The Rise Of Imperialism

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

It was not until the nineteenth century when the United States of America began its journey to spread its political and economic influences around the world. This particular era was known as the Age of Imperialism, and it was happening all over the world and not just in the United States (Small Planet, n.d.).

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.

The driving force behind European Imperialism was national competition because it is the cause of all of the other driving reasons. As a result of national competition, it creates an arms race, it also requires the countries to have more money and resources, and the people believe their country should be better than the next. Technology may had an incredible effect on the Africans, however, the reason the European countries had that technology is because they always want to beat the other country. Moreover, you cannot have more power and technology if you do not have the money or resources to make or buy the supplies. Lastly, this competition can lead to national pride and more nationalists that push the government to more imperialism and colonization.

The U.S is undeniably the greatest empire in world history, in terms of both control and actual expansion of territory. This conclusion is found in the greatest annals of evidence known to literate man: History. In analyzing the history of the American continent post American Revolution, one can clearly conclude the tendrils of Imperialism in American culture. From such events as Western Expansion and the Mexican American war to the establishment of Banana Republics and overthrow of socialist governments in South America, the claim of the U.S being a gloriously successful empire is substantiated. Before such evidence however, one must historically ask oneself, “ What is an empire?”, and for the purposes of this work, it is defined as such:

Throughout world history, various countries and kingdoms have strived towards achieving power, territory and control. Many rulers would compete against each other at the expense of their armies and civilian population. The largest empires started small, slowly enlarging by engulfing smaller, weaker empires using religious, ethnical, and political strategies. Simply using the aid of technological advancements in machinery and power. During the 16th century, there was a rapid growth of inventions around the world and developments in technology, which helped pave for the Industrial Revolution to occur. This Industrial Revolution was the primary catalyst amongst European nations to conquer others for more power and land. Lack of natural resources in Europe, led the Europeans to Africa in search of lumber, raw materials, and cheap labor. When Europeans went to Africa to look for lumber, raw materials, and cheap labor, they noticed how the natives had a completely different religion than theirs and the Europeans took the opportunity to start a land grab in the African continent to gain more power, territory, and convert the Africans to Christianity. Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, displays the warfare and consequences of European Imperialism in the Niger River region by focusing Nigeria’s early experiences with colonialism, from the first contact with the

Throughout the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, the world witnessed a global expansion as well as a compaction of people, cultures, and ideas. The need for goods, as well as the process of mercantilism to inflate economies, was instrumental in the advancement of seafaring technologies, the need to spread religion, and the eventual globalization of the slave market. The four major regions in the world, which were the stepping stones of globalization, are Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, the Americas, and finally East Asia.

The United States once obtained and still holds some Imperialist outlook to the world. Jeremi Suri, a Professor of History at the University of Texas, has studied American Imperialism. Suri claims that “By 1991, societies across the globe rushed to attract American investment and aid. Citizens sought out American cultural exports—including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Michael Jordan. ”(Page 246).

     Throughout American History the U.S. has sought to expand its boundaries. This need increased greatly during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century with the start of the industrial revolution. This Expansion was a big departure from earlier attempts to expand the boundaries of the U.S. The needed for Natural resources forced the U.S to look for places that could supply them with the natural resources they needed and markets where they could sell their goods in. The need to imperialize caused the U.S. to look to foreign places to gain resources to better the nations industries.

In 1853, Western imperialism was at its height. It was spreading to several countries. The British colonized India, the Dutch colonized Indonesia, the United States colonized the Philippines, and the French colonized Vietnam. In 1929, the crash of the stock market brought a worldwide depression, known as the Great Depression. The depression caused instability in many countries. International commerce declined and tax revenues, profits, and personal income decreased. The Great Depression especially impacted countries that were in need of raw materials. Between the time of 1853 to 1941, Japan’s culture and political structure changed anticipating westernization because they wanted to be seen as equals to the Western countries. Japan also became more militaristic so that they would not be seen as a victim of imperialism. Although Japan experienced some changes, Japan continued the ideology of kokutai as a method for imperial advancement.

Some scholars have attributed early efforts at international health to local and independent authorities in areas ravaged by disease (Birn 3). The spread of disease in pre-16th century Europe did garner small, lackluster efforts to contain it (Birn 3), however true steps toward international health did not come until the rise of colonialism. Disease played a significant role in the colonialism that allowed imperialism to thrive during its heyday (Birn 9), however, I argue that colonialism and imperialism played just a significant, if not greater, role in the emergence of global health and disease response.

Western scientists proposed new ideas regarding biological races that enhanced their beliefs that westerners are naturally superior than other groups. Europeans were convinced that colonization and enslavement of other societies were justified and as a result imperialism of the western world began and influenced the basis of America. By taking over these new colonies, such as India and Sri Lanka, science was able to develop and incorporate new information on the origins of humanity with respect to the organization of the natural world. Within the beginnings of Western imperialism, America was able to develop and thrive from the influences of previous European activity, which granted the advancement of science and thus entirely changed the definition of modern science.

In the early 15th century, the era of the Age of Exploration begun. Notable explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama set their voyages to seek new sea routes with the prospect of expanding their countries’ economic advances but their progressions in foreign territories led to the rise of imperialism. Domestic weakening of power due to internal conflicts and given the advancement of technology gave the Europeans the superiority to colonize and established their own Empire. Given their powerful complex and the competition for wealth led the inevitable fall of the Asia. Some may argue that colonization can be avoided as these foreign private companies were primarily focusing on trade profits, not have the intention to conquer.

Anciently, imperialism has developed with the rise of human’s civilisation. Imperialism defined as per Cambridge dictionary as ‘a system or a situation where one country with superior power used force or influence to rule and exploit another country’ (Cambridge dictionary, 2017). In the contemporary colonial era, many European intellectuals and thinkers have justified imperialism such as Rudyard Kipling with his famous poem ‘The White Man’s Burden’ (Kiplingsociety.co,uk, 2017). The poem reflected the agreement of many Europeans of their superiority, which attached with a duty to spread Western ideas and knowledge toward non-Western people. They thought they were primitive barbarians as Kipling expressed them ‘Half-devil and half-child’ and they need guidance to change their way of life.

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