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Critics of Imperialism

Critics of Imperialism. 1. J. A. Hobson (1858–1940) 2. Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) 3. Other Criticisms . J. A. Hobson. 1902. John Atkinson Hobson. English economist and critic of imperialism His focus was on industrial capitalism as the driving force of imperialism

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Critics of Imperialism

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  1. Critics of Imperialism 1. J. A. Hobson (1858–1940) 2. Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) 3. Other Criticisms

  2. J. A. Hobson 1902

  3. John Atkinson Hobson • English economist and critic of imperialism • His focus was on industrial capitalism as the driving force of imperialism • In his book, Imperialism, Hobson argued that imperial expansion was driven by a search for new markets and opportunities for investment overseas • strong opponent of the Boer War, Hobson condemned it as a "conflict orchestrated by and fought for the preservation of finance capitalism at the expense of the working class."

  4. Hobson • Condemned white imperialist rule over non-whites • Said double standard existed: Europeans fought for representative gov’t and liberties, but didn’t extend it to their colonies!

  5. Joseph Conrad 1899

  6. Conrad & the Heart of Darkness • J oseph Conrad did not begin to learn English until he was twenty-one years old. Was born JozefTeodorKonradKorzeniowskion Dec. 3, 1857, in the Polish Ukraine. • Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English even though he didn’t speak English as indicated above. • Imperialism is at the center of Heart of Darkness. • Heart of Darkness was one of the first literary texts to provide a critical view of European imperial activities • Conrad’s decision to set the book in a Belgian colony and to have Marlow work for a Belgian trading concern made it even easier for British readers to avoid seeing themselves reflected in Heart of Darkness. Although these early reactions seem ludicrous to a modern reader, they reinforce the novella’s central themes of hypocrisy and absurdity.

  7. Conrad • Castigated the “pure selfishness” of Europeans in “civilizing” Africa; the main character, once a liberal scholar, turns into a savage brute

  8. Other Criticism’s • Europeans were winning liberal freedoms at home (representative government, civil liberties, equality of opportunity), but imposing the opposite on their colonies (military dictatorships, forced labor, discrimination).

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