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.