Western Civilization Unit V Discussion Board Questions

Introduction

Western civilization is a term used to refer to cultures that originate from the European countries. Imperialism took place in the 19th century amidst the European countries who were known as the imperial forces. The imperial forces had their influential expansion of dominion over other countries that were known to be the resistant. In the 19th century Europe was engaged in an external movement into dominant position on many continents not leaving behind many islands worldwide. This outward movement by the European countries was to make the resistant countries submit to their demands of civilization. This was because it had become a feature of the western world to make foreign people stoop below the standards prevailed by them (Chambers et.al., 2006, p.720).

The imperial military in order to make the resistant countries to submit broke in forcefully into countries such as Africa, Asia and sought to the north and the south poles. The imperial forces having forcefully entered into the resistant countries involved them into a wave of colonization. For instance in the 1900, most areas within the resistant countries were claimed by the European powers. Africa in particular was divided and shared among the European powers.

The wave of colonization by the imperial forces involved a costly fighting between the European powers and the resistant countries. However, when they realized that the fighting had failed to restrain the revolt they resorted to using harsher measures. For instance the western powers had severally requested some of the resisting countries to open their doors and let their ships to access their ports before the United States sent out some of its ships and forced the Japanese to allow them enter their ports. The western forces nevertheless later gave a promise of democracy to the resisting countries which led to the signing of trade treaties with different countries. For example a trade treaty signed in the 1854 allowed the American diplomat to stay in Japan. With this treaty the American consul settled for another trade treaty in 1858 which made the European powers to follow up with similar treaties and led to the application of the same unequal treaties that had been applied in china to Japan. With these treaties Japan became defenseless over its economy making other Asian countries to surrender thus leading to imperial expansion (Chambers et.al., 2006, p.714).

The promise of democracy played a major role in the civilization of the resisting countries as this made them to accept to sign the trade treaties with the western countries which seemed to be so unequal. The promise of democracy was however not met by the imperial powers as this was only their means of expanding their imperial powers within the resistant countries. For example the Japanese later came to realize that they needed to defend themselves from the west by adopting superior military and economic technology given that they never benefited from the trade treaties.

Conclusion

The imperial forces indeed used different means including harsh measures as well as a promise of democracy to get the resisting countries to submit to their colonization. Their promise of democracy was however not kept as the resistant countries did not gain from it and had to find ways to defend themselves from them.

Reference

Chambers, Mortimer, Barbara Hanawalt, Theodore Rabb, Isser Woloch, Raymond Grew, and Lisa Tiersten.(2006):. The Western Experience, Volume II, 9th edition.pages 705-769.