Dbq Imperialism Essay

646 Words2 Pages

Between 1880 and 1914 European powers wanted acquire land in the African colonies. Political leaders encouraged settlement in the African colonies to promote their global dominance. Some think that this was just another example of greed for trade and the seeking of markets. However, others believe it was simply to fulfill capitalist needs: the desire of more raw materials and labor forces. A main factor that has commenced each leader to gain land is imperialism and some of the reasons include religion, economy, power, and social incentives. Many who gained a profit from colonization justify their motives, which can be seen through their personal reactions and feeling about imperialism. The political leaders Prince Leopold and Joseph Chamberlain have positive feelings about imperialism and believe in extending a country's power through military force or diplomacy. Document 1, written by Prince Leopold, claims that Belgium can grow outside of Europe in order to gain more colonies, eventually leader to power. In a social aspect, he wants his country to be seen as imperial and stressed the economic importance of capitalism. However, Prince Leopold is a heir to the throne of Belgium, so his main objective may only be to increase his future countries …show more content…

For instance, in “The Genesis of Jingoism,” William Clark states that capitalists value colonization and use nationalist support for their actions, which is “...one of the leading factors in breaking down nationalism…” (Doc 4). He believed the military funded money to help maximize profit in Africa. Similarly, the German Social Democratic Party Congress assume that colonialism is for greedy capitalists to make money and show off military (Doc 5). Nevertheless, since the writer is a socialist, he would say this, because he is expressing his disapproval of capitalist desires and that the greedy bourgeoisie wanted to invest in

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