My Japanese Project

I intend to research Japanese edged weapons focusing on their history and how they were used in history by Samurai and Ninjas and the lot. My intended (imaginary) audience is people in the entertainment industry who want to accurately depict Japanese weapons and not make up fake, huge, and utterly ridiculous look weapons. Some topics will include the Katana and a true Ninja's arsenal.

Exploring the Extremes

The first human to ever reach the South Pole (geographic South pole, that is) was Roald Amundsen in 1911 on December the 14 th. The North Pole was supposed to have been first reached by Robert Peary on April 6, 1909, however this fact is still debated but much proof has been found that supports the claim. The Mt. Everest summit attempt in 1924 was led by the British. The man in charge was Charles G. Bruce. Three attempts were made and the third attempt made by a climber named Irving and fellow climber Mallory. These two men died on the Mountain and there is some disagreement about whether they were the first. The first documented summit was in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay. Why would people do this? the sense of adventure yearns in the soul. People like Sir Edmund are driven to push themselves and to explore the little corners of the world that were untouched by man. Man has a sense to explore the globe and I understand completely how these explorers felt, the urge to leave society and see the world. I love to travel and only wish I could have been born 100 years ago so places like Everest and even Africa were still wild and open for adventurers. A great adventure is worth risking one's life for, without danger it wouldn't be as exciting.

More Than 100 Years Later, the World I Live In Still Displays the Impact of the New Imperialism

Today the world rocks with results of the massive movement known as the new Imperialsim. I believe the New Imperialsm was the first large scale globalization effort since the orginal explorers in the 1500s. Today's world in Africa, Asia, and even Latin America still feel how Europeans carved up these territories to suit their own needs and wants. Africa is a great example. Africa today still sees how the Africans are very poor and work very hard a their livings, but most do not receive what they earn (a worker in the Diamond mines of South Africa and Botswana certainly do not receive any of those diamonds). Imperialism brought thoughts of democracy and nationalism to places where such concepts might never have been introduced. Populations have been conquered only to burst out as global powers again stronger than ever. Look at the Chinese, conquered by Britain and Japan and chopped to pieces by foreign powers looking for resources only to throw off those chains 100 years later and emerge as a modern, powerful country. The New Imperialistic Age brought technologies around the globe and increased knowledge of its peoples. Countries today in certain parts of the world still do things as they have been influenced by those European countries that conquered them, but through that national identity for those people has been formed. All in all, the current worlds countries have all been in some way, shape, or form been influenced by this New Imperialistic Age.

Positive Effects of the New Imperialism

The positives for conquering most of the free world were great for the conquerors (surprise, surprise!) and not as great for those people who were conquered. To start out, those who were conquered did gain some good benefits. More often than not, Europeans would westernize areas they conquered and thus would change traditional practices (including the very touchy one, religion) to what they deemed as proper and civilized. some examples of bad traditional practices that were changed due to westernization included, (in India) the practice of burning the wife of a widower with her husband and other persecutions to other people that changed when both parties were conquered by a third. Often in conquered places positive modernization effects would take place such as legal systems being revised; shipyards, mines, and factories being constructed; native people could get higher educations abroad in European schools; and, natives gaining access to new and exciting foreign technologies and (sometimes) luxuries. Now to the other side of the spectrum, the European elite gained an incredible amount of wealth, power, and land during the New Imperialistic age. Europeans like King Leopold II of Belgian gained private land abroad, labor to work it, and wealth from the natural resources he gained there. Europeans saw increases in labor and in their armies since conquered people would turn around and fight for the conqueror's army (its just another job). Europe also received a different sort of wealth, the wealth of knowledge of the world's geography, people, religions, philosophies, attitudes, ways of economy, and just general knowledge that being a globalized country brings. If one travels the world one inevitably learns more, I believe the greatest benefit of the New Imperialism for Europe and for indigenous populations was not gold, silver, or land. It was the knowledge of the multitudes of people that inhabit this Earth. every step into the unknown brought back another ten steps of insight and understanding.

Negative Effects of the New Imperialism

Negative effects of Imperialism were pertinent on both the European side of the spectrum and the side of the indigenous people of those areas they conquered. First, from the native inhabitants side. Places like India and China encountered a massive confusion in what they should believe in. To clarify, Indians were torn between modernizing and sticking to old traditional practices. Good leaders, like Ram Mohun Roy attempted to mix Western ideals and traditional values to have a unique cultural identity. Unfortunately this was easier said then done. India (along with other countries) faced the effect that Imperialism brought a whole new set of foreign problems to their already confused and troubled nations. The reason why the Europeans could conquer so much was helped by the fact most nations were in decline. The conquered people were often not consulted in matters pertaining to their own countries. Africans were never asked about how they would want Africa divided up. conquered countries often had their economic markets damaged by foreign goods and some imported more than exported causing a trade defect. Another obviousus negative effect on native peoples sides was the fact that whenever foreigners came in there was going to be physical war sometime or another since it is not easy to simply take over a country and everyone be happy. In India Seopys revolted mostly for the reason that they had to bite animal fat (against religious beliefs). So, whenever imperialism took place the indigenous population would suffer in war since their weapons were weaker than strong European guns. Europeans felt negative effects too, but to a much lesser degree than the native populace of the conquered lands. Europeans too had arguments over what was happening around the world. Some felt the rich were exploiting them or the government was somehow manipulating others. Europeans also suffered human lose whenever fighting occurred abroad. I believe the "little people" of Europe (like the peasants) did not gain too much from the imperialism of others since they were too poor to gain any foreign luxuries or the sort. The average Joe in Europe would probably end up paying more taxes to fund all this global expansion which I'm quite sure he did not enjoy doing.

What was the "New Imperialism?"

The "New Imperialism" was the rapid expansion of European powers around the globe in their efforts to dominate the peoples, economies, religions, and governments of those areas they conquered. This global rush for land in Africa, the Middle east, and Asia was led by great Britain who built an empire so large the sun would never set on land claimed to be part of Her Majesty the Queen's land. France, Germany, Russia, and to a lesser degree the United States would all join in the massive land grab that ensued in the 1880s due to many reasons. A large driving force for most countries was the economic factor. Britain, for example, needed natural resources such as manganese and iron for the countries massive steel mills in the North. Places like Africa were loaded with rich resources. The British (like other countries) desired also to create new markets to sell their goods (the British forced opium upon the Chinese and this led to The Opium War and years of strife). Political and military interests drew desire for imperialism since other countries saw the massive land grab as a chance to assert their dominance. Not all reasons for Imperialism were bad, missionaries and others often wanted to genuinely help those less fortunate. This was indeed a nobler cause for expansion. Unfortunately, the strong belief in Social Darwinism was the final factor in the rush for the world since Europeans assumed they were better than other races and European destruction of others was simply them helping the human species.