3.2.1. Summary

Three Things Learned

-The Suez Canal is controlled by its own department within the national government of Egypt

-The Sepoy Mutiny was carried out against the British East India company and not the British Government

-During the construction of the Panama Canal the United States incurred a quarter of the deaths of the previous attempt by the French

Two Interesting Things

-The Sepoy Mutiny led to the end of the British East India Company

-Political Cartoonists of the age of imperialism chose to portray its practice in a negative light

One Remaining Question

-In this time of crisis in the Middle East, what will become of the Suez Canal and how it is run?

Spotlight On: The Suez Canal

Completed in 1869, the Suez Canal is a 102 mile long man-made waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Today this canal plays an important part in commerce and the transportation of goods, allowing relatively easy passage from Western Europe to the ports of Asia and the Pacific, saving a lengthy journey around the African Continent. The canal is controlled by the Suez Canal Authority, an organization of the Arab Republic of Egypt, which allows it to be used by any vessel of any nation, whether it be war ship or freighter. This canal is used incredibly frequently as it plays a very important part in the transportation of goods and people from Europe to Asia, as well as United States warships to the areas that they are to be stationed in the Middle East.

World Events: Uprising in Lybia

Following the examples of Egypt, Tunisia, and countless other Arabic nations that have recently moved to topple their current government the people of Libya have set their sights on ousting current dictator Muammar Gaddafi. With protests beginning on February 15, 2011 the call went out to remove Gaddafi from power and establish a new government in his place. These protests were met with harsh retaliation from Gaddafi as he ordered crowds of protesters to be fired on by military police, and began to bomb his own people in an attempt to quell the uprising. Since then the situation has erupted into full-blown civil war, with protesters now heavily armed and combating military and pro-Gaddafi mercenaries for key cities as they make their way towards the capital of Tripoli. In this tumultuous situation the winner seems to change on a daily basis as protesters drive Gaddafi's men out of a town only to lose it later in the day.

Imperialism: The Sepoy Mutiny

Also known as the Great Rebellion, the Sepoy Mutiny occurred in India in 1857 as Indian soldiers in the service of the British East India Company revolted against the violation of religious rights of the soldiers. When rumors circulated that the cartridges of the new Enfield rifles were grease with the fat of cows and pigs, and that they must be bitten of to operate the rifle deeply offended the Hindu and Muslim sepoys, who respectively hold the cow sacred and abstain from eating pork. The initial uprising began in the town of Meerut and quickly spread throughout central India, threatening the British East India companies holdings in the region. Under the leadership of men like Rani of Jhansi, the movement continued to grow until it was crushed by the British government in 1859. While this revolt did result in the end of the British East India Company, it ushered in a new era known as Raj, where the British government took complete control of India politics, establishing it as a royal colony.

US Events: The Panama Canal

Prior to the construction of the Panama Canal, the only route of travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean was by way of rounding Cape Horn of South America on rough seas and figid weather. After a failed attempt by the French in the 1880's, America under the strong support of President Theodore Roosevelt took up construction of this canal again in 1904. With better medical care and knowledge of Yellow Fever which plagued the region, the American team completed the canal in 1914 with only 5,600 deaths compared to the French's 21,900. This canal shortened the trip from New York to San Fransisco to 5,900 miles, a fraction of the 14,000 if a vessel were to travel around the cape. Similarly in Egypt the Suez Canal opened up the Indian ocean to the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, allowing trade to be more easily conducted between Western Europe and Asia by saving the lengthy and costly trip around Southern Africa.

US Events: The Transcontinental Railroad

First proposed during the American Civil War, the First Transcontinental made a huge leap in connecting the ever expanding western territories to the booming, industrialized east coast allowing for the easy transportation of people and goods across the large North American continent. Constructed largely in part by veterans of the Civil War, and Irish immigrants in the east and immigrants from Asia in the West, this railroad allowed for the settling of what had previously been known as "The Great American Desert". This rapid expansion of emigration to the west also contributed substantially to the amount of land controlled by Native American peoples as they were slowly forced of their native lands be settlers and railroad companies. With the railroad came the need for communication across the large nation as well, which was made possible with the implementation of telegraph communication, which required lines to be run along the newly laid railroad tracks. Similarly the Cape to Cairo Railroad envisioned by British Imperialist Cecil Rhodes was designed to connect southern African to northern Africa, easing transportation of peoples and goods but ultimately failed because of the geographic and cultural challenges of the African Continent.

Imperialism: The United States Today

Is or has the United States been imperialistic? Yes.

The Pros

-War in Iraq, toppling regime of Saddam Hussein and establishing western style democracy there

-War in Afghanistan, driving out Taliban militants and establishing a western style democracy in their wake

-Aid pledged to Libya as civil war erupts and threatens to end the reign of dictator Muammar Gaddafi

The Cons

-No legitimate conquests made or colonies established under the United States

-Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan meant to liberate the oppressed peoples of those nations and combat terrorism in the region, not for territorial gain

-No economic or political gains from establishing democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan

Imperialism: US Political Cartoons

This political cartoon depicts the implementation of American ideology, particularly Obama's "Hope" campaign, into the war torn regions of the Middle East, in this case Afghanistan. This artist is expressing the opinion that we spend too much time promoting hope and peace in these Middle Eastern Countries while war rages taking innocent lives in the name of democracy and other western values that are unheard of in these nations. I feel that the artist does an excellent job of presenting this point, that instilling these values in these countries are not worth the human cost that comes with this task.

Imperialism: Political Cartoons

This political cartoon depicts England as an octopus, with its tentacles extending onto all of the countries it has pulled into its Empire. Through this the artist is expressing the opinion that England is a greedy, land-snatching country that desires to expand its influence in as many directions as possible as quickly as possible. I feel that this artist does well with portraying the power-hungry nature of many imperial nations, particularly England, with the use of the octopus metaphor. The image of tentacles extending into the controlled countries also conjures an image of the mother country, England, strangling them for their resources.


In this cartoon we see various European and Asian leaders from the countries of England, Germany, France, Russia, and Japan trying to divide up China amongst themselves, while the Chinese Emperor stands shouting in the background. This represents the imperial powers of the world trying to stake their claim in the newly opened Chinese Empire. This artist is expressing the opinion that the aforementioned imperial powers were quick to stake their claim in China, and quarrel over, while leaving the Chinese government out of the matter. Again, I feel that the artist does an excellent job of showing the greed and quick action on the part of imperial powers to expand into previously unexploited countries.

Chapter Introduction

This blog will cover chapter 26 of the A History of Western Society Eighth Edition textbook.

This chapter covers the expansion of European empires, as powerful western European countries such as England, France, and Germany sought to claim as much land as possible in Africa and Asia, to colonize it as a means of bolstering their economy and political standing on the world stage. It also covers the social issues created by the European policies of racism and ethnocentrism that were used as justification for imperial expansion.

Chapter Objective

In this blog I hope to further my knowledge of the true conditions of Imperial colonies of this time period and also draw a connection between the imperialism of the late 19th Century to the United State's foreign policy today

Essential Question

What was the public opinion of rapid imperial expansion, and of the reasons used to justify it?

Imperialism was generally accepted in the larger nations participating in its growth, although the critics of its racist and seemingly brutish aspects were very outspoken during the period.