European Overseas Empire, 1879 - 1999: A Short History (Wiley Short Histories)

A Timely Look Back at the Era That Shaped Our World Thousands of years of recorded history show that the main way in which human societies have been organized is as empires. Today, the evidence of recent European overseas empire's lasting effects is all around us: from international frontiers and fusion cuisine to multiplying apologies for colonial misdeeds. European Overseas Empire, 1879-1999: A Short History explores the major events in this critical period that continue to inform and affect our world today. New access to archives and a renewed interest in the most recent era of European overseas empire building and the decolonization that followed have produced a wealth of fascinating information that has recharged perennial debates and shed new light on topics previously considered settled . At the same time, current events are once again beginning to echo the past, bringing historical perspective into the spotlight to guide our actions going forward. This book examines our collective past, providing new insight and fresh perspectives as it: Traces current events to their roots in the European overseas imperialism of the 19th and 20th centuries Challenges the notion of political, cultural, social, and economic exchanges of the era as being primarily "Europe-outward" Examines the complexity and contingency of colonial rule, and the range of outcomes for the various territories involved Explores the power dynamics of overseas empires, and their legacies that continue to shape the world today Title Page 5 Copyright Page 6 Contents 7 List of Illustrations 9 Acknowledgements 11 List of Selected Abbreviations 13 Introduction 15 A Word about Words 17 Empires in History 20 Themes of the Book 23 Citations 24 Bibliography 24 Chapter 1 The Nineteenth-Century Context 25 New and Unlikely Empires 27 China’s Qing Dynasty 29 Japan: From Isolation to Industrialization 30 Civil War in North America 31 Unification and Industrialization in Europe 31 The Ottoman Empire 33 The Crimean War 34 The Sepoy Uprising in India 35 Diversity in Africa 37 “Europe” and Overseas Empire 39 Europe’s overseas colonies 41 The question of control 42 Conclusion 44 Citations 44 Bibliography 45 Chapter 2 The Civilizing Mission and the Race for Empire, 1879–1902 47 A Scramble for Colonial Territories 49 The 1884–1885 Berlin Conference 50 The race to Fashoda 54 Migration and Forced Labor 55 Resistance and Collaboration 56 Real Colonial Control? 57 Expansion at Century’s End 61 The Boer War 62 Explaining Imperialism’s Causes 63 Capitalism and empire 63 A revival of missionary activity 65 Science, explorers, and geographical societies 65 Medicine and empire 69 Scientific racism and social Darwinism 70 Population pressures and emigration 72 Existing colonies, renewed expansion 73 Nationalism and social imperialism 73 Colonial interest groups 74 A “new” wave of imperialism? 75 Conclusion 76 Citations 77 Bibliography 78 Chapter 3 Resistance and Consolidation, 1902–1912 81 The Apex of Imperialism 82 Ottoman, Qing, and Japanese Empires 83 Atrocities, Resistance, and Accommodation 85 Consolidation and Reform 87 European and Non‐European Migrations 93 Gender, Sex, Race, and Anxieties 94 Empire and Globalization 97 Conclusion 99 Citations 99 Bibliography 100 Chapter 4 Empires at War, 1912–1922 101 The Outbreak of Conflict 102 Conflict before 1914 103 Imperialism and the war 104 Global War of Empire 106 Africa south of the Sahara 106 South and east Asia 107 Holy War and the Near East 108 Wartime Colonial Agreements 109 People on the Move 110 War Continues in Europe 114 Attempts at Peace 115 The League of Nations 117 The Results of War 118 Conclusion 120 Citations 120 Bibliography 121 Chapter 5 The Colonial Era, 1922–1931 123 The Massacre at Jallianwala Bagh 124 The Horrors of Settler Colonialism 126 True Control on the Ground? 129 Confidence in the Civilizing Mission 131 Development, economics, and empire 133 Europe’s Colonial Administrations 134 Education in the Colonies 135 The Cold War 138 Anticolonialism and Nationalism 139 Conclusion 142 Citations 142 Bibliography 144 Chapter 6 World War II, 1931–1945 145 The Great Depression 146 Managing Colonial Difference 148 Paradoxes of Colonial Power 149 Culture and Empire 151 World War II 155 Italy’s War on Ethiopia 156 The Bolsheviks’ Russian Empire 157 Global War of Empires 158 Franco-British and Franco-French rivalries 158 Colonies and the conflict 160 Overseas imperialism and the Holocaust 162 The World in 1945 163 Conclusion 165 Citations 165 Bibliography 166 Chapter 7 Unfinished and Finished Empires, 1945–1958 167 Sustaining Empire After the War 169 India’s Independence and Partition 170 East and Southeast Asia 172 War in French Indochina 173 Planning for Empire 176 Cold War context 177 Attempted reforms in sub‐Saharan Africa 177 Exchanges and Migrations 181 Apartheid South Africa 182 North Africa and the Middle East 184 The Suez Crisis 185 War in Algeria 187 British “Success” at Decolonization? 190 Conclusion 191 Citations 192 Bibliography 193 Chapter 8 Decolonization’s Second Wave, 1958–1975 195 The Nature of Decolonization 196 Contingency and Decolonization 198 1958: Brussels and Accra 198 Algeria’s Independence from France 199 The United Nations and Decolonization 202 Wars in Vietnam 203 The Middle East 204 African Nationalism and Independence 204 The problem of borders 207 Apartheid South Africa 208 The End of the Portuguese Empire 210 Migration and Immigration 211 Forms of Decolonization 212 Conclusion 213 Citations 213 Bibliography 214 Chapter 9 Empire After Imperialism: 1975–1999 and Beyond 215 The “Confetti” of Empire 216 White Rule in Southern Africa 217 What Did Decolonization Really Mean? 220 Legacies of colonial rule 222 Neo-imperialism’s many guises 224 Colonialism and Knowledge 227 European cultures and empire 229 Conclusion 234 Citations 234 Bibliography 235 Index 237 EULA 251 Thousands of years of recorded history show that the main way in which human societies have been organized is as empires. Today, the evidence of recent European overseas empire's lasting effects is all around us: from international frontiers and fusion cuisine to multiplying apologies for colonial misdeeds. This book explores the major events in this critical period that continue to inform and affect our world today.--Publisher's description **A Timely Look Back at the Era That Shaped Our World**__European Overseas Empire, 1879-1999: A Short History__