The Role Of Imperialism In World War I

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.

Interventionism, the belief that the United States should involve itself in foreign affairs, and isolationism, the belief that the United States should avert from any foreign affairs were two ideas that bopped heads during the first World War when it came to the United States’ position in foreign affairs. Interventionism was highly driven off of the thirst for profit and power. This hunger completely brainwashed people of all other thoughts, triggering them to steal innocent lives recklessly and mercilessly. However, isolationism protected American interests during the early 1900’s as it kept us out of war and affairs which ultimately resulted in American debt, lives, and peace being spared from the terrors of war as exhibited in George Washington’s Farewell Address, Ambassador James Bryce’s British Report on German Atrocities, and Robert La Follette’s A Progressive Opposes the Declaration of War.

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

In the 1890s some Americans were eager to expand. Post-Civil War the U.S. was going through a time where they thought that they were lagging behind other nations in terms of expansionism. America felt that they were lacking what they needed in order to become a powerhouse. Many Americans, like Theodore Roosevelt or Alfred Thayer Mahan, were imperialists who wanted to acquire land/territories for the U.S. The United States sought to find their identity as a nation in the world. American Identity to imperialists can be defined as patriotism, military power, and dominance/hegemony.  This was controversial because some Americans were anti-imperialists who did not believe in expansionism, but in defending the Constitution. This brought about both supporters and opponents of imperialism during the Spanish-American War.

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

The are four “main reason why Europe was unsteady. One is Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism. Militarism is growing your nation's army, to have a fighting chance. Alliances are having an agreement with another country and helping one if need help. Imperialism is a country taking over someone else's land and making them go by their government. Nationalism is a strong love for your country. These are the main reasons but will this incident be the last straw for Europe.The archduke( Franz Ferdinand) and his wife of Austria-Hungary were visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28th, 1914. The black hand was a terrorist group that wanted Bosnia to belong to Serbia. First, they tried a bomb and failed, then a young shooter succeed. He was

Imperialism has been a topic covered broadly in this class. We have learned about many nations who strive to expand through their military powers. Britain and Germany seem to be the best examples of Imperialism that we have learned about, especially before WW1. The imperialist practices of these huge world powers have created and impacted policies around the globe. From The Origins of the Modern World, we learned that Great Britain was the strongest world power before the war. Britain had possession of Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Most of these colonies were acquired quite easily because of their power. British imperialism was focused on expansion through world trade. Britain had a powerful navy and a large feet of war vessels. By 1914 America was a very imperialistic nation, and had control of the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, and islands in the Pacific.

Imperialism is when a country of rich power overtakes a debilitated government. In the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s. Imperialism started towards the end of the Industrial Revolution because of the lack of natural materials and resources in their own territory. During the period of imperialism, many European countries created vast empires from overthrowing governments in Africa and the Middle East. France, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Portugal were the main countries involved in overtaking territory. An effect from the age of Imperialism was the affection of World War I. Besides the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria/Hungary in 1914 was Imperialism, Imperialism caused conflict over territory. Soon Imperialism was so out of control that the countries were going to war over who they were going to overthrow. Imperialism also had an effect on the warfare during World War 1 because the countries used their claimed land as prime military bases during the war.

Imperialism was one of the four contributing factors to the cause of World War One, along with secret alliances, militarism, and nationalism.  It is the most important cause of WW1, because it created a build-up of tension in Europe and outside of Europe, and through imperialism, the three other causes were able to affect the beginnings of the war. Imperialism is defined as the governing of one people by another country, which was a recurring dilemma prior to WW1 due to the industrialist movement. Although not all events that fall into the imperialistic category were about controlling another country, they contributed to the war, and imperialistic events were the foundation of the cause of WW1.

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.

After the Civil War Americans got busy expanding internally. With the frontier to conquer and virtually unlimited resources, they had little reason to look elsewhere. Americans generally had a high level of disdain for Europe, although wealthy Americans were often educated there and respected European cultural achievements in art, music and literature. Americans also felt secure from external threat because of their geographic isolation between two oceans, which gave them a sense of invulnerability. Until very late in the 19th century Americans remained essentially indifferent to foreign policy and world affairs.

Based upon given information it is clear that there were many ideas thought of during the WWI period. During the years of 1914 through 1917, the U.S was drawn between being Isolationist and Interventionist. The decision for the American nation to either become Isolationist or Interventionist was the key in whether the United States involvement in the war. The perspective of isolationist was in the greatest interest of the U.S. It was in the best interest of the Americans because it helped them to avoid getting into any wars, economic damage, or financial deficiency. All of this was achieved by minimizing all relations with other countries. Therefore, all affairs were cut loose except for affairs that benefited the country.

Imperialism was one of the main causes of WWI, which created a strong competition between Europe’s Triple Alliance and Entente powers. During the war, Great Britain had the strongest naval blockade of all Europe, which created even greater tension with Germany. Britain’s main goal was to prolong naval operation conducted by the Allied Powers during and after World War I in an effort to restrict the maritime supply of goods to the opposed Central Powers, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. New progressive technology gave the British and Germans advancement in creating naval goods; U-boats and submarines expanded the naval army military strength. With the help of new technology, Britain intended to use its powerful

     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.

World War I occurred as a result of a number of political, social, and economic changes that were taking place at a rapid pace in the region. A prominent transformation was the onset of industrial revolution that accompanied these changes. Many countries were investing significantly in industrialization while undergoing transformation that was changing the face of society. To enhance patriotism and to achieve objectives that were otherwise impossible, political forces were utilizing notions like nationalism. In this scenario, the colonies of European nations became the cause of significant rivalry and disputes, settled only after the blood of millions was shed. The war had far-reaching consequences for all nations that were involved in the conflict such that the entire boundaries of many countries were remarked. This paper will discuss the impact of nationalism, industrialization, and colonialism on WWI and its occurrence.