Cecil Rhodes vs Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu

Cecil Rhodes consolidated diamond mining operations in Kimberley, South Africa, into De Beers Consolidated Mines. The company gained near-monopoly control over the global diamond supply, generating immense wealth for Rhodes and funding his imperial ambitions.

Rhodes's British South Africa Company sent the Pioneer Column into Mashonaland, establishing Fort Salisbury (Harare). This led to the colonization of the territory later named Rhodesia, which became a British colony and later a white-ruled state.

Rhodes orchestrated the Jameson Raid, an armed incursion into the Transvaal Republic led by Leander Starr Jameson. The raid failed, causing a political scandal that forced Rhodes to resign as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony and damaged British relations with the Boers.

During the Second Boer War, Rhodes was trapped in Kimberley during a 124-day siege by Boer forces. His presence and demands for relief caused friction with British military commanders, but the siege ended with the relief of Kimberley in February 1900.

Rhodes's will established the Rhodes Scholarship program, funding students from British colonies, the United States, and Germany to study at Oxford University. The program aimed to promote international understanding and Anglo-Saxon leadership, and continues to operate.

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu became the close confidant and favorite of Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, rising from a minor page to the highest ranks of the shogunate. His influence grew as he managed Tsunayoshi's personal affairs and policy decisions.

Yoshiyasu was appointed roju, formalizing his control over shogunate policy. He used this position to amass wealth and power, appointing allies and suppressing critics, becoming one of the most powerful officials in Edo Japan.

Yoshiyasu patronized Confucian scholars like Arai Hakuseki and supported the publication of historical works. He also sponsored the construction of temples and gardens, contributing to the cultural flourishing of the Genroku era.

Upon Shogun Tsunayoshi's death, Yoshiyasu lost his protector and was forced to retire from his official positions. His influence ended abruptly, and he spent his remaining years in retirement, though he avoided execution or exile.