Imperialism In 19th Century

Abstract: An overview of how New Imperialism developed in the 19th century. This essay will cover the causes and effects of the many actions took by the powers of the World to colonize, whether politically, economically, or socially. The powers that are outlined in this essay are the British, the Russians, the Belgian, the Dutch, the Spanish, the United States and the French.

The era of New Imperialism, a rat’s race to expand economically and politically, has molded today’s world from numerous angles, and forever altered the civilizations that once inhabited the multitude of areas affected by it. New Imperialism is ingrained in the decline and up rise of a number of powers that left their imprints on the new world. In “Patterns of World History

With the East India Company’s grasp on powerful trading footholds within India, the decentralization of the Mughal Empire, and Britain’s government now in control of this trading company, the powers of Britain were able to exploit India’s politics and economy. These exploitations allowed the British to grab powerful allies that held major roles in Indian politics. The French, at this time, also see the opportunity in becoming an influential player in the Eastern Hemisphere’s economy and political power struggle. At this point, the elites of India had to choose which up and coming power to ally with. During this power struggle, Robert Clive, a British member of the East India trading company engages with the French at Plassey in 1757. The British come out as the victors and in turn bully the French out of India. Once becoming the only European power in India, the British steer the narrative to an economical and political perspective. To further their power in India, the British exploited the Chinese’s addiction to opium and started the Chinese opium trade, which fueled the British overtaking India in gross domestic product. With the British clutch on India and its economy, Queen Victoria is crowned as the Empress of India in 1877 and she creates the Indian Civil Service. Through

With the Netherlands becoming independent from Spain in 1581, the country wanted to establish its own trading works. Seeing profits in the European demand for an abundance of resources that Indonesia had, the Netherlands set up the Dutch United East India Trading Company in 1602. Also known as the VOC, it had a fairly easy time implementing itself into trade because of the Dutch Spice trade forts centered in Malacca in 1511. Although trade was booming for other parts of the world, the Dutch had a hard time finding investments in cash crops. This led to William of Orange taking over Indonesia and implementing a cultivation system in which the natives were forced to farm what the Dutch King had wanted. Dutch elites were then launched into a time of economic abundance, as they became landowners at the expense of the Indonesian people’s