The Opium Wars

The Opium Wars were drug wars that took place from 1839 to 1842. The Chinese were extremely proud people and thought that they were the best and that they needed no one. The Qing ambassador showed no interest in the machines that could made him a stronger country. The British were desperate for something to trade with the Chinese in large amounts besides their Silver. That something was Opium. Opium is a narcotic made from poppy plant. By 1835 millions were addicted to the drug. The addiction made many problems for the country. Opium was ruining the people so the Chinese declared war with the British. The battles took place mostly in the sea which means the Chinese had no chance against Britains advanced ships. So the Chinese suffered a humiliating defeat that forced them to sign peace treaties. The peace treaties let the British us Chinas five ports instead of just one, the were forced to legalize Opium, and they lost control of Hong Kong. The Opium war started many unfair treaties with the Western countries.

The White Man's Burden

The White Man's Burden represents the ideas of an imperialistic mind. From what I understand of the poem Rudyard Kipling believed that it was every white mans job to go to Africa and modernize the people who live there. It is clear that the poem is racist and that the white man only thought of the Africans as savages. Although the poem was hard to understand you can tell that Rudyard Kipling had strong nationalistic feelings towards his country and that he thought it was his duty to England to fix Africa. The White man felt they were superior to the Africans and that they should start acting like the White people. I don't agree with the analysis since the Africans were doing fine without anyones help. The Europeans were mostly being racist and didnt even treat the Africans like people. I think America is imperialistic to an extent. Our country is much less ignorant now and less racist. But although I think America tries to help because we just care I also think money and power has a lot to with it.

The Scramble for Africa

The Scramble for Africa was when all the European nations began claiming all of Africas territory. Many treaties were made by the Africans themselves giving the Europeans all this power. Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Britain started taking interest in 1881. They started taking interest in Africa for its vast amount of natural resources. Africa contained gold, diamonds, petroleum, and much more. Also some of the countries would claim African land simply for power or to just have it for their own. The European countries had much better technology than the Africans which was the only reason for their easy victory. The Europeans had steam boats and machine guns while the Africans still depended on Spears and sheilds. This had a negative effect on Africa. The Africans were losing their land and culture. Also the Europeans took advantage of the Africans and looked down upon them.

Film Lesson: "Mountains of the Moon"

In the movie Mountains of the Moon two British men went searching for the source of the Nile River. The first time their mission failed because another tribe basically murdered the group of Africans hired to help them and a lieutenant. During their journey some of the bearers helping them out ran away with some of their belongings. Also another problem faced were the harsh conditions of Africa. The ground was rough to walk on and the temperature was extremely hot. Another problem were the animals that lived in Africa. At one point Richard Burton became sick and Speke went on to try to find the source of the Nile. He thought he found it but what he really found was Lake Victoria. He named it himself after the Queen of the United Kingdom at the time. The Europeans had much more tools than the Africans that helped with the directions and health. They had steamboats which helped with their traveling. Also they had weapons such as machine guns. I think these technological advantages were the reason Europeans won so easily.

The Meiji Restoration of Japan

The Meiji Restoration was basically the period where Japan finally modernizes. Before that Japan was hiding from the world and made little contact. All this change when Commodore Matthew Perry visited Japan in 1853. The Japanese were astonished by the American ships. But the point of his visit was to open up Japan to the world and start trade. It was clear that they would've done it by force. The Japanese had no choice but to sign treaties that limited the control Japan had on its on trading and that made crimes against foreigners be tried in American courts. After this other western countries began using Japan for trading which caused anger amongst the Japanese. Their thoughts were proud and nationalistic. After the visit from Commodore Perry everything changed from Japan. Japan adopted ideas from all the other countries to make their own better. By the end of the Meiji period the Japanese gained a better government, a stronger navy and army, better transportation and communication systems, and more educated people. Japan is a archipelago or a chain of islands.

Karl Marx and Communism

Karl Marx believed in a word where the workers ruled over the bosses. He thought the workers should govern over the farms and factories. This whole idea is basically what Communism is. Communism comes from the word common. He loved the idea of financial equality. He thought that the people would share their wealth with each other and only get what they deserved or needed. Marx considered capitalist as the "bad guy" and the workers as the good guys". He refered to the capitalist and bosses as the bourgeoisie and the working class as the proletariat. To him capitalism would only bring destruction and chaos. He thought that with communism society would be a peaceful and classless society.

Karl Marx and the Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution was the starting point to capitalism. The industrial revolution meant workers slaving for low wages and land owners just enjoying their easily made money. The capitalist were gaining alot of power. Those terrible circumstances are what made Karl Marx change his way of thinking and the ways of people lives. Karl Marx hated the indurtial revolution and all it brought. He thought of capitalism as a catastophe. What Marx wanted to see was the workers gaining the power instead of capitalists. He thought that the workers sold themselves out. He urged the people to take a stand and over rule the government to his ideas. The unfair treatment of everything made him come up with communism. With communism his dreams would come true of a better and equal sociey.