Cause Of Imperialism

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The glory of imperialism from the 17th to the 20th centuries can best be summed up in this quote: “Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame…bearing the sword…bearers of a spark from the sacred fire. What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth!…The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires”(Heart of Darkness). The cause for imperialism motivated nations by economic, ethnocentric, political, and religious reasons; a nation-state had the opportunity to expound upon their influence on the balance of power and existing social order. The[G1] effects of European imperialism from the 17th to 20th centuries still have impacts on the political state and boundaries of much of the world, …show more content…

As Mohadesa Najumi says, “imperialism today can be defined as economic, political, cultural, military, informal, and formal…No longer can imperialism be solely about military or economic gains” (Najumi). As explained in the conservative theories of imperialism, "[G4] Imperialism is necessary to preserve the existing social order in the more developed countries. It is necessary to secure trade, markets, to maintain employment and capital exports” (Ferraro). As well, the liberal theories for imperialism state “Imperialism is a policy choice… Overseas expansion is a way to reduce costs (and thereby increase or maintain profit levels) and to secure new consumption” (Ferraro). Especially in the United States international policy, the economic system and current international interventions can be understood within the contexts of these theories of imperialism. The United States current economic system, especially the high-profit corporation, are increasingly relying on foreign production to decrease the labor and production costs of products sold globally. These low production costs [G5] [G6] increase the profit for corporations. As a side effect, international production leads to greater international interaction with the product, which leads to greater international purchasing. As well, the United States secures global trade partnerships by having a great influence on the existing social order. The United States power has the effect that it 's economic, political, and cultural norms are seen in the international norms and something for nations to strive for. The United States imperialist influence is in the form of ideas rather than territorial control.[G7] [G8] [G9]

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