Comparative Colonization in Asia

Several different Western European powers established colonies in Asia during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Each of the imperial powers had its own style of administration, and colonial officers from the different nations also displayed various attitudes towards their imperial subjects. Great Britain The British Empire was the largest in the world prior to World War II and included a number of places in Asia. Those territories include what is now Oman, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka (Ceylon), the Maldives, Singapore, Malaysia (Malaya), Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo (now part of Indonesia), Papua New Guinea, and Hong Kong. The crown jewel of all of Britains overseas possessions around the world, of course, was India. British colonial officers and British colonists, in general, saw themselves as exemplars of fair play, and in theory, at least, all of the crowns subjects were supposed to be equal before the law, regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity. Nonetheless, British colonials held themselves apart from local people more than other Europeans did, hiring locals as domestic help, but rarely intermarrying with them. In part, this may have been due to a transfer of British ideas about the separation of classes to their overseas colonies. The British took a paternalistic view of their colonial subjects, feeling a duty — the white mans burden, as Rudyard Kipling put it — to Christianize and civilize the peoples of Asia, Africa, and the New World. In Asia, the story goes, Britain built roads, railways, and governments, and acquired a national obsession with tea. This veneer of gentility and humanitarianism quickly crumbled, however, if a subjugated people rose up. Britain ruthlessly put down the Indian Revolt of 1857 and brutally tortured accused participants in Kenyas Mau Mau Rebellion (1952 - 1960). When famine struck Bengal in 1943, Winston Churchills government not only did nothing to feed Bengalis, it actually turned down food aid from the US and Canada meant for India. France Although France sought an extensive colonial empire in Asia, its defeat in the Napoleonic Wars left it with just a handful of Asian territories. Those included the 20th-century mandates of Lebanon and Syria, and more especially the key colony of French Indochina — what is now Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. French attitudes about colonial subjects were, in some ways, quite different from those of their British rivals.  Some idealistic French sought not just to dominate their colonial holdings, but to create a Greater France in which all French subjects around the world truly would be equal. For example, the North African colony of Algeria became a department, or a province, of France, complete with parliamentary representation. This difference in attitude may be due to Frances embrace of Enlightenment thinking, and to the French Revolution, which had broken down some of the class barriers that still ordered society in Britain. Nonetheless, French colonizers also felt the white mans burden of bringing so-called civilization and Christianity to barbaric subject peoples. On a personal level, French colonials were more apt than the British to marry local women and create a cultural fusion in their colonial societies.  Some French racial theorists such as Gustave Le Bon and Arthur Gobineau, however, decried this tendency as a corruption of Frenchmens innate genetic superiority. As time went on, social pressure increased for French colonials to preserve the purity of the French race. In French Indochina, unlike Algeria, the colonial rulers did not establish large settlements. French Indochina was an economic colony, meant to produce a profit for the home country. Despite the lack of settlers to protect, however, France was quick to jump into a bloody war with the Vietnamese when they resisted a French return after World War II. Today, small Catholic communities, a fondness for baguettes and croissants, and some pretty colonial architecture are all that remains of visible French influence in Southeast Asia. The Netherlands The Dutch competed and fought for control of the Indian Ocean trade routes and spice production with the British, through their respective East India Companies. In the end, the Netherlands lost Sri Lanka to the British, and in 1662, lost Taiwan (Formosa) to the Chinese, but retained control over most of the rich spice islands that now make up Indonesia. For the Dutch, this colonial enterprise was all about money. There was a very little pretense of cultural improvement or Christianization of the heathens — the Dutch wanted profits, plain and simple.  As a result, they showed no qualms about ruthlessly capturing locals and using them as slave labor on the plantations, or even carrying out a massacre of all the inhabitants of the Banda Islands to protect their monopoly on the nutmeg and mace trade. Portugal After Vasco da Gama rounded the southern end of Africa in 1497, Portugal became the first European power to gain sea access to Asia. Although the Portuguese were quick to explore and lay claim to various coastal parts of India, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and China, its power faded in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the British, Dutch, and French were able to push Portugal out of most of its Asian claims. By the 20th century, what remained was Goa, on the southwest coast of India; East Timor; and the southern Chinese port at Macau. Although Portugal was not the most intimidating European imperial power, it had the most staying power. Goa remained Portuguese until India annexed it by force in 1961; Macau was Portuguese until 1999 when the Europeans finally handed it back to China, and East Timor or Timor-Leste formally became independent only in 2002.   Portuguese rule in Asia was by turns ruthless (as when they began capturing Chinese children to sell into slavery in Portugal), lackadaisical, and underfunded. Like the French, Portuguese colonists were not opposed to mixing with local peoples and creating creole populations. Perhaps the most important characteristic of the Portuguese imperial attitude, however, was Portugals stubbornness and refusal to withdraw, even after the other imperial powers had closed up shop. Portuguese imperialism was driven by a sincere desire to spread Catholicism and make tons of money. It was also inspired by nationalism; originally, a desire to prove the countrys might as it came out from under Moorish rule, and in later centuries, the proud insistence on holding onto the colonies as an emblem of past imperial glory.

The Slavery Of African Americans - 2011 Words

In the beginning, Europeans were the ones who were viewed as the servants, slaves, and essentially a cheap labor force for the U.S colonies. Soon after, the drought and shortage of slaves worried and caused the people to turn to another source which could supply them with slaves. In result, African American slaves were brought to the U.S to facilitate life and work together with the European workforce. These African Americans came from a multitude of places including Africa and the Caribbean. From this day forth the lives of all African Americans changed, having an everlasting effect on their lives. After this, African Americans were viewed as slaves and it was the norm back then, which was a harsh, cruel reality. This is how life was and to change it would be revolutionary. People, the Nation, productivity, economy, and much more revolved around the work and importance of the slave. As time went on, some people realized that these people were human too, not only just property, and m any outbreaks and revolts started to arise. From these small scale matters arose much greater matters, and it finally would end up to be revolutionary. While the Nation grew, so did the interests of individuals and industries. The South, otherwise known as Confederacy was a place where the economy was based solely off agriculture, which required the work of the slaves. Rather in the North, there was a blast of industrialization and the work of slaves was no longer really required. With many otherShow MoreRelatedSlavery : The African American Slavery2189 Words   |  9 PagesAPUSH - Steiker Period 6 Slavery 1775 - 1830 â€Å"Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves, † said George Gordon Byron. Though slavery has never had a universal definition, one might describe it as the dependent labour by one person performed to another who is not of his or her family. It was thought to have come about after a dramatic labour shortage in particular areas or countries. In America, slavery has always been a highly debatedRead MoreThe Slavery Of African Americans942 Words   |  4 Pagespeople I met asked me that we Africans sold other Africans into slavery and why? I will tell them well I was not born when it happened, I only learn about slavery in school not even my parents told me so I cannot provide you with genuine reason behind slavery but I do understand this that it may have some economic benefits attached to it and that is a fact, the world back then was like survival of the fittest, slavery was rampant all over the world and not only black Africans were enslaved, many ethnicitiesRead MoreThe Slavery Of African Americans1208 Words   |  5 PagesBack when there was Slavery it was unfair to some people, at least to the African Americans. By unfair I mean the whites, like most of us would torture the Africans. Some of the things the owners did was made the slaves work in fields without pay and they had no control over their own self, their owner did. But, if they were not doing, that the owners would do something bad like whip them with a whip with metal on the end. Also, it even was effected in sports because back then it was just whitesRead MoreThe Slavery Of African Americans1207 Words   |  5 Pagestime where slavery was legal in America was a dark time that all wish was expunged from the nation’s history. Ever since the end of WWII came around and Japanese and victims of the Holocaust started to receive reparations for the ordeals then endeavored. This launched a proposal that the descendants of the enslaved people in the United States would be given some type of compensation. The form of compensation varies from individual monetary payments to land-based payment. Although the American enslavementRead MoreThe Slavery Of African Americans975 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the early developments of America, multiple states instituted the practice of owning African-Americans and using them as slaves. Surprisingly, this form of slavery was not only present in the Southern states, but also in the Northern too. 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African people have been at war with society, and in spite of the fact that their weapons has slightly been adjusted over the years, it still remains the same endless war we’ve been facing since the settling of African people in the Americas. African people could never fully integrate with the shared heritage and experience within the African identity. Wars have been going on for times on end, from Emmitt Till to the Rosewood

Women in Government free essay sample

Culture is defined as customary beliefs and behaviors of a specific social group and traditions and rituals become a part of everyday living (Miller, 2007). In today’s modern world there are still customs that are passed down from one generation to the next generation. In American culture as well as Japanese culture the role of women has evolved to present day. Women play a significant role in American culture today.Women hold positions of power such as Hiliary Clinton, current Secretary of State and Nancy Poloski the current Speaker of the House of Representatives. Many years ago this would have not have been the case women were not allowed to vote. Over time culture has shaped the role of women in America today. In previous culture of women involved women to stay home, not work and raise the children. If a women did work it was in a capacity as a school teacher which was a popular career so that type of work was acceptable, but for a woman to run hold a place in political office was unheard of. We will write a custom essay sample on Women in Government or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As time has evolved American women gained the right to vote and demanded to be treated equal to men in all ways. In today’s society women not only raise children but spend a great deal of time working outside the home to help support their families. In some cases men stay home with the children while women go out to earn money to support the family. 100 years ago that was not as common as it is today. In American culture women have learned their role by example from their mother or grandmother’s ways of how to be a women.American women today do not expect a man to be the sole provider of the family and it is not looked down upon women who are single parents and are taking care of children without the help of the father. The media also plays an important role in the identity of women today (Miller, 2007). A good example of this the show The Bachelorette on ABC. This show shows the life an independent woman looking for love. The usual profile is of a woman who is good looking but looking for someone she can spend the rest of her life with.It is not because she needs a man to take care of her but because she wants someone special to share life experiences with. This show usually shows the woman in a positive light. Japanese women have faced numerous changes in their society in the past 150 years (Friedman, 1992). The women of Japan have struggled with the ways of American women, admiring, imitating, fighting, and ultimately wanting to have the same rights as western women (Friedman, 1992). Since the early 1960s, women in Japan were allowed to vote in elections however they did not have equal participation in decision making in regard to Japanese legislature. There were very few women in high positions of power in government and women were treated far less than equal to men (Friedman, 1992). Currently there are no laws against a woman running for public candidacy but they are underrepresented in local and national government. Why? Centuries ago women were consider to be less equal to men and were subservient to their husbands.Women were not allowed to work based on previous beliefs and culture of women of Japan. In 1999 new law was added to Japanese legislature stating that Japan is a Gender-Equal Society and is based on respect for the human rights of women and men. The amendment set precedence and paved the way for women to be treated equally to men (Friedman, 1992). The role of women has evolved in both American and Japanese culture. The ways of women 100 years ago does not reflect the lifestyles of modern women today. The media, as well as family background shape the roles of women all over the world.