14.1 Project
By Zac Braidic
We believe that it is in your best interest for us to rule and colonize your country. In the past, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founded a new colony at the tip of the Malay Peninsula called Singapore.Raffles spoke highly about this new city and he stated, “Here is all life and activity; and it would be difficult to name a place on the globe with brighter prospects”. With the evolution of steamships, Singapore became a major stopping point for traffic. Singapore is a successful colony that thrives with trade.
In Burma, we conquered the land so that we could lead them into a more successful trade control, increasing its productivity and securing its good in India. Because Burma was in direct rule, the country was able to be successful, unlike the Philippines where the United States failed to make the citizens happy because they ruled with indirect rule. If Britain had been in direct rule instead of the United States indirect rule, the country would have been as successful as Burma had become.
In Thailand, we failed to colonize the area. The efforts of King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn we were unable to colonize the land. We learned from this experience that next time we need to be firm with our ideas and accept some of the area's culture.
Why were Westerners so determined to colonize Southeast Asia?
How is Imperialism connected to Social Darwinism?
As Europeans, we believe that Social Darwinism is one of the most important things when ruling a country. Imperialism connects to Social Darwinism through a few key ways. As Social Darwinists we believe in the struggle between nations, the fit are victorious. Racists in this world have beliefs that particular races are superior to others. These racist beliefs have led us to the use of military force against other nations. We use this with Imperialism because it is the expansion of one nation’s powers over other land.
What was the chief goal of the Western nations?
We governed their new colonial empires by either indirect or direct rule. Our chief goal was to exploit the natural resources of Southeast Asia and to open up markets for our manufactured goods. We promise the citizens that we would bring the blessings of Western Civilizations along with us.
Vocab
Indirect Rule- allowed existing rulers to maintain their power after being taken over
Direct Rule- Existing ruler was removed and a new ruler from from the mother country
Protectorate- a political unit that relies on another government for protection
Imperialism- the extension of a nations power over other lands