front
à Germany unsuccessful.
1916 (Jul-Nov) à Battle of the Somme.
British and French attacked German lines (also for
reducing pressure on Verdun) à 1 million dead.
During this phase, the war became global and was waged by land, sea, and air.

69. A witness tells: ...We all carried the smell of
dead bodies with us. The bread we ate, the
stagnant water we drank… Everything we
touched smelled of decomposition due to
the fact that the earth surrounding us was
packed with dead bodies....
"From that moment all my religion died,
after that journey all my teaching and belief
in God had left me - never to return."
A French Lieutenant reports: ...Firstly,
companies of skeletons passed, sometimes
commanded by a wounded officer, leaning
on a stick. All marched, or rather: moved
forwards with tiny steps, zigzagging as if
drugged. […] It seemed as if these
speechless faces cried over something
appalling: the unbelievable horrors of their
martyrdom....

70. • 1917 à Bolshevik Revolution in Russia è Withdrawal
from the war and renounce over territories (Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk, 1918) è Germany stronger because
closure of one front.
• 1917 à United States enters in the war.
5. The 1917 Crisis and the End of the War (1917-18)

71. • 1918 à Defeat of Austria in the Eastern front.
Armistice of Austria-Hungary and Turkish Empire.
• German defeats in the Western front à Revolts of
German soldiers, internal problems è Armistice:
11th November, 1918.
Abdication of Wilhelm II è Weimar Republic.

72. 6. THE FIRST WORLD WAR: PEACE AND CONSEQUENCES
Armistice: 11th November, 1918
Paris Peace Conference (1919-20): peace terms,
war reparations, new map of Europe,
conditions over the defeated, etc. USA:
Wilson’s 14 points à Not revenge. Desire of
peace.
Several treaties: Treaty of Saint Germain with
Austria, Treaty of Trianon with Hungary, Treaty
of Neully with Bulgaria, and Treaty of Sèvres
with the Ottoman Empire.
1. The Paris Peace Conference
Prime Minister David Lloyd George (Great Britain), Premier
Vittorio Orlando (Italy), Premier Georges Clemenceau
(France), President Woodrow Wilson (United States)

74. TREATY OF VERSAILLES:
With Germany.
• France (supported by
European powers):
large compensations
from the Germans.
• Final decisions about Germany:
§ Total blame for starting the war.
§ Huge war compensations.
§ Dismantling the army.
§ Give up their colonies.
§ Alsace and Lorraine à Back to France.

75. Humiliation for the Germans è Paved the way to increasing nationalism and future revenge.

77. 2. The consequences of the War

78. THE NEW MAP OF EUROPE

79. ·

80. Turkish Empire
• Reduced to modern-day Turkey.
• Parts to Greece.
• Establishment of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and
Palestine.

81. Austria-Hungary
à Disintegration.
Austria: lost
possessions and
became a
republic.
Hungary:
independent
state. Part to
Czechoslovakia.

82. Balkans à Serbia head of Yugoslavia (Serbia + Slovenia + Croatia + Bosnia).

83. Poland and Romania à For isolating
Soviet Russia.
Territories Russia ceded in the Brest-
Litovsk Treaty à Independent.
Finland, Baltic republics.

84. Material losses only in the western front
SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CONSEQUENCES
• More than 10 million soldiers.
• Millions of wounded and mutilated.
• Millions of civilian casualties.
• Effect on the birth rates and available workforce.

86. ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
Impoverished nations → Destruction of cities and towns,
crops, industries, etc.
Debt → More difficult for the nations to recover → Inflation.
Neutral countries (SPA, ARG, BRA) → Benefited → Raw
materials and food to the warring nations during the war.

87. USA
Consolidation of power. Industrial rise. Loaned countries.
Due to the material losses and loans given by the USA
during the war, most European countries experienced
critical problems and were forced to link their economy
to the USA, which became the main economic power.

88. LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Predecessor of the United
Nations.
Headquarters in Geneva.
For guaranteeing peace and
cooperation.
Failed:
• US was not part
• USSR excluded
• GER and ITA left.