GKE1 Themes in U.S. & World History
Task 3
A. Southeast Asia
In the 1800s, European nations began to push their power on Southeast Asia. This push was called the new imperialism. Southeast Asia is located on the Pacific Rim. Western nations desired the Pacific Rim because of its strategic location on the ocean. They also recognized the value of the agriculture, minerals, and oil. They began to challenge each other for the land. “By the 1800s the Europeans were in a position to establish their authority over much of Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.” (Wilson, 2014) Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, and the United States, had colonies. The demand for Asian products drove western imperialists to seek possession of Southeast Asian land. (Wilson, 2014)
The indigenous people of Southeast Asia resisted the colonialism in many ways. “Southeast Asian response to colonialism was both collaboration and nationalism in all forms.” (Wilson, 2014) The majority of the war in Southeast Asian countries are contributed to World War II. Emilio Aguinaldo was one example of a Filipino leader of the independent movement. He led the Filipino guerrillas in the Philippine-American war that lasted 10 years. Around 400,000 to 600,000 Philippine guerrilla soldiers died and around 10,000 American soldiers died. Some other examples of wars caused by the new imperialism are the Cuban War of Independence, the Vietnam War, and the Three Burmese Wars. The resistance movements in Southeast Asia were organized to protect religious traditions and cultural customs. There was a huge anti-western colonial struggle. Western powers prevailed and modern Southeast Asian countries emerged.
B. American Revolution
The Americans were strongly independent and wanted to do things for themselves. They were taking orders from Great Britain all the way across the ocean. The Americans did not like to be told how to live their lives especially...