Empires and Imperialism

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Empires and Imperialism
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The Ottoman Empire

• What do you remember about the Ottoman Empire?
  Who were the important people?

3
Selim III

• Selim III (r. 1789-1807)
• Intelligent and forward thinking
• Looks to European models to solve the problems of
  the Ottoman Empire
• Attempted Improvements
• European style military units
• Control of provincial governors
• Reform the tax system

4
Selim III

• Why did Selim IIIs attempts to reform the
  Ottoman empire fail?
• Janissaries
• Serbian uprising
• Ulma
• Executed before his cousin and supporters could
  retake control
• No success for reforms because people benefited
  from old systems

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Crimean War

• Greek Independence showcases Ottoman weakness
• Peter the Great pushing to expand southward into
  Ottoman territory
• Desires access to the Mediterranean sea
• Russians, in exchange for help during the
  Egyptian invasion of Syria, named the protector
  of all Orthodox subjects
• Sultan names French the protector of the Holy
  Sepulcher in Jerusalem

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Crimean War

• The Eastern Question
• Should the Ottoman Empire continue to exist?
• If not, who should rule the territory?

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Crimean War

• Fought between 1853 and 1856
• Britain, France, and Italian kingdoms side with
  Ottomans
• Why does this decision seem out of character?
• What were the motives of these countries?

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Crimean War

• Nothing goes right for the Russians
• Navy trapped in Black Sea
• Corruption and lack of effective transportation
  leaves troops without supplies
• Disease
• Forced to seek peace agreement when their main
  fort in Crimea falls

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Outcomes of the Crimean War

• Peace treaty
• Blocked Russians from expanding southward to the
  Mediterranean
• Stopped the French and British from taking
  Ottoman territory for their exclusive use
• Meant they could seize land as long as they
  shared with everyone else too

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Changes due to the Crimean War

• First time Newspaper propaganda campaigns were
  important in Britain and France
• MARKED THE CHANGE FROM TRADITIONAL TO MODERN
  WARFARE

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Ottoman Changes

• Extraterritoriality
• Allowing the Europeans to live in their own
  little areas in Istanbul
• Intense integration into European trading network
  
• Population movement to the cities
• Inflation
• Lack of exports
• Movement for a secular government in 1860s and
  1870s

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Ottoman Empire Decline

• What forces led to the decline of the Ottoman
  Empire?
• Does this list seem familiar?

13
The Russian Empire

• Really big, lots of potential, but somewhat
  backwards compared to Europe
• Only about 6 of population lives in cities by
  mid 1800s
• Very agricultural society
• Lack of effective, reliable transportation system
  
• Industrialization and development relied heavily
  on the importation of knowledge and skill from
  Europe
• Uneducated, traditional, diverse society

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Liberal vs Conservative Leadership

• Alexander I
• Attempted to force reforms on Russia including
• Encouraging more education including more
  Universities and studying abroad
• Modernizing the army
• New Bureaucratic regime
• Decembrist movement
• Death of Alexander brings chaos and confusion to
  empire in 1825
• Army Officers attempt a coup to take control
• Exposed to the Western European system
• Want to see reform in government
• Movement fails and Nicholas I learns to distrust
  the Liberal contingents within his own government

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Liberal vs Conservative Leadership

• Nicholas I
• Conservative, reactionary
• Liberal ideas discouraged
• Bureaucracy begins to take effect and flourish
  despite efforts by ruling families to discourage

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The Russian Empire

• Nicholas I feared potential political challenges
  if a middle class developed
• Kept literacy to a minimum
• Bought industrial goods and paid with exports of
  grain and timber
• Slavophiles
• Opposed to westernization
• Orthodox faith the bedrock of society

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Liberal Vs Conservative Leadership

• Alexander II
• Returns to a more reform-minded approach
• Slavophile thinking begins to emerge as a
  prominent cultural current
• Narodniki movement
• Feodor Dostoyevsky writes in this time period

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Qing Empire

• What things arent going well for the Qing?

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Qing Empire

• Population growth and pressures
• Destroys environment
• Landless, homeless vagabonds
• Annoyance growing with subjugated minorities
• Distrust of government officials
• Growing presence of European traders
• Inability of the Qing officials to maintain
  control in parts of the empire

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White Lotus Rebellion 1794-1804

• Takes hold in parts of central China
• Hatred for the Qing foreign rule grows
• Predict the return of the Ming dynasty and the
  coming of the Buddha
• Militias of some areas able to successfully
  defend themselves from the Qing forces and attach
  others
• Chaos ensues

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Opium War

• British response to growing trade deficit with
  China was to sell Opium
• Huge problem for Chinese as large portions of the
  population become addicted
• Chinese Emperor seeks a meeting with the British
  to discuss stopping the importation of the drug
• English Refuse
• Chinese declare war

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Opium War

• Chinese forces inadequate
• Bannerman outdated
• Most fight with swords, knives, and clubs
• No navy
• Old technology
• Slow movement
• British Marines move at will along the coast and
  up the Chinese Rivers

23
Treaty of Nanking

• Chinese forced to admit defeat
• End of the Canton system
• Five ports opened to European trade
• Hong Kong becomes English colony
• Most-favored-nation status
• Granted to Britain in the following year
• Any privilege granted to another country is
  automatically granted to the British

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The Taiping Rebellion 1851-1864

• What were some of the forces conspiring to start
  a civil war in China?
• Unhappiness with the Qing
• Inability to control territory
• Foreign invasion into territory and trade

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The Taiping Rebellion

• Hong Xiuquan
• Member of the minority group
• Hakkas
• Founder of the rebellion
• Attempted to become a bureaucrat but failed the
  examinations repeatedly
• Had a mental breakdown
• Met protestant missionaries in Canton
• Believed himself the younger brother of Jesus
• Commissioned by God to drive the Manchus out of
  China
• Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace

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The Taiping Rebellion

• Spread throughout parts of the country
• Many feared the coming of the rebellion
• Did not want to be forced into their army
• Confucian bureaucrats feared the adoption of
  foreign gods and a change in the system
• Settle the Kingdom of Heaven in Nanjing
• City is seiged by the Qing but is well fortified
  and supplied
• Eventual European involvement in conflict and
  second round of opium wars brings the Qing to the
  knees