Great+Britain+and+Central+Asia

=Britain's Imperial Rule In Central Asia=



Why did the country begin it policy of Imperialism?
Britain began Imperialism because of the profits that could have been made from the vast amount of resources that regions that were less powerful than Britain contained.

Why is the territory being targeted for takeover?[[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-jS2mCJTo8NULnfOjKG1fUyx0ghWmDsZj1WOfPXT7WIUEZ96c2Q align="right"]]
Central Asia was targeted for Imperial rule because the territory was relatively easy to control, and the area contained many valuable resources. Central Asia was not controlled by any other European power when Britain took control of the area (the french east india company was also attempting to take control of parts of India). The original governments and people were easy to defeat and/or control. The new technology that Britain contained had not yet spread to these countries. In addition to the ease of the takeover, the areas contained an abundance of resources and materials that Britain could profit from.China had thousands of acres of tea, and India had great potential due to its high population, potential buyers,

What type of rule is being exercised?
= = In China, Great Britan imposed a trade treaty on them. China did avoid complete European domination, but was still under then hands of Britain. (China is not part of Central Asia)

In India, Queen Victoria replaced the rule of a monopolistic enterprise with a trained civil service headed by graduates of Britain's top universities.

** What are the obstacles to control? **
In China, the first obstacle was getting around the Chinese war ships, which lead to the Opium War, The second was when the peasants would rebel during the Taiping Rebellion. One other example would be the Self-Strengthening Movement. These the Opium War was what lead up to the imperialism; the Taiping Rebellion was during the imperialism; and the Self-Strengthening Movement was coming out of imperialism. In India, the Muhgal Empire was keeping most of Europe away. However, when the empire started to crumble some European countries, such as Britain, came in. Another obstacle was how the sepoys would try to rebel against the British, however they were not very successful.

Are there any present day effects?
In the long term, China was scared from the imperialism. The peasants suffered horribly, and the government became distrustful of other countries. This caused China to not make allies with many countries that could of helped them. With the few allies that they did have, the 'friendship' costed them greatly. The industrialization was slow. Without help from other countries, China didn't not industrialize as quickly as they should have, but without trust they would not go to another country for help. Nationalism was another factor from them getting imperilased. They were not confident in their governments ability to keep the country safe. This made the people scared of what would happen later on, to their children, their grandchildren. The imperialism affected how the people thought about their country, and not for the better.

British Imperialism had a positive effect of India.They built many roads, bridges, canals, etc. that improved trade and travel, and allowed materials and ideas to spread easily. One major contribution, infrastructure-wise, that Britain made was the railway system. Trains are the main method of traveling and trading over long distances due to their cost-effectiveness and reliability. The British also brought new ideas and perspectives in terms of religious and traditional practices. These inspired Ram Mohun Roy to challenge old traditions such as underage marriages, inequality based on gender, and widow suicides, and the general public to stop these horrible practices. (What about changes in culture and the sepoy rebellion) = = = = = =

Trade
Before the 1800s, Chinese placed strict rules on foreign traders. European merchants had to trade to a small area in Southern China. China sold them silp, porclelain, and tea in exchange for gold and silver. Through this system, China enjoyed the trade surplus, while the Europeans had a trade deficit. In the late 1700s British mechants began making profits by celling opium, which was grown in India, and selling it for Chinese tea. The Chinese became addicted to this drug, and were sending out silver in trade. This is when Great Britain started to imperialised China. China noticed that their economy was failing due to the addiction to the drug. They outlawed opium, executed the dealers, and ordered Britain to stop the trade. Britian, which is making a large profit, of course refused.

The Opium War and The Treaty of Nanjing[[image:http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSUOPChVWy2ibdDBBHj_B2NgW4oPoCJaEdxxER-BBiT7JTWmssMvw align="left"]]
In 1839, Chinese war ships clashed with British merchants, which started the Opium War. The Chinese ships were trying to repel the British merchants from selling opium. Since the industrial revolution already happened in Britian, the British ships were equipped with latest in firepower, The British won fairly easily because the Chinese were fighting with outdated weapons. Then on August 29, 1842 the Treaty of Nanjing ended the first Opium War. It was also the first unequal treaty between China and a foreign nation. China payed the British an indemnity and gave up Hong Kong ports, which is on the south coast of China. China also had to keep five ports open for foreign trade and grant British citizens extraterritoriality.

The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864)[[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJ0MpaN0rl5zHnXB0cdIBOyyl7jCL1lPLzZRtfNNfwDHmq_5Uk align="right"]]
One of the worst peasants rebellion would be the Taiping Rebellion.Their leader, Hong Xiuquan was inspired by religious visions. He was influenced by Christian teachings. He believed that he was the son of God, the younger brother of Jesus Christ. And he believed that it was his duty to send reform to China. He wanted to establish a "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace" in Taiping. He believed in land reform, community ownership of property, and equality of women and men. Most of all, he wanted to end the Qing dynasty. The Taiping rebels won large parts of China, but in 1864, loyal regional governors and generals, and the government crushed the rebellion. The Taiping Rebellion, did almost destroy the Qing dynasty, but it went on surviving. But now, the Qing government has to share its power with the regional commanders. = =

Self-Strengthening Movement
In 1860, China launched a new reform called the self-strengthening movement. It was an attempt to adapt the western institutions and military innovations. This is when they imported western technology and set up factories to institutions make modern weapons.They also developed shipyards, railroads, mining, and the light industry. They also translated western works about science, government, and economy. This only made limited progress because the government wasn't completely behind it. = = = =

Trade
Great Britain's interest in India began in the 1600's. The East India Company set up trading posts in India. In 1757, company troops from the East India Trade Company defeated Indian forces at the Battle of Plassey and after that were the leading force in India at that time. Britain's interest in trading with India was based more on potential rather then the actual profit that could have been made at the time they started ruling India. Its huge population meant there were many potential buyers of British goods, and it contained an abundance of resources and raw material required to fuel the Industrial Revolution in Britain. They set up policies forcing India to only buy British goods, and to make raw material only for Britain, These essentially prevented the Indian economy from operating on its own.

Ruling India
When Britain was interested in India, the Mughal Empire was declining, making it easier for Britain to take charge. When Britain was conquering India, they had a strategy to pit different groups and religions against each other to make a takeover easier. Britain completely disregarded the culture of India, which soon backfired. They were very strict when it came to economic rules, such as British salt being the only source of salt someone can legally have.

British East India Company
The British East India company was one of the main organizations that ad power in India, along with Britain's government. They used India for naval bases due to their encounters with Portuguese war-ships in the Indian Ocean, and as a source of income, since they had a monopoly over India's market. They used Indian land to grow cotton, silk and other lucrative cash crops they could trade with.

Sepoy Rebellion
The Sepoy were Indian men recruited by either the British East India Company or the British government that fought for them with British weapons and tactics; they became the largest part of Britain's forces in India, outnumbering European men 10:1 by the 19 century. By the time Britain controlled 2/3 of India, tensions were high. Although there were small rebellions, the Sepoy remained calm until they were given new guns with cartridges that had seals that needed to be bitten off. That wouldn't have been a problem, but the seals were thought to have been made of pig or cow fat. The two main religions of India are Islam and Hinduism. Islam prohibits the consumption of pigs, while Hinduism prohibited the consumption of cows. The new cartridges infuriated the Sepoy, so about 95% refused to use them. This led to severe punishments, which further angered the Sepoy. The sepoys rebelled against the British on May 10,1857. It took more than a eighteen months for the British East India Company to regain control. This rebellion is considered the first step in the struggle for Indian independence. = = = =

Glossary
= = Imperialism- when a country takes charge over a country politically, economically, or territorially. Trade surplus - exporting more than they buy Trade deficit - buying more than they are selling. Indemnity - payments for losses in a war Extraterritoriality - the right to live under their own laws and be tried in their own courts. Nationalism - having pride in your country Sepoy- Indian soldier working for British forces

= = = = Works Cited

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