History 400, Spring 2016: Modern European Imperialism Meets T/Th, 11-12:15 A propaganda painting showing U.S. Marine Colonel Smedley Butler and two marines capturing Fort Riviere, Haiti in 1915. Mutilated Congolese subjects of King Leopold II's Congo "Free" State. 1
Trevor R. Getz Professor, History 222 Science Building tgetz@sfsu.edu I. What is this class? History 400 is a class about 16 th -20 th century imperialism. Loosely defined, imperialism centers around the act of political subjugation of one peoples by another. However, imperialism by definition never entails complete assimilation culturally, economically, or (it turns out) politically. Thus it is more a give-andtake relationship than total domination; resistance to and subversion of the imperial mission is commonplace. This class is about conquest and domination, but it is also about gender, race, class, and culture. We will discuss imperialism as an internalized ideology amongst Europeans and to a lesser extent American and Japanese societies. We will also look at imperialism s partner colonialism in terms of the relationship between metropole and colony. The first part of this class will center upon a discussion of the origins and context from which modern imperialism arose. We will then look closely at the reasons for, and events of, imperial expansion. We will spend much of this course seeking to understand the reciprocity of the colonial relationship, as well as its ultimate oppression, and finally we will look at decolonization, and ask whether colonialism has actually met its end. Course objectives By the end of this course, students will be able to: Engage the discourse on the origins of modern imperialism. Discuss imperialism as a constituent element of 19 th and 20 th century European societies, cultural constructs, military, and economic considerations. Understand the roles of the metropoles and periphery in jointly constructing the operations of the colonial state. Demostrate various models for the functioning of colonial states. Investigate the roles of colonized peoples in the functioning and undermining of the colonial system. Compare imperial and colonial systems globally Define and discuss various approaches to and understandings of modern imperialism. 2
General Rules 1. Instructor reserves the right not to admit students more than 10 minutes after class officially starts. 2. Instructor will periodically take roll, and reserves the right to penalize students up to 10% of Final grade for missing classes. Student WILL be given a warning first. 3. Instructor does not normally accept late papers or assignments, unless an agreement is individually reached with instructor PRIOR TO submission of materials or as specified by university rules. 4. Testing and evaluation will be conducted on the basis of materials from text and lecture. Failure to complete readings or to attend lectures will probably cause low grades! 5. This is a sensitive topic and students are advised to show sensitivity to their classmates. Plagiarism Plagiarism is a form of cheating or fraud; it occurs when a student misrepresents the work of another as his or her own. Plagiarism may consist of using the ideas, sentences, paragraphs, or the whole text of another without appropriate acknowledgment, but it also includes employing or allowing another person to write or substantially alter work that a student then submits as his or her own. Any assignment found to be plagiarized will be given an "F" grade. All instances of plagiarism in the College of Humanities will be reported to the Dean of the College, and may be reported to the University Judicial Affairs Officer for further action. Schedule Part I: The origins of Imperialism 1400-1800, and the British Empire 1814-1860s Th, Jan 28 Introduction,definitions: empire, imperialism, and colonialism T, Feb 2 The early modern state system (globally) Thu, Feb 4 T, Feb 9 Thu, Feb 11 T, Feb 16 Th, Feb 18 T, Feb 23 Th, Feb 25 T, March 1 Streets-Salter and Getz, introduction Early modern empires and colonialisms Streets-Salter and Getz, Chapters 1-2 Imperialism and international law (*Professor Harris) The first overseas imperial era 1500-1750 Streets-Salter and Getz, 3-4 England and France: Napoleonic Wars and the struggle in the Caribbean and Americas Streets-Salter and Getz 5 England s informal Empire Streets-Salter and Getz 6-7 Colonies of Settlement: South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and Australia Gets and Streets 8 The Indian model of colonialism Streets-Salter and Getz 9 The Industrial Revolution: Cause or Effect? Part II: The Expansion of Empires as seen from the metropole 1870-1914 3
Th, March 3 T, March 8 Th, March 10 T, March 15 Th, March 17 T, March 29 Th, March 31 T, April 5 Th, April 7 Europe in the 19 th century (*Professor Harris) Paper 1 due The New Imperialism Streets-Salter and Getz 10, Ideologies of Imperialism [Working with the sources]/[midterm prep] Streets-Salter and Getz 11 Gentlemanly Capitalism Colonization and informal influence in Asia and the Middle East The scramble for Africa From balance of power to World War I : Imperialism in European politics MIDTERM Part III: Cultural Contact and the imperial periphery T, April 12 Th, April 14 T, April 19 Th, April 21 T, April 26 Th, April 28 Streets-Salter and Getz 12 MIDTERM Policies of rule: exploitation governments Streets-Salter and Getz 13 Economics of Empire revisited Theories of resistance, accommodation, negotiation, and collaboration (discuss research paper) Domestic Imperialism (*Professor Harris) Missionaries & missionism Gender and Empire/Empire s impact on Europe Part IV: Decolonization and neo-colonialism T, May 3 World events and decolonization Streets-Salter and Getz 14 Th, May 5 T May 10 Concepts of Decolonization Streets-Salter and Getz 15 Independence in Asia & Middle East May 12 May 15 Independence in Africa Discussion: Are there Empires today? Is America an Empire? 17 Prep for final exam Streets-Salter and Getz 16-17 Research project due! *Note that Professor Steve Harris, who is an historian of modern Europe, will give several guest lectures in this course. 4
II. CONCEPTS Pre-colonial local context Existing polities/politics ethnicity and identity religion class and caste Colonial theory Marxist Conservative Historical/Political/Strategic Gentlemen Capitalists Psychological Liberal Stages (not necessarily in this order) Partition Pacification Intensification Compromise/Contraction Decolonization Strategies of rule Indirect Direct Association Assimilation Indigenous agency (categories) Resistance Accommodation Subversion Collaboration Survival Places Metropole Regional amalgam Dominion Colony Protectorate Colonial capital Urban zone of interaction Rural district/cercle Frontier Plantation/mine Key Agents Metropolitan ministry Independent European merchant houses/agents Colonial officials Missionaries Métis communities Local religious leaders intelligentsia bourgeoisie chiefs/aristocrats urban proletariat rural peasant class World events/trends Brussels conference Berlin conference Franco-Prussian War Great depression WWI WWII Cold War Gunpowder Empires Russian Central Asian Empire Ottoman Empire Ming Dynasty China Habsburg Empire Portuguese overseas empire New Style Empires American Pacific territories Japanese Far East Empire British Empire Belgium (Congo) Dutch Indies Portuguese (Africa and Indonesia) French d outre mer and Empire German Empire -1918 5
III. Basic Theories Conservative Theories Examples: Disraeli, Rhodes, Kipling Imperialism is necessary to preserve the existing social order in the more developed countries. It is necessary to secure trade, markets, to maintain employment and capital exports, and to channel the energies and social conflicts of the metropolitan populations into foreign countries. There is a very strong ideological and racial assumption of Western superiority within this body of thought. Liberal Theories Examples: Hobson, Angell Imperialism is a policy choice, not an inevitable consequence of capitalism. Increasing concentration of wealth within the richer countries leads to underconsumption for the mass of people. Overseas expansion is a way to reduce costs (and thereby increase or maintain profit levels) and to secure new consumption. Overseas expansion is not inevitable, however. A state can solve the problem of underconsumption by increasing the income levels of the majority of the population either through legislation concerning wage levels (minimum wage laws, legalization of unions, child labor laws) or through income transfers (unemployment compensation, welfare). Marxist Theories Example: Lenin Imperialism also arises because increased concentration of wealth leads to undeconsumption. However, since the state represents the capitalist interest it is not possible to reduce underconsumption effectively through liberal strategies. Both strategies involve taking away money from the bourgeoisie and Marx and Lenin did not view this strategy as possible. Ultimately, according to Lenin, the world would be completely divided up and the rich countries would then fight over the redivision of the world. This analysis served as his explanation for World War I. Political Theories Examples: Morgenthau, Cohen Imperialism is simply a manifestation of the balance of power and is the process by which nations try to achieve a favorable change in the status quo. The purpose of imperialism is to decrease the strategic and political vulnerability of a nation. Social-Psychological Theories Example: Schumpeter Imperialism is objectless expansion, a pattern simply learned from the behavior of other nations and institutionalized into the domestic political processes of a state by a "warrior" class. This warrior class is created because of the need for defense, but, over time, the class will manufacture reasons to perpetuate its existence, usually through manipulation of crises. 6
IV. Texts Required texts (with prices at Amazon.com) Heather Streets-Salter and Trevor Getz, Empires and Colonies in the Modern World: A Global Perspective, (Oxford U Press, 2015), Primary source reader available at ilearn.sfsu.edu. You must have a copy of this reader available to you every day in class either digital or printed V. Assignments Paper 1 2 pages 10% Midterm Essays 25% Research paper 4-5 pages 25% Final Essays 40% Paper 1 Answer one of the questions on the worksheet (available on ilearn) in 400-600 words, typed, handed in on March 1 (late papers not generally accepted) Midterm Will likely consist of one source-based analysis (based on a source you have seen in class) and one argumentative essay, covering Streets-Salter & Getz chapters 1-9. Will take place April 5. Research Paper Research papers are due May 10. They must be 4-5 pages long (about 2000-2500 words). Based on your selection (below), your paper may cover pretty much any part of the world, on the basis of which History majors may use this course as a World (region) or U.S. course counting towards your major requirements. This assignment requires you to (a) develop a plan for acquiring and recording information employing advanced search strategies to examine a wide variety of potential sources, including library resources; (b) apply advanced criteria in evaluating information and sources, including distinguishing scholarly/non-scholarly information and primary/secondary sources; (c) properly use and cite this information in assignments; and (d) formulate arguments and/or theories supported by information from multiple sources. More specific details will be forthcoming, but the topics are as follow: Topic 1: Research the culture of one imperial power during a specific time period (10-30 years) during the era covered by the course, and explain how and to what 7
degree there was a culture of imperialism supporting the expansion and maintenance of empire in that era. Topic 2: Research the acquisition of a particular colony by one imperial power in this period and explain the processes, events, and motives that caused this acquisition to occur. Be sure to explore competing and complementary explanations. Topic 3: Is the United States today (1994-present) an empire? Be sure to explore competing responses to this question and to base your answer in evidence and a firm definition of empire, rather than solely your political or personal beliefs. Final exam Multiple essays. Date to be announced and is available on university calendar. 8