Injustice and Power Imbalances Between Africa and Europe in the 19th-20th Centuries
In the late 19th century, Europe was arguably more stable economically and politically than it ever had been in the past. This was due to the industrial revolution occurring, bringing advances in technology that allowed for faster growth. Along with this, political reformations were abundant throughout the continent, especially in places such as Britain, Austria, and Italy, all of which were important areas for Europe. This, however, meant that they were far more hungry for resources to use. This was furthered by the fact that with the advances and stability industrialization had granted, many countries were actively able to conquest and claim territories
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Some people may wonder as to why the Neo Imperialist movement started at all. As previously stated, Europe 's stability and immense power compared to other areas of the world had an effect on this. Another cause of Imperialism was the imbalance of power that already existed between Europe and other regions, most notably Asia and Africa. In fact, the “corrosive impact of an industrializing West on societies in Africa and Asia” (Lynn) left problems not only in economic regards, but also in social and cultural ones as well. The big boom in Neo Imperialism, however, was because of Germany. In fact, it was noted that “colonial expansion was relatively cheap and was popular in Germany” (Lynn), which is what drove the rest of Europe to fully devote to Imperialism. This caused panic to sweep through the continent, as the threat to major European powerhouses from Germany “ensured that Britain and France had to expand in order to defend their oversea interests”. (Lynn) Another reason as to why European nations were looking to expand to other nations was a need for resources. Resources are extremely important to any country, especially a powerhouse. A lot of these resources that were demanded by a nation were often scarce or unavailable in Europe, such as cotton,
After an elite revolution involving the advance of new technology and economy, global changes occurred. Capitalism, socialism, and nationalism were very popular before the fall of Africa, and before imperialism. With these ideas in mind, motivations like: the military, politics, demographic features, economics, and social classes had influence for the future of Africa and countries like Europe, Germany, and Russia were more powerful than Africa. Imperialism shaped when borders were opened, and authority was limited. A nation that is thriving on foreign trade and control outside its borders is more likely to imperialize. Europe’s acquisition towards African colonies in 1880 to 1914 included actions like the spread of religion , Africa’s lost
Throughout history, many powerful nations interfered with nations that were weaker than they were. This form of sabotaging a nation is economic, political or cultural life is called as imperialism. Imperialism is often separated into two sects. The first one is old imperialism, which was the period from the 1500s to the 1800s, where European nation started to colonize many areas such as the Americas, and parts of Southeast Asia. On the other hand, the new imperialism was the period between the years “1870-1914”, where Europe became more focused on expanding their land into Asia and Africa. Imperialism had many pros and cons. In addition, it also had many causes led by the feeling of nationalism.
During the late 1800’s, Europe was looking for a way to improve themselves as a whole. With growing population and a steady decline in available work, something new had to be done. Countries looked towards Africa to serve as new colonies for the Europeans in order to better their own countries. During the European acquisition of African colonies in the period 1880 to 1914 Europe’s attitude towards Africa was that Africa was the inferior race in comparison to the Europeans. With the help of a strong feeling of nationalism, Europeans were motivated to acquire new lands in order to improve their motherland’s
The concept of imperialism is one that has pervaded nearly every major society or empire throughout human history. It seems to be a natural consequence of societies growing in size, power, and knowledge. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries vast changes occurred in Western Europe (and soon spread elsewhere) that spurred a new round of imperialism the likes of which had not been seen before. The changes were the industrial revolution that was taking place. Countries were rapidly advancing to industrial societies producing much greater quantities of goods at much lower costs. The goods produced ranged everywhere from cotton textiles to military machinery, all of which would play important roles in rounds of imperialistic expansion that
Europeans sought out lands that provided new sources of raw materials, cheap labor, markets, areas of investment, and military boosters. As European nations became competitive with one another, there was an increased pressure to practice Imperialism to maintain power. New Imperialism was motivated greatly by the Industrial Revolution and its advancements, and efficiency of manufacturing and supplying products. European nations also focused on opening trade routes that would give them places to sell their goods. Also significant was the Europeans desire to Christianize and “civilize” other nations through missionary work and the enforcement of European cultures and beliefs. The new Imperialism brought on social changes as well. Many people urged the taking up of the “White Man’s Burden”, bringing the European version of civilization to the rest of the world, regardless whether they wanted it or not.
Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power. The European colonization of Africa brought racism, civil unrest, and insatiable greed; all of which have had lasting impacts on Africa.
Imperialism is defined as a policy of extending a country 's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Countries during the Industrial Revolution wanted to imperialize due to social, political, and economic reasons. As early as the mid 1800’s, the European countries craved the idea of power and conquering new lands in order to obtain resources/raw materials. They took over Africa, the Ottoman Empire, India, and Southeast Asia due to this as well as for their convenient location. They believed that the more land one owns, the stronger the country would be. Although some can argue the fact that imperialism had a detrimental effect because these countries lost their culture and independence, the end result of this was definitely more positive than negative both short term and long term. These countries would not be as thriving today if this had not happened. European Imperialism in parts of the Middle east, Africa, and Asia had more of a positive impact on the world due to education, modernization, healthcare/sanitation, and more trade/resources used.
Europe expanded across the Atlantic Ocean because they were geographically at an advantage. They had access to this new land the for the other places to get to it would either take too long or they would physically have to go through the European’s land to get there. They had this advantage and took it
Between 1870 and 1920, the European nations took the use of imperialism due to economic, political, and social forces to control the less-developed locations of the world. Economical forces used the need for raw materials for a reason to take locations. Social forces such as racism, thinking that themselves, the Europeans were better than whomever they were taking over. Political forces used militarism more often than not to take the less-developed locations of the world. The use of economical, political, and social forces were all important during the rise of imperialism during the 1870s through 1920s due to the humanitarianism (used in both political and social forces), racism, and the market through world trade with the need for militarism.
Neo imperialism is “the policy or practice of a wealthy or powerful nation in extending its influence into a less developed one, especially in exploiting that nation's resources.” Both Britain and France were very low on financial resources after the war and had previously been practicing imperialism. These first world nations promised the third world nations investment, trade, and aid in trade for imperialistic power of their nation. A comprador class immerged, which is a that cooperates in turning its own country into a client state for foreign
From the start, there were many beneficial reasons for a European nation to imperialize, and by far, one of the most appealing reasons to imperialize other nations was access to raw materials. By the late 1800s, many European nations were seeing rapid growth in industry and manufacturing, but did not have the resources within their continental borders
The economic motives that were responsible for the new imperialism was the desire for raw materials such as coal, iron, and cooper. Asia and Africa were a main target to get these materials from and trade to. According to Imperialism and World Politics, the makers of cotton, iron, telegraphs and railways were strengthened by the higher demand of industries for raw materials (Document 1). Another economic force that was necessary for the new imperialism was expansion, according to American Senator A. J. Beveridge, the Americans surplus of goods brought on the idea of the expansion of the market, and therefore, expansion was necessary to keep up with the high demand (Document 2). According to the map provided in document 9, Africa was an easy target by strong countries such as Great Britain because of the fact that Africa had many raw materials. The main motive behind political forces was the fact that European nations were involved in rivalries and were competing for power. The political reasons that were responsible for the new imperialism were the strategies. According to The Century of Total War, the true cause for imperialism was political
The European powers that were in much need for resources during the 1500s through 1800s were Great Britain, France and Germany. During 1500 and 1800 Africa seemed like an impossible feat to conquer because of malaria but this wouldn’t stop the persistence of the leaders of France and Great Britain. The idea of exploring and conquering new land meant more to these leaders because of the motivation to keep their national security strong and keep their economy stronger. These countries would use their remaining resources to look for more disposable ones so that their empires could grow considerably. Great Britain would be dug in the
In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the
What is the New Imperialism and what were the cause and effects in the World Wars in order to understand what is the “New Imperialism”, we must first learn and define Imperialism: a policy or practice by which a country increases its power by gaining control over other areas of the world: the effect that a powerful country or group of countries has in changing or influencing the way people live in other, poorer countries. The New Imperialism takes on effects in the late 19th century this is when there is an interest or wanting to gain a imperial territory, Imperialism is also consider to be when there is a desire to control a trading routes and resources in a nation. A perfect example of the New Imperialism is called the "Scramble for Africa", this is when Europe tries to takes control over Africa. In the late 19th century Europe struggle to destabilize and to balance the power that they once had before Italy and Germany became unify.