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British East India Company Goes to India
The Company tried to expand trade in Asia. By the first half of the 19th century, the British East India Company governed much of India. It was 20 times larger than Britain and 7 times more populous; India bought and sold more goods than any other British colony. -
The Dutch Establish Cape Town, South Africa
Dutch East India Company had established Cape Town as a supply station for ships en route to Asia. Soon after, former company employees plus newly arrived settlers from Europe moved into lands beyond company control to take up farming and ranching. Many of these settlers were known as Boers (the Dutch word for "farmer") and as Afrikaners (Dutch word for Africans) -
England Begins Exporting Opium to China
Britain’s desire for Chinese tea grew, while Chinese demand for English and Indian textiles declined. The British East India Company held a monopoly over opium cultivation in Bengal, India, so Britain began exporting opium to China (in order balance the trade deficit created by tea). It started with 200 chests in 1729, to 400,000 chests in 1838. Chinese addicts began paying for opium with silver -
British Rule Established in South Africa
British rule deeply disrupting Afrikaner society. The Afrikaners started to leave their farms in Cape Colony and gradually migrated east in what they called the Great Trek. As they moved into the interior, Afrikaners slaughtered the resisting Zulus in their way. Eventually, the British recognize the independence of 2 Boer states, Transvaal and Orange Free State -
Opium War Begins
Concerned about the rise in opium addiction, the accompanying social problems and the massive exporting of silver, the Chinese government seized 20,000 chests of opium from British merchants. This initiated war between Great Britain and China. -
Treaty of Nanking
The first of what the Chinese called the unequal treaties. It gave the Chinese island of Hong Kong to Britain and opened four more Chinese ports to British residence and trade. The Treaty of Nanking also granted British officials the right to deal on equal terms with Chinese officials and to try criminal cases involving British citizens. China signed similar treaties with France and the United States in 1844. -
Sepoy Mutiny
After this first large-scale uprising against British rule, the British government took direct control. The British used India’s elites to support their rule. They employed half-million Indians to administer the huge country and built roads, canals, ports, schools and medical facilities. Still, living standards fell for many Indians. -
Leopold II of Belgium Invades the Congo
Hungry for ivory, rubber, hardwoods and glory, Leopold initiated a new competition for acquisitions in sub-Saharan Africa. His troops killed and mutilated thousands of people in the process of conquest. Africans were brutally forced to collect rubber, and if they refused to go into the forest, they were shot and their left hands were cut off and taken as trophies. -
Queen Victoria Becomes Empress of India
This title was given to the Queen by the British Parliament. Although the British did not further expand their territory within India, they were involved in several wars in which they used Indian troops. -
Gold mines discovered in Transvaal
British immigrants flock to South Africa along with British entrepreneur, Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes made a fortune in the diamond industry and probably did more than anyone else of his time to enlarge the British Empire in Africa. Rhodes used his wealth and his ability as a statesman to gain control of most of southern Africa. -
Indian National Congres Formed
Members of this nationalist organization belonged to various religions and came from all parts of India. Congress members debated political and economic reforms, the future of India, and ways for Indians to achieve equal status with the British -
Berlin Conference
Europeans formalized their scramble for African by setting ground rules for territorial acquisition on that continent. The French centered their efforts in western Africa, the Germans in eastern Africa, and the British up and down the center, “from Cairo to Capetown.” -
Boxer Rebellion
With the Empress' encouragement, the Boxers went on a rampage in northern China, killing foreigners, Chinese Christians and Chinese who had ties to foreigners. They attacked foreign embassies in Beijing. A combined British, French Russian US and Japanese troops crushed the Boxers. The Chinese government had to pay an indemnity and allow foreign powers to station troops in Beijing at their embassies and along the route to the sea. -
Boer War
This war lasted 3 years. Although the British won, the Boers were tough opponents. Boers were given amnesty after the war if they swore allegiance to the British king and could use their own language. -
Open Door Policy in China
The United States asserted its claim in China with this policy. Formulated by US Secretary of State John Hay, it sought to establish equal economic opportunity for foreign competition in Chinese markets. They sought to have a stable central Chinese government that would help their goals. Each country would operate within delineated spheres of influence and using established elites to further their own programs.