Let's thinktogetherfor a momentaboutallthepeoplewhohavelivedwhereyoulivenowandallthedifferentstatesandnationsandempireswhohaveclaimedthatland. Likerightnow,
Aswe'vetalkedabout a fewtimeshereonCrashCourseGeography, eachplacecomeswithmultiplenamesand a longhistoryofrulersandclaimsthatcanstillinfluencehowit's perceivedtoday.
LikeinTaiwan, whichhashadimperialandcolonial-esquerelationships a fewtimes.
Around 1624, theDutchcolonizedtheindigenouspeopleofTaiwanandusedTaiwanmainlyas a shippingporttogetgoodsoutofAsiaandbacktoEurope. Theyfoughtforcontroloftheislandwiththeindigenouspeoplewhowerealreadythere, usingmostlysubsistenceagriculture, orsmall-scaleagricultureforlocalusebyfamiliesandcommunities, ratherthanforexport.
TheDutchversionofcolonizationwasprettymuchjustforTaiwan's strategiclocationfortheirshippingneeds. ButastheQingdynastytookcontrolofTaiwaninthe 1680s, itwas a moreimperialrelationship, atfirstmostlyas a waytokeeppiratesfromcontrollingkeyports.
Then, asChineserefugeesmovedtotheislandduetopoliticaltensionsinChina, thenewsettlersbeganfarmingsugarandriceon a smallscaleandchanginglandownershiparrangements.
Forallintentsandpurposes, thiswas a settler-colonialrelationship, meaningthatpeoplefromChinamovedtotheislandtoliveandindoingsochangedtheculturalpracticesofthearea. AsChinesepeoplemovedin, theynegotiatedandfoughtwiththeindigenouspeoplesastheytriedtosetuptheirownsmallriceandsugarfarms, alongwithplanningouttowns. Insomecases, indigenouspeopleswereabletoclaimownershipofthelandandchargerents, butinothers, theindigenouspeoplesquitsubsistencefarmingtoworkonthesugarplantationsorwereforcedtomovetheirsubsistenceplotsintomoreruggedterritory. Then, by 1895, whenJapantookcontrolofTaiwan, JapanwantedTaiwantomovefrom a subsistencetoanindustriallevelofriceandsugarproduction. Theycreatedrestrictionsonwherepeoplecouldliveandfarmthatmadeitdifficulttocontinuesubsistencefarming.
Butattheendofthe 1940s, Chinawentthrough a civilwarthatledtocommunistrule, andpromptedthe U.S. andtheiralliestoprovideamplefundingtosetupstrong, capitalisteconomiestoreinforceandmaintain a containmentzonearoundChinesecommunism.
Today, Taiwanstillactsas a shatterbeltbetweenChinaandtheWest, meaningit's strategicallylocatedbetweentwolargepowers, the U.S.'s alliesandChina.
Sobythe 1980s, TaiwanwasconsideredoneoftheAsianTigers, whichwas a termusedforAsianeconomiesthatexperiencedintensegrowthandindustrializationafterWorldWarII. That's a lotofland-grabbingandeconomicmovement, andallthatjustinthisoneisland. Taiwanshowsusthatthereare a hostofmotivationsforonecountrytocolonizeanother, andthattheoutcomesofcolonizationaren't uniform.
But a countryismorethanjustitseconomy, andcolonialismcanshapethelandscapeinotherwaystoo. Colonizershavebeenknowntoantagonizeexistingethnicconflicts, orcreatenewonesbypromotingonegroupoveranotherandmakingsurebothgroupsknowwhy, whichultimatelymeddlesinbothlocalpoliticsandculture. ThisiswhathappenedinwhatisnowcalledMyanmar, whichwasmostrecently a partoftheBritishEmpire.
Andtoday, Myanmarisknownforregularwarandconflictbetweengroupsandanongoinggenocideasoflate 2021. BothMyanmarandTaiwanareexamplesofhowempirestreat a peripheralterritory. InthecaseofTaiwan, itwasadvantageousfortheterritorytobuildup a strongpresencethrough a powerfuleconomy. Becausetheyhavecontrolovertheirowneconomyandarestrongenoughtonegotiatefavorabletradeforthemselves, theyarenotfullydependentonanyonecountry. Theyaresemi-periphery.
Let's thinktogetherfor a momentaboutallthepeoplewhohavelivedwhereyoulivenowandallthedifferentstatesandnationsandempireswhohaveclaimedthatland. Likerightnow,
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