Imperialism, Nationalism, And Racism

This course is a great opportunity to explore the impact of imperialism. From this course, I learnt that imperialism contributed to the growth of racial discrimination. On one hand, in order to maximize profit by establishing colonies in Africa and Asia, western countries claimed that colored people were inferior and should be subjected to the whites’ control. On the other hand, imperialism led to the occurrences of wars, which caused the whites’ prejudice that black soldiers could not regulate themselves without the direction of white officers. The article The African Roots of War by W.E.B. Du Bois and the article The Rough Riders by Theodore Roosevelt can support my point of view.

The 19th and 20th century imperialism was substantially about the exploitation of the empires colonies and thus was not a necessarily an ‘civilizing mission’. During the 19th and 20th century European powers tried to justify their actions, by claiming that they were trying to re-educate the native population through education, this included Christian missionaries which were placed throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, it became apparent that these powers gained significant wealth by commercializing items that could not be obtained otherwise. Two key examples of imperialism in the 19th and 20th century includes the Belgium Congo whereby Leopold II gained significant wealth through rubber plantations and the British

Imperialism is a recurring theme in the history of the world. Stronger countries see themselves as superior to other societies and believe their ways are right. They force religion, government, and practices on countless foreign lands. At the very end of the nineteenth

Imperialism is when a larger, more powerful nation takes control of smaller, weaker nations. The American idea is for freedom. As a nation the United States promotes the freedom of itself and other countries. America once fought for the freedom from a larger, more powerful nation, so why would the government want to go back on what this country was started on, which was freedom.

This change in racism is why both authors stress the need to understand the very specific brand of American racism as it changes throughout time. Looking backwards and forwards in time proves to be an integral method of displaying the concerns of history as it pertains to the future.

What were some of the political, economic, social, intellectual, and military factors that explained the sudden increase in the pace and importance of European imperialism in the late 19c? The essential impetus was the Industrial Revolution which led to a search for (and control of) sources of raw materials and captive markets to sell manufactured goods, and become a world power with the most colonies and most money.

Throughout american history, examples of the United States’ domination of the political, economic, and social aspects of other countries can be seen. This domination, also known as imperialism, was primarily caused by a growing sense of nationalism, the influence of supply and demand, and a desire to maintain global military power. Imperialism is categorized into three different groups: colony, protectorate, sphere of influence. TRANSITION SENTENCE

Imperialism has been one of the most powerful forces in human history, serving to set the foundation of our modern world. While this has led to the formation of a global society where cultures, ideas, and innovations are spread across countries, imperialism has also left a history of exploitation, racism, and violence that is still affecting the world today. Imperial relationships are always imbalanced when it comes to power and influence; that is, one group (known as the metropole) maintains authority and control over another group (known as the periphery) with economic, political, and cultural dominance (Spiegel 2012). There are many reasons why one group chooses to dominate the other, such as expanding territory, extracting raw resources to fuel economic development, or to spread their beliefs (i.e. religion) (Spiegel 2012). In spite of these varied reasons, one of the main motivators for imperialism began with competition between empires.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty…" (U.S. Constitution).

U.S imperialism was both like and unlike the imperialism practiced by European powers. The assertion that U.S. imperialism was unlike any other is because of the way that citizens viewed themselves. While native European citizens supported imperialism because of resources and wealth which their colonies provided, they mainly supported the expansion of their empires because they thought they were “helping” the supposed inferior races by colonizing. Race played a very large and important role in the rise of overseas European empires and while they acknowledge this fact, the U.S., on the other hand, had a different reason.

Racism has always existed throughout human history, It influenced wars, slavery, the creation of certain laws in the United States. Racism is the belief that one’s race is superior to another because of their physical traits and culture being different, or to treat another race with hatred and inflicting physical and verbal assaults toward that race. The origins of colonial america was primarily the result of white European racism.     In colonial america, Racism had played a big part in the enslavement of Africans. We see this when Europeans first came to America, believing they were a superior race due to their advancement in technology and being more civilized than the indigenous people and Africans.

In terms of racism as a whole it would be a good point to note the immigration of the African and Caribbean people into the United States and Europe. The integration of people from Africa and the Caribbean was not a choice nor an immigration. Racism has many ties to colonization and slavery. European countries began conquering and colonizing parts of Africa in the 1880s. Colonization was hidden behind seemingly kind-hearted Christian missionaries. Colonization aimed to provide religion and humanitarian help to those in need. These missionaries helped bring European government into Africa (The

Racism in this country has been prevalent over centuries now, and still a huge hindrance in the United States of America. Racism has a huge history with scholars documenting the long illustrious reasons and root causes as to why this has become such a major topic of issue in the United States and its psychological and social obliterations in the society.

Nation-state supporters claimed that the globe was divided into peoples or nations of common heritage and territory that required a state. The state would have to create a nation by creating standardized laws, time, language, etc. America, Japan and parts of Europe were strong nation-states at this time. In Europe, states seemed as revolutionaries broke away from multinational empires unable to keep their lands together. Expansion complicated the needs of the nation-state by introducing new people from outside the nation. In many new nation-states, imperialism was a big aspect with nation building. Empires made it easier for people and goods to move around the world.

Although there are many other important factors, the main cause of the rise of imperialism was most certainly economic. The Age of Empire, by Eric J. Hobsbawn, provides an interpretation of New Imperialism. Hobsbawn calls imperialism “a natural by-product of the international economy” (Sherman pg 177). He is basically saying that imperialism is dependent on the rivalries of competing industries, which continually drive the international economy. Hobsbawn also dictates the need for external markets. The Industrial Revolution created many products that needed markets, thus creating a need of colonies. Hobsbawn believed that the overproduction of the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression could be solved. He also realized that