What do you think is happening P I

What do you think is happening?

P I C T U R E Picture 1 3 Picture 2

What is happening in these two pictures?

Social Darwinism • The belief that people, cultures and skin colors are subject to natural selection – only the strongest will survive. • The weak deserve to die so the strong can evolve faster and stronger. • Charles Darwin believed this law applied to animals and plants of all kinds • Herbert Spencer, Walter Bagehot, and William Graham Sumner; believed that societies would be gradually improved, as the weaker individuals were killed off

Rudyard Kipling’s “White Man’s Burden” Take up the White Man's burden-Send forth the best ye breed-Go bind your sons to exile To serve your captives' need; To wait in heavy harness, On fluttered folk and wild-Your new-caught, sullen peoples, Half-devil and half-child. Take up the White Man's burden-In patience to abide, To veil the threat of terror And check the show of pride; By open speech and simple, An hundred times made plain To seek another's profit, And work another's gain. Take up the White Man's burden-The savage wars of peace-Fill full the mouth of Famine And bid the sickness cease; And when your goal is nearest The end for others sought, Watch sloth and heathen Folly Bring all your hopes to nought. Take up the White Man's burden-No tawdry rule of kings, But toil of serf and sweeper-The tale of common things. The ports ye shall not enter, The roads ye shall not tread, Go mark them with your living, And mark them with your dead. Take up the White Man's burden-Ye dare not stoop to less-Nor call too loud on Freedom To cloke your weariness; By all ye cry or whisper, By all ye leave or do, The silent, sullen peoples Shall weigh your gods and you. Take up the White Man's burden-Have done with childish days-The lightly proferred laurel, The easy, ungrudged praise. Comes now, to search your manhood Through all the thankless years Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom, The judgment of your peers!

The Scramble for Africa • Until the 1800’s, Europe attempted to colonize Africa only along the coast • Fear of the unknown, safety from attacks and resources along the coast prevented inland exploration • After the American Civil War, there was almost no demand for African slaves and European nations began to lose money • Needing money to fuel their new Nationalistic militaries, Europe begins to enter Central Africa and claim land • German sociologist Johann Blumenbach begins to classify the people they encounter in Africa by skin color: white, brown, black, yellow and red • Within 10 years, France will release a chart of racial superiority based on color, labelling European whites at the top • Believing that Africans needed “civilizing” England sends famous explorer David Livingstone into the jungle stating that he was going to prevent slavery in that region

The Scramble for Africa

The Berlin Conference • a meeting between European nations to create rules on how to peacefully divide Africa among them for colonization. • The conference was created by Portugal but led by Germany. The USA refused to participate. • The conference officially banned the enslavement of Africans but allowed forced colonization – which in effect led to enslaving the Africans. • The conference also allowed Europe to AVOID war as long as they respected each other’s boundaries but allowed for WAR if resources were taken across borders (keep this in mind when you learn WWII)

Nationalism • Nationalism gave citizens excessive confidence in their nation, their governments and their military strength. It assured them that their country was fair, righteous and without blame. • Nationalism is an extreme form of patriotism and loyalty to one’s country. Nationalists place the interests of their own country above the interests of other countries. Nationalism was prevalent in early 20 th century Europe and was a significant cause of World War I. • Most pre-war Europeans believed in the cultural, economic and military supremacy of their nation. Their attitudes and overconfidence were fuelled by things like jingoistic press reporting. The pages of newspapers were often packed with nationalist rhetoric and inflammatory stories or rumors about rival nations. Nationalism could also be found in other aspects of popular culture, including literature, music and theatre. • http: //www. funfront. net/hist/wwi/national. htm

References • Social Darwinism: kids. britannica. com/comptons/article 9313601/Social-Darwinism • Scramble for Africa: www. bbc. co. uk/history/british/abolition/scramble_for_africa_ article_01. shtml • Berlin Conference: www. chegg. com/homeworkhelp/definitions/berlin-conference-of-1884 -45 • White Man’s Burden: legacy. fordham. edu/halsall/mod/Kipling. asp • Nationalism: http: //alphahistory. com/worldwar 1/nationalism/