15 Asia and the world

Before you start

Main focus

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Asian societies experienced great social, economic and political changes, partly in response to interaction with Western imperialism.

Why it’s relevant today

As Asian countries have increasingly become world powers, the Western domination and subjugation of Asian countries in the period 1750–1900 is important for an understanding of international relations in our world.

Inquiry questions

• How did Western societies affect Asian nations in the period 1750–1900?
• How did Asian countries respond to these challenges?
• How did relations between Asia and the West develop during this era?

Key terms

• 1848 revolution
• Daimyo
• Extraterritoriality
• Kowtow
• Polygamy
• Regent
• Unequal treaty
• Shogun
• Samurai
• Vassal state

Significant individuals

• Abdul Rivai
• Commodore Matthew Perry
• Empress Dowager Cixi
• Hong Xiuquan
• Kartini
• Prince Diponegoro
• Robert Clive
• Sir Stamford Raffles
• Tipu Sultan
• Tsuda Umeko

Pronunciation guide

Let’s begin

Between 1750 and 1900, Asian societies encountered Western societies armed with modern technologies and new ways of doing business and politics. Merchants forcibly demanded entry to markets in Asia and were backed by the military forces of their nations. India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka became colonies of Western nations. In China, Western nations forced through unequal treaties, profiting from regions of the country that they had carved out for themselves. In colonised countries, cash crops for foreign markets were planted at the expense of food crops for the local populations. Japan took its own path to modernity, reforming its social structure, government and economy to make a direct challenge to Western power. By 1900, people in Indonesia, China and India had taken ideas from the West, such as nationalism and individual rights, to resist Western power and begin on the path to independence.