Industrial Revolution in European countries resulted in a great increase in production. So it created a great demand for raw materials and new markets in Asian and African continents where the industrial revolution had not yet spread.
They could not find market in Europe as they followed ‘Protective Trade Policy’. The purchasing power of the people was also less due to capitalism. It also introduced a great progress in the means of transport and communication.
The telegraph system linked the whole world and reduced great distances. The development of railways speeded up the movement of goods between colonies and the mother country.
So it was easier to bring raw materials and to take the finished goods to the markets in the interior parts of the colonies in Asia and Africa.
National security
The sense of national security and self -sufficiency among the European political groups instigated colonial imperialism. Often Presidents or Prime Ministers worked towards colonial imperialism owing to the influence of business or some other interest.
Nationalism
The later part of the nineteenth century saw extreme nationalistic ideals in Europe. Germany and Italy were unified. Many nations developed pride over their race, culture and language and started feeling superior to other countries.
They felt that acquisition of colonies would enhance the prestige of their nations. Imperialism became the fashion of the age.
The Europeans felt that it was ‘White Man’s burden’ to civilize the backward and uncivilized native people of Africa and Asia. This was another cause for Imperialism.
Balance of power
The concept of Balance of Power was one of the driving factors. European Nations were forced to acquire new colonies to achieve a balance with their neighbors and competitors.
Discovery of New routes
The discovery of new routes to African and Asian continents promoted the spirit of imperialism. The discovery of sea routes paved the way for the traders and soldiers to exploit the abundant wealth of the countries.
Growth of Population
The population growth and its impact-unemployment, forced the Europeans to emigrate in search of new lands and careers abroad.
State of Anarchy
There was no international organization to enact and enforce laws for nations to maintain peace and security among countries before the First World War. This state of anarchy supported the colonial race.
10th standard social science major forms of imperialism
Imperialism in India and China
Colonialism and Imperialism
The policy adopted by the European countries from AD1492- AD1763 is known as Colonialism. During this period England, France, Spain and Portugal established their colonies in the Asian and American continents.
Colonialism refers to the policy of acquiring and maintaining colonies especially for exploitation. It also means that it is a relationship between an indigenous majority and minority foreign invaders.
Imperialism is a state policy and is developed for ideological as well as financial reasons. Imperialism is the concept whereas colonialism is the practice.
This policy of imperialism followed by European countries from A.D.1870- A.D.1945 is known as New Imperialism.
The major forms of Imperialism
Imperialism took three major forms in the 19th century.
Military Imperialism
Ruling a country directly by the military forces is called as Military Imperialism. For example, the USA’s invasion against Iraq with its military power forced it to have another sort of government favourable to the USA.
Political Imperialism
Ruling a country indirectly by keeping a puppet government is called as Political Imperialism. For example, the British conquered territories in India and appointed their own officers and changed the existing political structure.
Economic Imperialism
An imperialist country controlling the economic power of another country to exploit its natural resources is called Economic Imperialism. For example, China was politically independent under the Manchu rule, but it was economically controlled by the European and American countries.
Its binomial is Tectona grandis. It belongs to Verbenaceae. It is large
deciduous tree and shows resistance to termites.
Sap wood is white and heart wood is green emitting fragrance. The timber retains its fragrance for a long time.
It is hard , durable and strong and also takes up good
polishing.
In India, it is used for making furnitures, buildings, cardboards,
railway sleepers, etc.
Ships and bridges are also made from this timber.
Economic importance
Teak wood is durable and it is an important timber in the tropics. As
the seasoned teak, timber does not shrink, crack or alter its shape, it is extensively used in making household furnitures.
Its binomial is Arachis hypogea. It belongs to Fabaceae. It is an
annual. The word groundnut derives its name from the fact that its fruits ripe beneath the ground.
The roasted seeds are edible. Oil is extracted from the seeds and used as fine cooking medium.
Vegetable ghee (peanut butter) is also prepared from this oil. The oil cake is fed to the livestock. It is rich in fatty acids and proteins.
Economic importance
Ground nut oil is one of the important edible oils. It is extensively used in cookery as a salad oil. It is used for the manufacture of vanaspathi.
Groundnut kernel is rich and cheap source of vegetable protein.
Kernels are eaten, fried and salted and added to a number of dishes.
Peanut butter is prepared by grinding roasted and blanched kernels.
It is nutritious.
Groundnut oil is used to a limited extent in soap making.
Oil is used as illuminant, lubricant.
Oil cake is used as animal feed and organic manure.
Groundnut shell is used in the manufacture of activated carbon.
The groundnut cake is a good cattle feed. The plant after removing
the pod, both dried and fresh is a good cattle feed.
Many plants are economically important and useful to mankind in
several ways. Based on their utility, they are broadly classified as food plants, fibre plants, oil plants and timber plants. Now, we will discuss some of the economically important plants for each category.
Food plant Rice
Its binomial is Oryza sativa. It belongs to Poaceae. It is the most
important cereal of tropical climate. This plant is an annual grass.
The inflorescence is panicle containing a number of branches, each terminating in a single grain. IR – 8, ponni, kannagi, kavery, ganga, etc. are some of the recent varieties cultivated in India.
Food plant Rice is the chief source of carbohydrates. Polished rice is less nutritive.
Straw is used as livestock feed. In Japan, alcoholic beverages are also distilled from the grains of rice.
Recently, from the husk of paddy, a cooking (rice bran oil) oil is extracted. Now, bio-diesel is obtained from rice bran oil.
Rice is the major food of half of the world’s population. Particularly
in the eastern hemisphere it is the staple food.
Rice cultivation is the onlysource of income for majority of people in our country. The uses of rice are many.
Economic importance
Parched rice (pori) is crisp to eat. It is sold either salted or unsalted.
The flattened parboiled rice is known as flaked rice. Like corn flakes, it is a very good break fast food. Flaked rice is also used for preparing different kinds of food items.
Sake is an important alcoholic beverage in Japan. Sake is prepared
by the fermentation of rice.
Bran is an important by-product of rice milling industry. It is used as
a cattle feed.
Bran oil is extracted either by expression in a hydraulic press or
extra-ction with solvents. Bran oil is used as edible oil and for
preparation of vanaspathi, making soaps. It is also used in the textile industry, leather industry.
Bran wax is a by-product in bran-oil extraction. It is used in chocolate industry and in the manufacture of lip-sticks.
Paddy husk is used as fuel, in brick kilns. It is also used in brick
making.
Straw is used as cattle feed, in the manufacture of straw-boards and
for making hats, ropes, mats, etc.
Microbes like bacteria and fungi produce antibiotics. The substance
produced by a living organism, which inhibits the growth and metabolic activities of pathogenic organisms (mostly bacteria) without affecting the metabolism of host is called an antibiotic.
Penicillin, streptomycin, aureomycin and chloromycetin are some of the examples for antibiotics.
Penicillin is a well known antibiotic obtained from the blue green mold called Penicillium notatum. When it is grown in culture medium, the mycelium excretes an antibiotic substance called penicillin.
The crude penicillin is recovered, purified and dehydrated. It is effective against gram-positive bacteria like Pneumonia bacteria.
Streptomycin is obtained from the filamentous bacterium, Streptomyces griseus, an actinomycetes.
It cures urinary infections, tuberculosis, meningitis and pneumonia. Aureomycin mis obtained from actinomycetes, Streptomyces aureofaciens.
It is used as a medicine in the osteomyelitis, whooping cough and eye infections.
Chloromycetin is obtained from the actinomycete, Streptomyces
venezuelae. It kills bacillus form of bacteria and cures typhoid fever.
Aspergillus fumigatus produces antibiotic which is used against typhoid and dysentery.
Other group of microorganism like bacteria is also known
to produce many antibiotics. Bacillus subtilis produces 60 different
antibiotics.
Bacitracin is an antibiotic obtained from Bacillus licheniformis
and it is used to treat syphilis. It is useful in the control of sugar for
persons suffering from diabetes.
Through genetic manipulation, and introduction of human gene for insulin production, the bacterium E. coli is articulated to produce human insulin called “humulin”.
It belongs to Euphorbiaceae. The vernacular name of A. indica in
tamil is kuppaimeni, poonamayakki and its trade name is Indian Acalypha.
It is a common herb growing upto 75 cm tall with ovate leaves. Flowersare green, unisexual found in catkin inflorescence.
The paste obtained from the leaves of this plant is applied to burns.
The juice extracted from the leaves, mixed with lime and applied on skin to cure diseases caused by ringworms.
Fresh juice of leaves mixed with oil and salt is used for Rheumatoid arthritis and to cure scabies. Powdered leaves are used to cure bedsores and infected wounds.
The active medicinal compounds like Acalyphine and Triacetoneamine are extracted from this plant. They contain cyanogenic glucoside and alkaloids.
2. Aegle marmelos
It belongs to Rutaceae. The vernacular name of A. marmelos in
tamil, is vilvam. It’s trade name is baer fruit. It is an aromatic tree
growing 6 to 7.5 metres tall with long branches. Bark is grey with peeling type.
Leaves are trifoliate or pentafoliate. Leaflets are ovate. Flowers
are sweet scented with greenish white in colour and are borne on axillary panicles. Marmelosin, coumarin and triterpenoids are responsible for medicinal activity.
The unripe fruit is used to treat problems of stomach indigestion. It
kills intestinal parasites. It is used also to cure chronic diarrhoea and
dysentery. It is used as a tonic for the betterment of heart and brain.
3. Cissus quadrangularis
It belongs to Vitaceae. The vernacular name of C. quadrangularis in
tamil is as pirandai and its trade name is ‘Hadjor’ – bone joiner. It is a common shrub with tendrils. Its stem is angular, winged and contracted at nodes.
Leaves are simple, ovate or kidney shaped and thick leathery.
Coiled tendrils are found opposite to the leaves. Steroids like prescene and tetracyclic triterpenoids are the active chemicals present in this plant.
The paste obtained from the powdered stem and root of this plant is
used in bone fractures. Whole plant is useful to treat asthma and stomach troubles.
Stem is useful in the treatment of piles and its juice is used to
treat bleeding of nose.
4. Mimosa pudica
It belongs to Mimosaceae. The vernacular name of M. pudica in
tamil is ‘Thottal chinungi or Thottal surungi’. Its common english name is Touch-Me-Not plant.
It is a small herb with prickles which are erect or curved. Leaflets are arranged in two rows containing 15 to 20 pairs. Leaves are sensitive to touch. Flowers are pink and found in axillary heads.
A decoction of the root obtained from this plant is used to relieve
asthma and diarrhoea. This plant is also useful for curing piles, minor skin wounds and whooping cough. Mimosine, an alkaloid is extracted from this plant.
5. Solanum nigrum
It belongs to Solanaceae. The vernacular name of S. nigrum in tamil
is manithakkali or manathakkali. Its trade name is black night shade. It is an annual, erect, much branched and unarmed herb growing upto one metre tall. Leaves are ovate without hairs.
Flowers white borne on extra axillary cymes. Fruits are globose and black coloured berry. The extract of this herb is effective in the treatment of liver disorders like cirrhosis of liver.
This plant also cures fever, dysentery and promotes urination. Active medicinal compounds like solanin and saponin are
extracted from this plant.
