Question

Analyze the connections and comparisons that can be made between Africa and Southeast Asia in the late nineteenth century. (Ch. 26)

Answer 1

With occurrence of industrial revolution, there was a gradual shift in the manner in which economies were being built in the early 19th century. Along with this, there was the American civil war, in the 1860s, unification of Germany in the mid 19th century and Britain, with its might. These economies began developing. Britain was already looking to expand its territory by building colonies all over the world, so as to create markets among the various colonies.
as germany got unified, with zolverin as its economical ideal, there began a race for imperialism. These capitalist economies, Britain, Germany, Dutch, Portuguese, wanted to expand their bases, and thus began the exploitation of colonies in the mid 19th century.

by 1857, the British had already established a strong hold over India. Around the same time, the Dutch had established their colonies in the Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia region. Also, britishers had expanded their bases to Africa, dividing it into several countries.
- the african and the south East Asian colonies were seen as reservoirs of raw material

- the colonisers wanted to increase their wealth multi fold. They started imposing the idea of free trade, where, raw materials were sent from the colonies to the coloniser countries, and manufactured and finished goods were sent back to the colonies. These colonies were used as markets for the finished good.
- agricultural labourers were exploited to produce what the colonisers wanted. Plus the peasants were taxed heavily, barely allowing them to survive with their resources.
- constant famines were observed, as the colonisers paid little attention to growth of food crops and more to growth of cash crops.
- local men were employed in the armies, to fight wars that the colonisers deemed upon.

- identify crisis invoked into the minds of the people, by displaying the ideas of white supremacy and white mans burden.