One of the most prolific imperialistic powers was Great Britain. The British Empire stretched across the globe. There were British colonies in Africa, India, China, and the Americas. “The sun never sets on the British empire”, is a well-known quote that illustrates the stretch of the vast empire. This paper will analyze the positives, negatives and the overall influence of the imperialistic empire. Influenced by the Industrial Revolution, imperialism enabled countries such as India access to advanced technology and innovation, which in turn made is possible for them to become major players in trade. In addition to increased trade, British influence also prevented the political and social system of their colonies from crumbling within. However, there were still negative aspects of the British rule upon the different peoples. Moreover, each different colony the British ruled longed for a sense of nationalism and hence the revolts and turmoil.
To fully understand the influence Britain had over its colonies, imperialism itself must be defined. Winfried Baumagart explains the social conception of nationalism and the “white man’s burden” which is to not only expand into foreign lands and establish rule, but is also to culturally educate the people. This is the definition of imperialism; however, there is more to imperialism as he goes on to explain. The significance of trade, missionary activities, technological advancements, naval developments, and exploration are all highlighted as important factors of imperialism. This allows a grading criterion for this paper to be established. Questions such as what advancements and how trade changed with British influence can be evaluated. Including all of these factors in imperialism opens up a ...
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...lourish in the times they did and established the countries assets, which those countries still rely upon in modern society.
Works Cited
Baumgart, Winfried. Imperialism: The Idea and Reality of British and French Colonial Expansion,1880-1914. Oxford. Oxford University Press. 1982
Keay, John. The Honourable Company: A History of the English East India Company. New York, Scribner Press. 1994
Fay, Peter Ward. The Opium War: 1840-1842.Chapel Hill. The University of North Carolina Press. 1998
Marshall, Peter. "The British Presence in India in the 18th Century." BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 04 May 2014.
"Economic Reasons for British Imperialism in Africa - British Colonization of Africa." Economic Reasons for British Imperialism in Africa - British Colonization of Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
"Foreign Imperialism in China." Alpha History. N.p., n.d. Web.
The common factor amongst all three instances of British Imperialism was Britain’s greed for economic opportunity. Greed is often caused by unjustifiable pride, which Britain undeniably had. England was so willing to achieve various advancements to its own economy that it created long lasting and devastating destruction in three other regions of the world. These countries still face lingering effects from British greed.
Marshall, Peter. "The British Presence in India in the 18th Century." http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/east_india_01.shtml (accessed June 8, 2014).
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.
Imperialism also had an everlasting positive effect on India through its modernization. For instance, British colonizers develope...
Imperial expansion in 1860-1914 is often referred to as new imperialism, considering the first flush of territorial acquisitions that occurred in 15th &16th century. This expansion is deepening of the process of colonisation by Europeans in Africa and Asia, Japan in East Asia, and the United States in Central America and Asia. It was an aggressive extension of overseas territories, a ' White Man's Burden', establishing half a century of political and economic domination. This essay attempts to outline the sources and responses of this process.
At a glance Imperialism is seen as a horrendous practice that many European nations practiced at the turn of the century. With Britain at the top and many other nations coming up behind them Imperialism seemed to be the way to go. But why would such a practice that involved exploiting the natives and harming both the land and people be so appealing to the public? The profits offered by Politicians and Officials hid the truth behind Imperialism, swaying the opinion in favor of money, goods, and a sense of moral duty. Imperialism was a great example of ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’, its promise of greatness for everyone involved outweighed the hardships many endured from it. The pros and cons of Imperialism
The years 1870 to 1914 presented the height of one of the most influential times in history; the rise of imperialism. Imperialism is when one country takes possession and control of another country by force. This stronger country may directly or indirectly control the conquered country’s government, trade and culture. Many countries at the time believed that “There needs to be no hesitation in affirming that colonization, in the present state of the world, is the best affair of business in which the capital of an old and wealthy country can engage.” (Document 1, pg. 51) Imperialism has various different forms and motives, but the major reasoning behind it was a “duty to size every opportunity of acquiring more territory” (Holt Modern World
James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. New York: St. Martin's, 1998. Print.
There is a point of time in certain a country’s history where they become dominant and more powerful than ever before. During this elongated process a country becomes an empire. The British and the Ottomans were states that succeeded in this process, but becoming an empire such as theirs required vast amounts of political and social maneuvering to expand their boundaries, called imperialism. Imperialism is, “a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force”. By becoming a modern nation enjoying economic prosperity and political stability, the British and the Ottomans created an imperialistic impact over the globe with distinctive motivations and approaches especially during the transition period of gaining ample amount power and influence globally.
“It is generally recognized that the extension of British power was dependent on the willing participation of Indians, either as allies, or by those employed as revenue collectors, merchants and sepoys” (Johnson). According to this view, if the British had great power in India, it then follows that many Indians either helped or at least did not hinder this expansion. The colonizers realized that to maintain a certain level of peace with the natives, they would have to interfere as little as possible in the lives of the people. “British rule had, until the 1810s generally integrated itself with Indian modes of government. Many British officials had become ‘Indianised’, adopting Indian dress and custom” (Johnson). However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. There were many British reformers who sought to change India. Educational reformers believed that India’s “only opportunity for salvation…was if the Indians could learn the English language and adopt English customs through an English education” (Johnson). Furthermore, religion was also something imposed on the Indians since “there is no question that Christian missions frequently rode on the coattails of European colonialism, and it is equally well accepted that missions have not merely benefited from colonization but have often aided in both establishing and stabilizing colonial regimes” (Roberts). Legal reform was also carried out: “The Indian Penal Code (1860), for example, was based on British law” (Johnson). So, British colonization in India was more about taking over culture and customs, whereas in Australia it was more about taking over land and
One country that had imperialism was India. By the mid-1880s, the British East India Company controlled three fifths of India. The cause of British domination was that the land was very diverse and the people could not unite and that the British either paid local princes or used weapons to get control. Positive effects of imperialistic rule in India were that the British set up a stronger economy and more powerful industries. They built roads and railroads. British rule brought peace and order to the countryside. They revised the legal system to promote justice for the Indians regardless of class. Indian landowners and princes, who still owned territory grew rich from exporting cash crops such as cotton and jute. The British introduced the telegraph and the postal system as a means of communication. These improvements and benefits from British rule eventually lead to Indian nationalism. The exposure to European ideas caused an Indian nationalist movement, the people dreamed of ending Imperial ...
The British Empire is the largest empire ever seen on the face of this planet. The empire was divided into two. The first part of the empire revolved around the British colonies in America that were popularly known as the thirteen colonies. These gained independence from Britain in 1783. The second part of the empire, which developed from the first empire, came later. It started during the Napoleonic wars and survived throughout the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. In fact, the British withdrew from its last colony, Hong Kong, in 1997; indeed the empire lasted for a long time. It developed from India and spun to regions of Africa and Australia. The influence and the power of the empire spun around the world shaping it in different ways. This influence is still evident in many places that fell under its control (Ferguson, 2004). To many people the world is the way it is due to the effects of the British Empire. Certainly, this empire just like other numerous empires before it and after it had triumphs and humiliations; however, the fact that this empire had numerous good effects cannot be overemphasized. The empire impacted positively on Britain and the colonies.
In order to understand the dynamics of each nation’s different fate through western imperialism, it is important to discuss what western imperialism is and it how came about. Over the course of history, we’ve seen many empires rise and fall through certain time periods. Imperialism is the practice of which powerful nations or peoples seek to extend and maintain control or influence over weaker nations or peoples . Western powers such as the British already had great advantages in this procedure by the 2800’s. One of the reasons why they had an advantage of imperialism is because they led the world in technology. Technology is a valuable asset for a nation to grow and a great resource in taking over other nations. This procedure of western imperialism was designed more towards the underdeveloped world which led to the domination and exploitation of Asia.
Imperialism has not only influenced colonial territories to better themselves or to further the mother country’s realm of power, it also had a significant impact on the people’s culture, education, environment, and political systems. Japan and Britain were two imperial systems that countered each other in many facets but also had strikingly similar qualities that had helped them become strong imperial powers that needed one another to continue their position amongst others.
Before the Europeans began the New Imperialism in Africa, very little was known about the inner parts of the continent. However, after some explorers delved deeper into the heart of Africa, the Europeans soon realized how economically important this area was, and how much they could profit from it. At the time, Britain had only small occupations of land in Africa, but after they realized that they could make money from the rich resources from the inner regions of Africa, they wanted to invade the African countries and take over. This led to the scramble and ultimately, the partition of Africa. During the Age of Imperialism, from 1870-1914, Britain was a major country, which proved to be true in the “carving up” and division of Africa. Britain was one of the strongest of the European countries, and had the power to take over much of the most valuable lands with the most rich and abundant supplies of raw materials and other resources. There were five main reasons for their imperialism. They were political and military interests, humanitarian and religious goals, ideological, exploratory, and lastly, but most importantly, economic interests.