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.

Smith, Bonnie

IRL Press at Oxford University Press

Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

German Historical Institute London

New York: Oxford University Press

Pages from history, Oxford ; New York, ©2000

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

Illustrated, 2000-11-09

September 11, 2000

1, PS, 2000

175 p. : 26 cm
Contains primary source material
Includes bibliographical references and index
What is a document? -- How to read a document -- Imperialism in the modern age -- 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 -- Imperialism takes off : British aggression in Asia and the Middle East -- Grounds for conquest -- Newcomers join the race for empire -- Technology and economics : Plotting profit-making -- Voices of opportunity -- Devastation -- The clash of scientific cultures -- Imperial societies : Remaking the ruling class -- Imperializing local elites -- Social reforms -- New identities -- Imperial culture : Why others were not so good as the imperial powers -- Educating for inferiority -- Popular culture spreads imperial confidence -- Mixture -- Rivalry and resistance : Fighting back -- The great powers prepare to take more -- Predicting the end -- Challenging the west -- World War I : The race for empire and the race to war -- Broken promises -- Sensing change -- Remembering the colonial dead -- The torturous path toward liberation : Escalation -- Brewing and shaming -- Global mixture continues -- Fusion for liberation -- Epilogue

A variety of documents discusses how Great Britain, France, Russia, Japan, and Germany acquired new traditions as they spread their influence, resulting in a global social shift and scientific advances between 1850 and 1945.

In the 18th century, more and more Europeans came to drink two very foreign beverages-coffee and tea-both made with boiling-hot water.

2023-06-28