Imperialism

Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. In other words it is when a nation seeks to dominate other countries for political, economical, ideological, exploratory, or religious motives. Politically, a nation wants to gain power, compete with other European nations that were also involved with imperialism, or to expand territory; when the French captured the citadel of Saigon, Vitetnam it was a poltical imperial motive. Economically, a nation has the desire to make money, expand and control foreign trade, etc; the open-shaft diamond minery at Kimberly, South Africa in 1872 was an economic imperial motive. A last example is the ideological motive which was based on the cultural value that the white race was superior and that other cultures were "primitive" so Eurpeons shoul "civilize" them; Cecil Rhodes vision of making Africa all British is an example of this. This "new imperialism" occurred between 1880 and 1900, when European governments were determind to have more colonies. In result of this desire, many nations scrambled for Africa. Great Britain, Germany, and France are only a few of the handful of nations that participated in imperialism at the time. Many rebellions arose because of these nations forcing themselves on territories that had completely different cultures. One example is the first Boer War(1880–1881), which is also known as the "Transvaal War." This war was a relatively brief conflict in which Boer settlers successfully resisted a British attempt to annex the Transvaal, and re-established an independent republic. The White Man's Burden was highly favored at this time by the European people because it was the belief that others were inferior to the Europeans and thus should be conquered and civilized for their own good. An example of the use of this would be the Europeans going into Africa to educate the people. Europeans would do anything at the time to be successful at the game of imperialism.

Industrial Revolution

Blog Question: Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in Great Britain?

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain because it had all the factors of production. Great Britain had the land; was surrounded by water and it had many natural resources such as oil, gold and lumber. Also Great Britains population was very high so the country could produce equpiment fast since there were many laborers. Last but not least, Great Britain started the Industrial Revolution so the equipment created was in high demand and since the equipment created was only in Great Britain then the countries economy rose because the prices on the equpiment increased.

Latin American Revolutions Project

Miguel Hidalgo (1753–1811) - Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel leader. Most Mexican people will say that he is the "Father of the Country." In 1810 he lead a movement to declare independence from Spain which is known as the Mexican War of Independence. The war was fought between the Criollos, Mestizos and Peon's in Mexico and the people of Spain. Independence was achieved in this area because near the end of the war Agustín de Iturbide's army was joined by rebel forces from all over Mexico and when the rebels' victory became certain, the Viceroy of New Spain resigned. Because of the enlightenment many people realized that they are not being treated fairly and started to revolt against their government. One perfect example of this is the French Revolution and because of this event, people of other countries started to revolt against their governments too and that's how this independence movement was influenced.

Entry 3 Answer

Blog Question:
Describe Napoleon’s character and leadership style and discuss how Napoleon has had positive and/or negative effects on Europe using specific expamles and details.



Napoleon Bonaparte was a selfish person who fought in battles only because it would benefit him since he knew that he would get the land and the credit for everything. He looked at every situation like he already knew that he was going to win the battle, and he always made sure that people knew he was the best. One example of this is how he made bloody sure that people found out about all of his wins, and when he lost a battle he made sure that absolutely no one found out. Napoleon had a positive influence on Europe because at the start of his reign he made the French prosperous and power again which was highly needed after the destruction that the French Revolution and King Louis XVI created. Also because of Napoleon, the French began to be proud about their country creating a strong feeling of nationalism throughout France. Napoleon had a negative influence on Europe because he lead the French into so many battles killing off thousands and thousands of French people as well as the opposing countries soldiers. One example of this is when Napoleon led his army into Russia, where he started off with 300,000 French men and left with 10,000.

Entry 2 Answer

Blog Question :
Why was the French Revolution a significant movement in history and would you consider the French Revolution a success?


The French Revolution was such a significant movement in history because before it France was an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, and after it France was a democratic government. I would say that the French Revolution was a success because it added benefits and equality to majority of the French people; the peasants who obtained 98% of the population. Also it added free speach, religion and more to the French governments laws.

Entry 1 Answer

Blog Question:
How did the Enlightenment philosophers influence change in society?


Enlightenment philosophers have influenced change in society because they came up with ideas that many people agreed upon and wanted to have included in their countries government. One example is the French Revolution. This event was started because people heard of these enlightenment ideas and risked their lives for them to be added into their governments laws.