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The Opium Wars is about the two conflicts between China and Britain over trading rights. The Opium Wars are events of two wars that happened in 1839-1842 and 1856-1860. In the Second Opium War, the French military had chosen to joined forces to the British Army. The wars are named as "The Opium Wars" because they centered on the trade of opium. Opium is a powerful drug that the British merchants were smuggling into China. The drug is very dangerous because it could cause a person to be so addicted to it because the effects of the drug makes you feel so better or gives you a type of feeling that makes you feel you're floating or makes you feel that everything is so great around you without knowing the fact that you are already going crazy. This caused a lot of Chinese to be high to the drug. Opium was the last option that the British thought to trade to the Chinese because at that time, China was so rich and had a lot of good products and natural resources in their own country. And on that time, the British were selling attractive or fancy gadgets to the Chinese but Emperor Qianlong declared or said that, “We possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country’s manufactures.” This became the reason why the British thought of trading opium to the Chinese, which turned out that the Chinese liked these products. The British were doing this because they wanted tea from China. And as a result both countries were trading with each other. But sooner the Chinese were so addicted and they wanted more, while the Chinese government wanted to stop the trading due to the effects that caused a lot of people to be high. And since the Chinese were buying more, it caused their country to pay 34 million Mexican silver dollars (the common international currency of the day) to purchase opium in the 1830s. Although the rich were the majority of the Chinese addicts. And many poor Chinese became addicted as well, and all suffered from the economic effects of the loss of silver. This events forced the Chinese emperor to speak to the British to stop the trading. But the British refused, and this lead to the Opium Wars.
The Chinese was known to lost both wars because the Chinese had less technological advances in their country at that time. And the Europeans was rich in technology, which they used their steam ships and dominated the wooden ships of China. And when this happened the Chinese soon realized that they were forced into the world of global trade and international relations with other countries, while the Europeans gained a lot of resources and territory in China.

Posted by Burton at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments

The White Man's Burden is a great poem that talks about imperialism. It also explains to the reader on how it affected the people who claimed countries, and how much it affected the people who had been claimed or dominated. The poem is originally written by an inspiring author named, Rudyard Kipling. The poem is based on the experiences on how America conquered the country that is around Asia, which is Philippines. It was a burden or problem that they felt and faced on the days when they conquered Philippines. It was on those times when they were helping the Filipinos, and since the Filipinos doesn't know anything yet it was really hard and challenging for them to civilized this people. The Americans believed that their duty was to help the needy ones rather than other things, which are not necessary. They believed that this is a responsibility that should be accomplished in order for the human race to be better, especially the nation in Philippines, which is needed to be improved at that time. They wanted the Filipinos to be like them, which is civilized and disciplined. That's why they thought of creating a government for this people who are in need.
In the poem, it also said that the Americans introduced medicines and other biology stuff for the Filipinos that they thought they never heard before and should be learn by them. And since the White People have more technological advances and other great stuff, they have the advantage to help other cultures but they didn't thought of doing these things on that way. The main thing they were doing this is because they needed more natural resources from other countries, and other raw materials for the sake of their own countries.
The poem tells us that it is a must for these countries to be in a civilized way and be placed in a modern world. This is a fact that i considered to be true and considered to agree with. This is also an example about teaching people and for them to learn and be civilized and be disciplined. And education is the main factor here. And i believe that education is a beautiful thing and learning is the most educational experiences and opportunities you can have in your life no matter what kind of person you are.
But the part that i disagree is how these countries discriminate other people who are in need. I mean its true that they should teach these people, but they shouldn't force them on doing what they wanted them to do. They shouldn't steal and take away the real essence and life of the culture of this countries. Because these countries has a family and people who love their country for being that kind of country. And they are striving themselves to preserve these things, and taking away this precious things from them is something that we should think is wrong. For example, like what happened in Africa of the disaster from the "Scramble for Africa", they took away almost everything from them. And the real or the original Africa before is now different from the modern Africa today. And yes its true that they are more civilized but there is something more important that has been taken away from them besides good and natural resources, it is the essence of their true country that has been taken away and that has been converted to a new and modern one.
It is true that United States is still imperialistic today because they still want to conquer and dominate Iraq to make it more civilized and to make the country a democratic government.

Posted by Burton at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

"Scramble for Africa" is a phrase or a term used to describe the uncontrolled activity by the European countries who needed and wanted to claim the African territory. This resulted in nearly all of Africa to become part of Europe's colonial empires. The scramble slowly started to happen in the 1870s and ended in the early 20th century. The main European nations that were involved in this scramble were these countries which are: Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, Britain, Portugal and Spain. Between 1885 and 1900, it was known that European powers were so strong that the countries in Europe were at times racing each other to claim Africa even they know they'll be at stake. But when this happened, most of the Africans defended themselves or resist being taken over by Europeans because they know that the Europeans wanted to take power over them and they couldn't allow this to happen.
At that time the Europeans had many technological advances made in their own countries. And since they have this advantages, they had the ability and power to use it over the Africans. And since the Africans only have spears to defend themselves it is really obvious that the Europeans could dominate Africa so easily. The Europeans are doing this because they wanted to gain authority over the Africans. And their plan succeeded at the final two decades of the 19th century where the European colonial powers finally took over the whole continent of Africa.
The nations that took over Africa were looking for gold, silver, wood, coal, diamonds, tin, rubber, ivory and etc. They were looking for this stuff because they needed these things for manufacturing goods and for other things that are important and needed for their countries in Europe. And among all these countries that took over Africa, the highest of them that owned most of the supplies were Britain and France. They owned nearly 70% of the supplies they found in Africa. The British were known to have its Cape Colony, which is located at the Southern tip of Africa. And Meanwhile, France also took Algeria in 1834.
The "Scramble for Africa" had created a huge distraction and damage in the History of Africa and affected mostly all of the Africans. It caused a lot of suffering and pain to the people living there, which is so sad. And most of the people there faced through a lot of violence and corruption in their country, which also lead to people fighting with each other. In those years, things were very uncertain, difficult, and painful for each and everyone of the Africans living there. But the Europeans really didn't mind and care for them because they were busy getting the things they needed and wanted for their own countries. And after this happened, all of Africa was owned by Europeans except for Liberia and Ethiopia on 1912.
I believe that "The Scramble for Africa" is really a huge disaster that still couldn't be forgotten by people living today. And it will also affect the people in the future. And most of all, it didn't only affect the Africans living before on those years, it's also a part of the reason why most of the Africans are still suffering today.

Posted by Burton at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments

The movie is a good story about the expeditions of Captain Richard Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke. And above all, it is a moving true story about the strength of the Europeans in Africa despite their experiences of hardships and suffering there when they explored almost every aspect of its country.
In the movie, Richard Burton and his companion first traveled to the northern coast of Somalia (in 1854). And after that they journeyed to the Islamic city-state of Harer, which is now in Ethiopia. It is a destination that is forbidden to non-Muslims. So when people who are not Muslims go there, they will get killed. This was a threat to the Europeans and was also a great challenge for them who were exploring there, but they still continued their expedition despite the hardships that could get on their way.
Richard Burton and his company went through a lot of hardships on their journey to Africa. They walk through a lot of rocky places, including deserts, that they get wounded on their walk. Even their camels were not allowed to be brought with them because the camels cannot walk through those rocky or slippery places. There were also a lot of flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches there that could kill people, especially malaria, which is a deadly disease from mosquitoes. Many of Richard Burton's companion got killed because of that disease. But Richard Burton is believed to have been the first European to enter the ancient walled city and survived. This gave his companions a hope and confident on their journey.
At their first expedition to the Somali interior, some of Richard Burton's companions got killed of the attack because there were strange tribes called Somalis, that appeared from the deserts who suddenly attacked them. And both Richard Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke got wounded. And Richard Burton was also hit with a spear through both of his cheeks, which is so dangerous because it could take out all of his blood due to his excessive bleeding on his both cheeks. But it was a good thing that someone from his companions offered him a cloth to cover up both of his cheeks. So sooner, they planned to go back to England because there was no doctor in Africa at that time who can help him stop the bleeding.
Now this time they came back to East Africa with a more challenging expedition because they were commissioned by the British Royal Geographical Society to identify the source of the Nile.
They found the Lake Tanganyika and thought it was the source of the Nile, but it wasn't. When they were finding the source, they traveled to the desert and most of them really suffered from mosquitoes and died on Malaria. They walk through very hot places and sandstorms and also met wild animals there that could kill them. On that time, Richard Burton was almost killed by a lion and was also very ill to travel. And when the night came, his friend Lt. John Hanning Speke forgot to use a mosquito net, which made the bug or cockroach went inside his ear. He really suffered from that pain, but its a good thing that he killed the cockroach by putting something inside his ear.
Lt. John Hanning Speke was the person who continued to explore on his own because Richard Burton was too ill to travel. And at that time, he found the Lake Victoria, which is the 3rd largest lake in the world. And then, Speke declared that the Lake was the source of the Nile, but Burton didn't believe him at first. And Both of them went back to London to announced their findings.
And Speke killed himself on his hunting while Burton was still announcing. But the Lake Victoria was soon proven to be the source of the Nile.
The Lake Victoria is strangely named after the Queen Victoria of Britain because the British people were the one's who first founded the Lake and explored it, on which they have the power to name the Lake. And by the name itself, it would really be known to people that it was founded by the British because the name is Queen Victoria, which is their Queen.
The primary technological advantage that the Europeans had over the African people was the guns, because African's doesn't have guns. They only have spears to defend their selves. And the gun was also one of the advantage to conquer the Africa so easily because most of the native people or tribes they met, was their first time to see a gun and to hear its loud and terrifying sound. And it scared the Africans. The Europeans also have many gifts to give to the Africans that the Africans have never seen before. And it allowed the Europeans to be able to continue on exploring the country. The European's are also rich in technology at that time because they have steam engine that uses steam power, and coal to power the engine. And England has a lot of Coal, which is a big advantage on their technology. And since their country was rich at that time, they have the advantage to pay the African people.
This experiences is known to be written by Richard Burton in the book called First Footsteps in East Africa.

Posted by Burton at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments