Imperialism Is Natural and Normal

The West impacted medieval Japan by bringing in new technology and trade. The West brought in guns and new religions. Missionaries and merchants traveled for two years to reach Japan. This made many merchants rich and brought in new materials. This helped the economy and changed the way Japanese Samurai fought.

The Japanese were very interested in the Europeans because of their new technology such as guns. They were also intrigued because they had never seen a European before, they considered them more barbaric because of their eating and bathing habits.

Europeans viewed the Japanese as a developed culture. They noticed their complex political system, language, writing, and ways of life without interaction from the west. The Europeans viewed the Japanese as an equal country, not people to be conquered and totally converted.

The 1500s were a ripe time for Jesuit missionaries in Japan because of the Civil War. The war made people think about the afterlife and religion.The missionaries were young and had a passion so they were successful.

Over 250,000 Japanese were converted to some form of Christianity during this time. They were also successful because if they converted a Japanese “Lord” of sorts, then the people beneath him would also convert to the religion of their leader.

Samurai life followed a code and were educated. Many “hostages” became Samurai.They were taught martial arts, classics, patience, and lived a military lifestyle. Many Samurai were swordsman. The book “The Five Rings,” shows the strategy and philosophy of becoming a Samurai.

Get quality help now

RhizMan

Verified

Proficient in: Europe

4.9 (247)

“ Rhizman is absolutely amazing at what he does . I highly recommend him if you need an assignment done ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Boys become men at 15, and then they can carry two swords. This gave them power and showed their class rank. Samurai could be women. Samurai meant having honor, pride, and protecting their family. Suicide was common to preserve their dignity.

Tokugawa Ieyasu used political patience and superior intelligence to take control of Japan. He returned home when his master died to reclaim his land and more. He allied with Nobunaga (killed his master) who was the opposite of himself; Nobunaga was feared. They used firearms and helped defeat the enemy (½ of Japan was united). A fire occurred killing Nobunaga (he might have killed himself too) because one of his generals was a traitor. Hideyoshi was a loyal general who killed the other general and took power. Hideyoshi was prideful and made quick decisions, Ieyasu was patient and cautious. Ieyasu allied Hideyoshi and got land in Edo (Tokyo now). Emperor would not claim Hideyoshi as a shogun. Ieyasu had lots of sons to support him and for protection. Ieyasu was named one of the people to protect Hideyoshi’s son when Hideyoshi died. Ieyasu took over H’s castle and went after the other daimyo; won and ended fighting, became Shogun.

Tokugawa Shogunate exiled the westerners. He believed they were a threat to his power because he had not divine right to rule and they made things more complicated. He removed all foreign influences and halted the spread of Christianity. This was so that he could focus on Hideyoshi’s son and make his sons the heirs to the throne.

“Doing Good: Empire- A British Chronicle’

David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary who crossed Africa. He found Africans being captured and enslaved to other countries. He wanted to spread Christianity and open trade. His accomplishments were opening Africa up to other missionaries and travelers to spread his message. They brought religion, education, medicine, and white culture. He and his story was so famous because he disappeared for many years. He lived with the people and had two freed slaves. He continued to travel and discover as he suffered from two diseases that killed him. He was so revered because he sacrificed his life for this passion. Besides converting, Christian missionaries in imperial outposts in Africa traded with the people. They tried to civilize them and teach them the English ways. In addition to the missionaries, teachers and businessmen came to Africa. Coffee, tobacco, and cotton were very popular crops.

Christianity and commerce sometimes did not get along. This is because of the people’s intention. Farmers that came had slaves and were brutal to them. Christianity played a big role in British Imperialism because they felt that they needed to conquer others. They believed it was their job to spread the word of God and it led them to conquer many places and people. John Chilembwe was a Baptist Reverend and is on their currency. He believed he was equal to everyone. He was seen as radical and passionate about freedom. Chilembwe accomplished an uprising in January 23, 1915. He armed his men and killed many white settlers, including an ancestor of Livingston. The British retaliated and blew up his church. In the community, Chilembwe was seen as a hero and lit a spark to speak up for themselves.

Science and the Scientific community viewed Imperialism as natural and normal. The Dr. stated that they were born to be with nature, hard workers, and laborers. His message was seen as racist and that it justified slavery. This was problematic because slavery was banned in Britain and people were against slavery. However, other countries still supported slavery. The British and other Europeans used science to justify imperialism by using Evolution. The British said they evolved faster, ruling over others, making them the superior race.

Cecil Rhodes thought whites were superior and was a harsh man. His impact on imperialism in Southern Africa was that his race should inhabit Africa and the more control they have, the better the world will be. He made war, his own colonies, and stole areas. He did what he wanted and did not listen to anyone else. He thought it was his duty (Britain) to take control of Africa and “help” it. He mined diamonds and it made him rich in the late 1800s in Kimberly, a town he created. He wanted all of Africa to be British territory with railroads and more. He would be the head businessman in the whole plan.

People rose up against their imperial masters, like in Kenya. This is because they wanted to be free and have their own culture. They did not want to be ruled by other countries. Britain ruled by having people in power put in the country, they were not directly there. Because of the lack of positions, the people could uprise. In Kenya, the people were mad because they stole their land, and that cannot be forgotten. The people were displaced and they were cut short on their land. A group wanted freedom from British rule, so they used terror.