Synopses & Reviews
We talk about living in a global era, but the groundwork for it was laid more than a century ago. By the late 19th century, Europe, Japan, and the United States had taken control of most of the world. Travel and trade between home countries and colonies sent goods and technology to even the most remote corners of the globe. An English lady's letter home on smallpox inoculations in Turkey, an American missionary's account of the forcible collection of rubber in Belgian Congo, and a Chinese official's regulations for European merchants are among the primary sources that Bonnie Smith has assembled to demonstrate the advantages and drawbacks of the new economy. Society, education, and the environment also underwent massive changes, as witnessed by the selection of excerpts from an exam in a German missionary school in Togo and British reports on the devastation of entire forests in Burma.
Imperial growth did not come without a price. A Japanese document outlining governance in Korea and U.S. President Benjamin Harrison's defense of the annexation of Hawaii illustrate the militant nationalism, religious intolerance, and pseudo-scientific racist theories used to justify the brute force of colonial rule. The colonized nations fought back-a popular Chinese poem in praise of the Boxers' opposition to foreign rule attests to this rebellious spirit, and a Moroccan's shock at "barbaric" European mores illustrates the conquered's view of the conquerors. A picture essay, "Mixture," showcases the amalgamation of global cultures through photographs of buildings, furniture, advertisements, sporting events, and sculpture. Bonnie Smith vividly captures the booming expansion of a flawed political system and expertly links the documentary evidence with informed commentary and prefatory essays to each chapter.
Review
"Well-researched and comprehensive."--School Library Journal
"Interesting reading....An excellent addition."--VOYA
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 168) and index.
About the Author
Bonnie G. Smith is Professor of History at Rutgers University. Her previous works include
Confessions of a Concierge: Madame Lucie's History of Twentieth Century France (Yale UP, 1985) and
Changing Lives: Women in European History Since 1700 (D.C. Heath, 1989). She is the forthcoming general editor of the Oxford University Press young adult series The Medieval and Early Modern World, and co-author of that series'
Reference Volume and Primary Sources, coming in May 2005.
Table of Contents
What is a Document?How to Read a Document
Introduction: Imperialism in the Modern Age
Chapter One: On the Brink of Modern Empire
Vital Knowledge
Mixed Responses to Europeans
The White Peril
Figuring Out Differences
Freedom's Ferment
The "New World" Remakes Colonialism
The Monroe Doctrine
Chapter Two: Imperialism Takes Off
British Aggression in Asia and the Middle East
Grounds for Conquest
Newcomers Join the Race for Empire
Chapter Three: Technology and Economics
Plotting Profit-Making
Voices of Opportunity
Devastation
The Clash of Scientific Cultures
Chapter Four: Imperial Societies
Remaking the Ruling Class
Imperializing Local Elites
Social Reforms
New Identities
Chapter Five: Imperial Culture
Why Others Were Not So Good As the Imperial Powers
Educating for Inferiority
Popular Culture Spreads Imperial Confidence
Chapter Six: Picture Essay: Mixture
Chapter Seven: Rivalry and Resistance
Fighting Back
The Great Powers Prepare to Take More
Predicting the End
Challenging the West
Chapter Eight: World War I
The Race for Empire and the Race to War
Broken Promises
Sensing Change
Remembering the Colonial Dead
Chapter Nine: The Torturous Path Toward Liberation
Escalation
Brewing and Shaming
Global Mixture Continues
Fusion for Liberation
Epilogue
Timeline
Further Reading
Text Credits
Picture Credits
Index