This document provides an overview of European imperialism from the mid-1800s onwards, including: - The unification of Italy and Germany, which shifted the balance of power in Europe. - The Scramble for Africa in the late 1800s led European powers to claim territories on the continent to avoid wars. - European imperialism also expanded in Asia, with Russia claiming territory and Britain and other European nations establishing trade spheres in China. Conflict arose between the imperial powers over influence and territory in Asia and the Middle East.

2. The New Imperialism
• Today we will:
• Look at global imperialism
• What was happening in Europe across the 1800s?
• How did the imperialism of this period develop?
• How was this different than previous imperialism?
• How was the US involved in European imperialism?
• The US in global imperialism
• Next time we will:
• Continue with American imperialism

3. Europe in the mid-to-late 1800s
• 1848
• France becomes a Republic again (for a while)
• Elect Louis Napoleon to presidency
• In 1852 declares himself Napoleon III, rules until 1870
• Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (in present day Southern Italy) gets a new
constitution
• Revolts in Vienna begin to bring more regional control in Austrian Empire
• Revolts have to be suppressed with Russian Imperial help
• Hungary briefly gets their own parliament
• Slavic Congress disbanded at gunpoint in Prague
• Revolts in Prussia result in a constitution
• Frankfurt Assembly occurs, calling for a unification of German lands

4. The Austrian Empire (later it
would be called the Austro-
Hungarian Empire) was very
diverse and multi-ethnic.
This resulted in many conflicts
as the ideas of nationalism (a
nation for each people) began
to take hold.
This map illustrates the various
ethnic groups present within
the borders of this continental
European empire.

5. Unification of Italy
• Italy
• Piedmont-Sardinia helps Lombardy and
Venezia shake Austrian dominance,
adding Lombardy to their territory (1859)
• Then moves south into smaller kingdoms
and Papal States
• Garibaldi (who was Piedmontese) takes
control of Sicily, then advances to Naples
• P-S armies and Garibaldi’s troops meet in
1860, join forces. Kingdom of Italy is
formed (except for Roma, and Venezia)
• Venezia joins in 1866, Roma joins in 1870
• Under a Constitutional Monarchy
• Leaves only the Vatican City independent

6. Unification of
Germany
Prussia
Austria
Prussia and Austria
had always seen
themselves as the
leaders of the many
German principalities.
This often puts them
into direct conflict
with each other.
Austria also had to
grapple with the
multi-ethnic nature of
its empire, while
Prussia could (mostly)
claim German
homogeneity.

7. Unification of Germany (cont.)
• Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Prussia
• Prussia begins small, gradual military
advancement into smaller German kingdoms.
• This upsets Austrian rulers, and the two
powers clash (1866).
• Prussia wins, annexes areas in red, orange
areas join Prussia in confederation (1867).
• In 1871 form German Empire by adding
Bavaria and other S. German states (yellow).
• This upsets France, they clash, Prussia wins,
gets Alsace-Lorraine (purple).

8. By 1871, after the
unification of Italy
and Germany,
Europe begins to
look somewhat
familiar to the
present day.
Now there are
four major
empires present
on the continent
in addition to the
historical powers
of France, Britain,
Spain, and
Portugal.

9. European Imperialism
• How would the unification of Italy and Germany affect the British
Empire, France, and the Russian Empire?
• How had the balance of power in Europe shifted?
• What had imperialism looked like before the late 1800s?
• What was the relationship between the colony and the center?
• Who had been the main European empires globally before now?

10. India
• Starts as mostly commercial holdings along the coast
• British East India Company expands inland
• After rebellions in 1857-1858 the British Government takes control from
the EIC
• Queen becomes Empress of India
• Throughout, Indian Princes still exist, principalities answer to Queen
• Country is run by an Indian Civil Service
• Large territory with expansive resources
• Industrialization expands, railroads, canals built
• In many ways this is the British wanting to control the development of
India, rather than letting it happen internally (like it did in America which
contributed to our revolution).

11. This map shows the initial commercial
holdings of the British East India
Company, along with the advancement
of British troops and the subjugated
principalities that were forced to accept
the Queen as the Empress of India.
This map highlights the consolidation of
British power in the region and shows
how they began to extend their
influence to Persia and Afghanistan in
the northwest.

12. Africa prior to 1876
What do you notice? Why is that important?
How do you think the shifts in Europe might
change this?

13. Scramble for Africa
• European states begin expanding further
into Africa.
• France into Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia
• Britain into Egypt
• Suez Canal had been completed
in 1869. French and British
shareholders (mostly).
• Italy into the Horn of Africa, Libya
• This was all at the detriment of the
Ottoman Empire.
• Belgian King Leopold II sponsors Henry
Morton Stanley in an expedition to set up
a commercial colony in the Congo
(“owned” by Leopold II).
• These developments set off a "scramble"
to claim all of the territory in Africa not
already controlled.
• To avoid wars, Otto von Bismarck calls the
Berlin Conference.

14. Berlin Conference (1884)
• Attended by Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Ottoman
Empire, Portugal, Spain, and Britain
• But also US, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, and Austria-Hungary
• Attempted to make it more appealing to people by committing to fully end
the slave trade
• Side note: Yes, slavery was still happening, Brazil did not end slavery until 1888.
• In reality, European powers deciding how to divide up Africa
• Leaves Congo a free commercial zone, the remainder of the continent is
now under European "control" except for Liberia and Ethiopia

15. Imperialism in Asia (Russia)
By the late 1800s the Russian Empire
had expanded down through the
Caucuses and into Central Asia. They
had also expanded into far eastern
Siberia. These territorial gains would
put them into conflict with the
British in Iran and Afghanistan, and
with the Japanese in Manchuria.
Russia did not concern itself with the
scramble for Africa, because they
had plenty of continental territory to
claim rather than going overseas.

16. This map highlights the
European, American,
and Japanese imperial
holdings in East and
Southeast Asia by the
early 1900s.

17. Imperialism in Asia (cont.)
• Chinese Territory
• First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)
• For influence over Korea
• Japanese defeat the Chinese
• Assert influence over Manchuria, Korea, and
Taiwan
• Gain some territory in Manchuria
• Russia expands into Manchuria (from far Eastern
Siberia)
• Japan sees this as a threat to their interests and sphere
of influence
• Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905
• Elsewhere in China
• British, French, and German companies establish
lucrative trade spheres
• Japanese were the only non-European power to expand
their empire during this period

18. The Middle East
This map highlights the conflicting
spheres of Russian and British
Imperial influence in the Middle East
and Central Asia.

19. Final Thoughts
• For next time:
• American Imperialism
• Read Chapter 20 (if you haven’t already)