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 …show more content…
King Leopold’s opening lines in his speech at a conference in 1876 in Brussels; "To open to civilisation the only part of our globe which it has not yet penetrated, to pierce the darkness which hangs over entire peoples, is, I dare say, a crusade worthy of this century of progress....". Subsequently Christian missionaries were placed throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America to preach and carry on the crusade against slavery. Many of these Christians devoted their lives to accomplishing their goals, however many carried with them the ethnocentric values and judgements of their compatriots who thought that non-Europeans were backwards and uncivilized. During this time evolutionary theories such as Darwinism were incorporated into imperialism by some empires in Europe. It was acquired to justify the need to civilize the indigenous populations of various continents. People were classified. People were classified as separate ‘’races along an evolutionary scale. The subjection of coloured people was considered the inevitable consequence of the superiority of white population. Others believed that extending the empire, law, order and industry would raise ‘’backward peoples’’ up the ladder of evolution to equality. Compared to the 17th and 18th century the Europeans had little care or sense of other people’s cultures. In addition, it is clear that a new sense of
Imperialism is the policy of extending the role of authority of a nation over a foreign country, usually in material gain. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the United States went through an era of imperialism. At the time, the US was quite powerful, but was looking to continue to spread their territory, make themselves even stronger, and have multiple trade routes to have all the resources they needed and wanted.
The Differences Between 16th and 19th Century Imperialism and their Effects on the World Today.
Prior to the 19th century imperialism of both Africa and Asia, revolutions and changes of territories led the Europeans to colonize these continents. The industrial revolution was a major impact to new imperialism. This revolution raised Europe’s economy and forced them to find new opportunities to sell the goods they have produced. Also, the change and loss of territories around the world meant a decline of power for Europe, and yet another reason to imperialize. The 19th century imperialism of Africa and Asia was caused by the industrial revolution because of goods, resources, and new markets in their countries. The industrial revolution also influenced imperialism based on the military and technological advances, such as the invention of
This push against other cultures and beliefs and even degradation of them, would continue later in the late 19th century as well, with the ideas of spreading Christianity, civilization, and education becoming a central motive for American imperialism. They believed, as Josiah Strong did, that the Anglo-Saxon race of America was the “race of unequalled energy” and “the representative of the largest liberty, the purest Christianity, and the highest civilization… [that] will spread itself over the earth” (Doc B- Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis by Josiah Strong). What should also be noted is the Social Darwinist thinking of the time, where the Anglo-Saxon race will rise to the top in the supposed “competition [for] ‘the survival of the fittest’” (Doc B- Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis by Josiah Strong). Social Darwinism
In the late 19th century, a desire for expansion and control swept through Europe. Today, we know this as the age of imperialism. Influential powers like Britain and France competed to gain more land and to spread their influence throughout the world. The purpose of imperialism was to gain political power by means of land and wealth. The more power an empire held, the more influence it had on worldly matters. With this power came racial tensions, and a strong sense of nationalism. Britain was the leading power in the race for imperialism, leading many of its citizens to believe that they were above those not of English origin. Growing powers meant new opportunities for the citizens of the growing imperialistic empire. Anna Leonowens, a 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
Between the period from 1880 to 1914, European powers went after overseas empires in Africa. The governments and political leaders of the European powers believed that this colonization of the African empires was necessary to maintain their global influence. A second group of people supposed that African colonization was the result of the greedy Capitalists who \only cared for new resources and markets. The third group of people claimed it to be their job to enlighten and educate the uncivilized people of Africa. Although the political leaders of European powers encouraged colonization of African empires to advance their nation’s global influence, others argued that it was only for the profiteering of the Capitalists who sought new
First of all, the Europeans brought Christianity with them, and in their minds, unless a person believed in Jesus Christ, they were set to go to Hell. With this idea in mind, the Europeans taught the people they had colonized the ways of Christianity, thus saving them from their savagery and spending an eternity in Hell (Palmer et al. 575). Europeans also set up schools in many places that they colonized, and while often very exclusive, they still brought education to areas where most children learned their parents trade, and nothing more (Hobson 211). Perhaps most importantly, Europeans brought new forms of government to many of their colonies, especially in Africa, which was made up of mostly tribes (Said 154). These tribes didn’t exactly get along very well, leading to constant warfare and instability across the continent. When the Europeans came in, they brought new ways of controlling populations that by no means stopped fighting, but to an extent, reduced some of the violence, as there were consequences put in place (Lynn). Reducing violence was not something every European nation was able to ensure for their colonies, but when it did happen, those nations developed for the
Throughout the 19th and 20th century, imperialism was a common force used by Europeans against ethnic countries. They used a superior demeanor implemented by social darwinism to convince natives that their way of life and international affairs were uncivilized in order to gain control of their land for selfish economic interests. Although the Europeans promised a progressive society by establishing colonies, they also forced civilization, stole resources, and stripped away culture.
The effects of imperialism during the late 1800s had been either the means of ruins of a society or the very means of success for a country. Due to the advanced technology, countries manipulated their new found power to the greatest potential. If not all, many industrialized countries expanded their rule over to foreign lands. As imperialism occurs within a country, the natives have the option to follow the new rulers or get destroyed. With inferior technology only such choice will result for the weaker nations. As imperialism continues throughout the early 1900s, nothing is resolved. Imperialist powers continues to depleted the foreign lands of the raw materials and colonized people will continue to suffer.
European economies suffered a severe depression in the late nineteenth century and this forced merchants and manufacturers to impose tariffs and cartelize domestic markets (Falola 159). Imperialism followed soon after, out of the Europeans’ desire to stabilize national income, manage extreme fluctuations of the business cycles and promote the effective growth of capitalist economies globally (Wehler 137). At the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, which was called to manage the ongoing process of colonization, European nations set out conditions for the acquisition of territory (Craven 31). Colonies were expected to provide an avenue for cheap raw materials, captive markets and investment outlets. This is clearly evidenced because as late
The United States experienced a period of growth and maturation during the twentieth century. Now, this is not to say that this was the only period of growth, but it was a significant time during which the United States began to establish its military force at an international level. By establishing itself during the twentieth century as one of the world’s largest superpowers, America grew to be respected by most of the world’s nations. America also grew to become much more active in foreign affairs, even in ones that had no relation to the nation. The United States began to look for chances to expand their country, as well as opportunities to benefit financially from these territories. Imperialism is the word that best describes the foreign
Imperialism has been a long standing ideology that is able to withstand the tests of time due to the applicability of the concept. The general definition of Imperialism, as provided by Merriam-Webster, is the practice in which a country furthers its power by the means of control and domination in other regions of the world. This took on a new form as the nineteenth-century approached, as Traditions & Encounters a Global Perspective on the Past elaborated, it mainly pertained to European powers at this time and their control over colonial land and the world of influence. 19th century imperialists had three main foci, these being economic, political, and cultural motifs, these foci dominated the reasons for imperialism in the nineteenth-century and determined how nations would interact with the world and others; these foci would often find conflicts with each other and overlap causing disruption in the goals of the nations involved.
The New Imperialism during the 19th century throughout Africa and Asia was an influential prompt to the rise of colonialism and powerful European empires. Consisting of raw materials, markets for European business, and provided resources made the African and Asian colonies extremely ingenious for European empires. However, as the 20th century emerged, imperialism suddenly faded and became a sentiment of the past. Surely even one of the most influential empires at a certain point in time – Britain, gradually came at ease with dropping its imperial rule over some colonies. Likewise, following gory and extensive battles, a parallel approach was taken by France. Nevertheless, the utmost spark to the 20th century decolonization was primarily
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.