Chapter 14

Notes

Chapter 14.4 17-4 Case Studies in Imperialism Focus Question What connections and comparisons can we make between Africa and Southeast Asia in the late nineteenth century? Case studies from Africa and Southeast Asia demonstrate the economic and political implications of the New Imperialism. The history of rubber shows how industrial and technological developments could lead to violence and death. The story of how the rulers of Siam (Thailand) and Ethiopia retained their independence shows how these exceptions prove the rule of Western dominance. 17-4a A Case Study of the New Imperialism: Rubber In 1890, an African American missionary first traveled to the Congo, eager to spread his Presbyterian faith. William Henry Sheppard soon abandoned the condescending attitude toward Africans he had learned as a student, becoming a great admirer of Kuba culture. “These great stalwart men and women, who have been free from time immemorial,” he wrote, “always had their own king, and a government not to be despised.” Sheppard commented on their agricultural prosperity, learned their language, and developed a lifelong fascination with Kuba art. Returning in 1894, Sheppard reported, “But within the...