Lives of indigenous people were changed immensely during European Imperialism as hundreds of nations were exploited during the time period between 1830 and 1930. “By the early 20th century, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, and Portugal together held sway over almost 84 percent of the earth’s surface.” Colonies developed in these foreign societies benefited the European empire economically in many forms. Henceforth, imperialism was primarily an economic rationale for the empire, which supplied the home country with essential raw materials, a cheap labour force, and a new market for goods in an era of increasing global trade. The economic advantages of imperialism eventually moved to a belief in white
These goods such as oil and rubber had a massive economic advantage for Europe because it supplied them with materials that were not found in the motherland, which then could be produced into a finished product. For example, rubber was used to create tires, hoses, tubes, and etc., all commodities that were becoming popular in Europe. As imperialism grew among European country’s importation of raw materials increased and innovations on how to use them flourished. “ British Museum represented all that was superior about English civilization and culture.” Colonies such as India showed Europeans new ideas how to use the materials they were given and this grew Europe’s economic edge because it allowed them to continue developing along with create new technologies in both their old ways and in a newfound style. One of the most important raw materials was oil. It allowed the railroad to run smoothly and this was immense economically because “ railroads would link the interior to the coast and promote the exchange of peoples, currencies, commodities, and ideas.” Therefore railroads imported raw materials efficiently from the colony to Europe, saving time and money for businesses allowing them to transform the goods and sell in Europe and colonies for a considerable profit. As a result raw materials were a large component for Europe to extend imperialism and gain economic prosperity among businesses,
The idea of a “civilizing mission” was demonstrated amidst the concept of ‘Social Darwinism,’ which stated that stronger nations and races dominated those weaker, either having a nation adapt and survive or subside and die out. A “repulsive degradation of humanity” was reflected upon Africans and furthermore, it was speculated “the native African is not clean enough, physically to make social intercourse with him pleasant or even hygienically safe.” Europeans considered themselves above in every way during a time in which hygiene and appearance were an obsession among whites in colonial society. Transforming colonies into Europeans held as a duty among all administrators because other races were viewed as physically weak with a demand to have a master. “ Inspectors and interpreters would view rates of illness among these workers as proof of their physical weakness, or see acts of resistance like absenteeism or work stoppages as laziness.” These deficiencies perceived by Europeans convinced the powers to civilize Africans and Asians, granting an aid to maintain the survival of outside nations and hopefully one day, in the undetermined future reconstruct indigenous peoples into a European lifestyle.
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Show MoreEuropean countries were able to benefit economically by spreading cultural ideas to Africa. The Europeans in the north had a more advanced way of living than the Africans. Document C states that Europe had invented the first machine gun as well as the repeating rifle in the late 1800s. Both of these
Cotton, spices, silk, and tea from Asia mingled in European markets with ivory, gold, and palm oil from Africa; furs, fish, and timber from North America; and cotton, sugar, and tobacco from both North and South America. The lucra¬tive trade in enslaved human beings provided cheap labor where it was lacking. The profits accrued in Europe, increasingly in France and Britain as the Portuguese, Spanish, and then Dutch declined in relative power. It was a global network, made possible by the advancing tech¬nology of the colonialists.
The beginnings of colonialism, allowed Europeans to travel the world and meet different kinds of people. Their first encounter with the New World and these new peoples, created the opening ideas of inequality. These new people were called indigenous people and alien like. Europeans began to question if these people were really human and had the same intellectual capacity as Europeans did. “Alternative ideas about the origins and identities of indigenous peoples also began to appear early in the 16th century...
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.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, many Europeans came to believe that imperial expansion and colonial domination were crucial for the survival of their states and societies as well as the health of their personal fortunes.
Imperialism brought in more money. And the big money maker at that time was Africa, England especially had taken quite a few colonies there. Joseph Chamberlain when addressing the public, stated that- “Uganda is a most fertile country. It contains every variety of climate; in a large portion of it European colonization is perfectly feasible;…there is hardly anything which is of value or use to us in our commerce which cannot be grown there- (Overfielld 7)”. When powerful nations such as England and France began colonizing in Africa and other places they took natural resources such as rubber, ivory, spices, diamonds, and gold, and sold them on the market. Rubber was used to make a multitude of products from tires for the new and improving automobile, insulation for wires, and more. Rubber was the secret to being successful. In Britain, Indian goods were beginning to take flight because they were ‘exotic’ and ‘new’. Teas, spices, cloths, and foods from India were popular throughout England and Europe due its colonization. The nations profited from the native’s labor by planting cash crops like cotton, coffee, and Tabaco. All of these points proved to the citizens of Europe that Imperialism was a good move in the chess game of life, European nations were the kings, and their colonies mere pawns in
One of the main focus points in European colonization was to further their economic order by using abundant recourses that were found far from the home land. They looked to gain power and produce wealth. In order to reach these goals, Europeans directed cultural change among the indigenous people and justified their actions by claiming it was “God’s work”. However, with all of these changes came diverse reactions from the native people. In the beginning they were eager to build relationships, however after time passed many considered them as sons from the devil.
The epoch of imperialism cannot be defined simply as proliferation of inflated egos tied to the hardened opinions of nationalists, but also a multi-faceted global rivalry with roots of philosophies tainted with racism and Social Darwinism. The technique of each imperialist was specific to the motivations and desires of each combative, predominantly Western power and subsequently impacted the success of each imperialist and its colonies. Driven by industrialization, Europeans were aware of the urgent need for raw materials and new markets to maintain a constant rate of expansion and wealth. Imperialism became a competition; in general, the European countries led with fervor while the non-Western regions deemed likely to be stepped on. Britain was endowed with geographic and political advantages that allowed the country to become the first to unwittingly stumble onto industrialization. Britain was an island, therefore had developed a unique naval strength which subsequently gave Britain leverage when globalization blossomed from expanding maritime trade. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe, including Belgium, trailed behind. Presently, colonized regions still bear the traits and scars from the subjugators of their past.
Industrialization was undoubtedly beneficial for the countries experiencing this great growth. This industrialization gave countries both, economic power and pride. With newfound pride and power, Europeans were not satisfied with only being successful in Europe: they wanted to expand. Europeans realized that to preserve economic success, they would need outside markets to sell and trade to. This was the start of imperialism. It was cheaper to trade than to purchase goods, therefore Europeans began to trade Africa for oil, tin, and rubber. Of course, imperialism went beyond just trading goods. Europeans, being more powerful, then knew they could occupy and take over the more weak countries they were trading with. Because of this takeover, imperialism brought both positive and negative effects to Africa.
The presence of Europe in Africa in the late nineteenth century was one of extreme power. The countries of France, Britain, and Germany had especially large claims to the African continent during this time. The motives of imperialism for these countries greatly define Europe at this time. Insatiable desires for economic markets, power and political struggles, the motivating belief in Social Darwinism, and the European idea of superiority were the driving forces at the European home front in the late nineteenth century. Many of the causes for imperialism in Africa were evident in Joseph Conrad’s turn of the century novel, Heart of Darkness.
can be seen. Gestures such as the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 and
The Europeans were facing overproduction and under consumption. This led to a need for new markets and need for new consumers. They were also in need for raw materials. Materials such as tin, rubber, gold, oil, copper, and cotton. Some nations had these resources easily available. This interested the strong and powerful nations who were lacking these materials.
In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the Europeans believed that the more territory a country was able to control, the more powerful it could become and the more powerful it would be seen as by other countries. Other reasons for the desire to control African land included the many natural resources that could only be found in Africa, such as diamonds, gold, and as time progressed, rubber. It also provided new markets in surrounding places so that manufactured goods could be sold for a larger profit. The Europeans had many motives for imperialism in Africa. Yet the true motives were often shielded as they tried tom present themselves as humanitarians when in reality they were making Africa a terrible place to live with brutality and harsh treatment of the African natives. The ways of the Europeans had many physical and emotional costs for the people of Africa. The imperialism process also took a toll on the people of Europe. The European imperialistic colonization in Africa was motivated by the desire to control the abundant natural resources an...
The strive for wealth was one of the factors of the spread of imperialism. After an abundance of raw materials was found in Africa, many countries began scrambling for land to create an empire. Many of these countries were industrialized, such as Britain, Germany, and France. Because of their industries and factories, they needed more resources and raw materials. They took over lands in Africa to supply their countries with material...
... nations of the time saw their expansion and imperialism as a profoundly nobly pursuit. The native people of Asia and Africa were considered to be savages and uncultured. The influence of European ideals and ways of life would, in the minds of their conquerors, help these people achieve better lives and a lead them to a better existence.