In the 1800s the industrial Revolution put European powers far ahead of other nations in terms of technology. This gave the British the advantage and success when imperializing Africa, India and, China. Nationalism played a major role in sending Europeans overseas. Many other motives sent European powers overseas included, the desire to expand economically, political rivalries and military strategy, and humanitarian and religious concerns such as the need to spread Christianity and to civilize the barbaric, this was commonly known as the white man’s burden. Social Darwinism, a theory that Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest” applied to society; this was advocated in order to justify imperialism.
Before the industrial age, during the age of Exploration (1450-1750) Various countries had trading posts along the African coast, including the British. However, these posts were used solely for trading and not as bases for conquest. It was not until the 1870s that European powers began seeking for new resources and markets in many parts of the world, including Africa. Prior to the 1870s, European powers had little interest in Africa; this was primarily due to diseases such as malaria, which killed many Europeans. Another large reason was due to the resistance they faced against the natives. This all changed, in 1880, with the discovery of Quinine, which prevented people from catching Malaria, also created in 1880, was the world’s first machine gun, the Maxim gun. The Maxim gun gave Europeans a very large military advantage and was a crucial piece in securing Africa.
There were various ways in which Europeans colonized Africa; the main method involved multiple wars where Europeans had a clear supremacy using the Maxim gun. Other methods i...
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...es of achieving great wealth. As Christian missionaries continuously attempted to convert people, conflicts arose when converted Africans rejected their community’s beliefs.
Imperialism helped suppress African traditions even more, when the colonial schools, run by Europeans, taught that the African beliefs were backwards and continuously portrayed a negative view of African cultures. European paternalism affected most Africans, even those in the government; never did Africans hold the highest position or make big decisions. It was common knowledge that for an African to succeed they had to conform to the ways of the Europeans, for example, if an African wore their robe to work, they would have been fired.
However, imperialism did not come without its benefits. They increased the literency rate, improved the medical care and brought better methods of sanitation.
The Age of Imperialism brought many changes that caused suffering and improvements in countries. The domination of Europeans in Asia and Africa brought benefits and sufferings. When reading in between the lines, it is clear and obvious that the European?s domination gave Asia much to benefit from and Africa more to suffer from. Asia gained tons of economical power and was educated with Western ideas, but in the long run they turned Western literature it into Chinese matters. On the other hand, Africa lost economical independence.
Europe’s desire for trade goods from the Far East drove men such as Bartolomeo Diaz and later Vasco da Gama around the horn of Africa in search of a trade route to the luxurious products from China and India; where upon supply depots needed to be established somewhere along the coast of the African continent: Portuguese built several along the eastern coast while the Dutch built at Cape Town. While the initial establishment of supply ports were built and manned by both the Dutch and Portuguese; both were soon to discover a truth discovered in the New World not many years past—Africans were not as industrious as their European counterparts much like the indigenous people of the Caribbean and coastal regions of the Americas and later deep into the interior. Africans began to resent the presence of the Dutch and Portuguese both were dealt with in kind, but were doomed as the push for land, minerals, and cattle drove the Europeans deeper into the veldt, highlands, and savannah of Southeast Africa.
American Imperialism American Imperialism has been a part of United States history ever since the American Revolution. Imperialism is the practice by which powerful nations or people seek to expand and maintain control or influence over weaker nations or peoples. Throughout the years there have been many instances where the Americans have taken over other people's countries, almost every time we go into we have taken over a new piece of land. The Americas first taste of imperialism came about five hundred years ago when Columbus came to America. We fought the pleasant inhabitants and then took over their land, making them slaves.
After the civil war, United States took a turn that led them to solidify as the world power. From the late 1800s, as the US began to collect power through Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines, debate arose among historians about American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesinger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority.
Western imperialism was a positive shift in the 1800s and early 1900s because of the end to internal conflicts, improvement in infrastructure, education and health in Africa, India, and French Indochina. During the British rule of India, or the Raj, there was an end to internal conflicts within the country. Before the British occupations, ethnic and religious groups fought against each other due to bitter rivalry that grew over time. During the Raj however, laws were enforced to reduce violence so the conflicts gradually decreased. Secondly, in French Indochina the infrastructure of the region improved drastically. There was the development of roads, harbors, rail systems that improved communication and transportation of the citizens. This added to the British efforts to modernize India using imperialization methods. Thirdly, in French Indochina education, health, and sanitation was improved. Across the region, schools were built to increase the literacy rates of the population, hospitals were improv...
During the late 1800s and 1900s in various societies, imperialism played a major role. Imperialism consists of a country's domination of an economic and cultural life in another country. Within the 1800s and 1900s, Europe became a large-scale global leader. Europeans set up colonies all over the world, specifically Africa, India, China, and Japan. Imperialism is viewed through two different major points such as the imperialist and colonialist.
Imperialism in the late 1800’s blossomed when a new phase of global expansion erupted. One of the main goals of this global expansion focused on new markets and sources of raw materials. Due to the Second Industrial Revolution, the demand for new markets and the exploding numbers in production compelled business leaders to search out new sources of investment for the growing economy. Rapid territorial expansion redirected the competing ideologies of agricultural demands, Native Americans, European Immigrants, and industrial capitalist in this new empire. In this search, manufacturers needed to find new raw materials in order to better equip themselves to sustain against the newly rising competitors. This caused competition with foreign market systems all around to begin pursuing an imperialistic empire. The European powers responded with aggressive nationalism when expanding their empire. This concept began trending internationally as other nations adapted the new concept of maintaining a steady nation through the new ideals of expansions.
Medicine was another factor that contributed to the growth of imperialism in the Europe. It was easier for the superior European countries to hold their colonies by modernizing medicine in those countries.
Imperialism in America At the turn of the century, America and the views of its people changed. Many different ideas were surfacing about issues that affected the country as a whole. The Republican Party, led by William McKinley, was concentrating on the expansion of the United States and looking to excel in power and commerce. The Democratic Party at this time was led by William Jennings Bryan, who was absorbed in a sponge of morality and was concerned with the rights of man.
The results of European colonialism shows that the aim of colonialism is to exploit the human and economic resources of an area to benefit the colonizing nation. As a result, the nation that is colonized is affected negatively. In reality, how Europe really affected Africa as a whole is much
In the end, though the era of British Imperialism in India played a significant role in India’s development into the modern world, it also came at a price. Regardless what was lost, a great deal was gained because India was able to not only increase its population, but also make the people smarter and healthier in the process. The way some of India’s residents were living before the age of Imperialism was not good, so if it didn’t do anything else positive – it helped them live better!
The "DBQ Project" What Is the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa? (2012): 257. pp. 177-177. Print.
There were two different time periods where Imperialism occurred. The first wave of imperialism, called the 'Old' Imperialism, lasted from around 1500 - 1800. The 'New' Imperialism lasted from around 1870 - 1914. The three main differences that we will discuss today are the differences in economics, politics, and the motive behind all of this.
As the Europeans started to invade Africa and split up the land, they paid no attention to the already existing natural boundaries. Over time, villages with different cultures had set these boundaries. The Europeans ignored these invisible borders as they invaded. This caused soci...
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.