Ap World History Dbq Imperialism

993 Words4 Pages
Rachael Su February, 2015 Global 4 Pd. 1 Imperialism DBQ During the late 1800s and early 1900s, strong, powerful nations began to conquer and take over other nations for their raw materials and strategic positioning. Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and Japan were nations that took part in these actions. The mentality of these nations was similar to Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection and the survival of the fittest. These nations along with others felt that they were the strongest nations and that they were doing other nations a favor when they conquered them. But, the colonies that were being taken over thought differently. One of the most expansive empires was the British empire, which spanned over several continents.…show more content…
Fueled by the need for raw materials and new markets, European nations competed with each other for the same land. European powers then robbed Africa of its riches. Once Great Britain found out that there were diamonds in South Africa, they decided to go to war with the descendant of Dutch Boers. Prior to the Scramble of Africa, the British African Colonies on the coast were important because they could set up more trading posts and fueling stations for the navy. (Document F) According to document E, the British thought that by entering Africa, they could teach the tribes carpentry, blacksmithery, and new technology and/or ideas. The British then started to setup railways and roads to increase transportation to move goods in Africa while claiming these benefited the Africans. While the British ended the slave trade and tribal wars in Africa, they also destroyed the social structure and economic systems. (Document…show more content…
(Document B) Document B goes on to assert that Britain improved India by increasing sanitation, adding canals, irrigation, and to conquer problems like famine. The British also made significant improvements in Africa. As shown in document D, the British made many improvements such as ending slavery, establishing a court system, teaching officials how to administer their country, and also creating an education system. However, in addition to these beneficial effects, the British empire negatively affected many of its colonies. For instance, as shown in document A, British missionaries used religion to deceive unsuspecting Africans to steal their lands. As Desmond Tutu once said, “they had the Bible and we had the land.” They said, “‘Let us pray.’ We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible and they had the land.” The British had the land in Africa and the Africans had the Bible. When the missionaries went to Africa, they took the land from the
Open Document