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Differences between imperialism and expansionism
Imperialism vs colonialism
Imperialism vs colonialism
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Although the act of conquering lands was not new, an alternate version was implemented in the 1800s. This “new imperialism” differed from colonialism in its economic, religious, and nationalist motivations, while both were similar in that countries harbored a paternalistic attitude towards the land they occupied. God, gold, and glory are often cited as the reasons for colonialism in the 1500s. God refers to the desire for colonists to convert natives to Christianity, mainly Catholicism. In the age of imperialism, however, missionary work was equally Protestant as Catholic. Gold alludes to the various precious goods that were coveted on the newly colonized lands. This is contrasting to the collection of raw materials and the selling of goods to natives that characterized imperialism. …show more content…
Colonists sought the prestige that comes with “finding” territory, as well as the lavish rewards gifted by their monarchs in return for the discovery. Imperialists were more strategic, claiming land to ensure military mobility and to keep their enemies from having an advantage over them. An essential theme in both colonialism and imperialism are the racist views that plagued expanding nations. They believed lesser races should be “civilized” by forcing their own culture onto the native peoples that inhabited the land prior to their
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the United States expanded its territory westward through purchase and annexation. At the end of the century, however, expansion became imperialism, as America acquired several territories overseas. This policy shift from expansionism to imperialism came about as a result of American's experience in the Spanish American War and the Congressional debates that followed the American victory.
Another aspect of imperialism is the takeover of land.
There were various reasons why the American Colonies were established. The three most important themes of English colonization of America were religion, economics, and government. The most important reasons for colonization were to seek refuge, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. To a lesser degree, the colonists sought to establish a stable and progressive government.
In history, Europeans have been known to colonize many parts of the world. The Europeans were so spanned across the globe that the notion that the “sun never sets on the British Empire” was inevitably true. However, this leads to the questioning, what motivated the Europeans to colonize such a vast amount of countries? In the documentary video, “First Contact,” three white men stumble across thousands of natives in a foreign land and eventually colonize the native’s land. This concept of white men colonizing natives is the foundation for colonialism. But the question remains, why were these men compelled to colonize these natives? In the two articles, “Body Rituals of Nacirema” by Miner Horace and “Geographical Basis of World History” by Hegel
There were many motivations for Europeans to colonize Africa and Asia. The new markets and the source of raw materials that the colonies could provide, offered economic growth to the home country. Nationalism is another motivation, countries want to keep improving, and they believe nationalism is the only way to do that. The most important motivation for Europeans to colonize was to compete with the other European powers. Everyone wanted more power, and colonies provided that power.
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.
Secondly, imperialism defines the action of colonising other states to acquire additional territories for the nation while expanding their power and wealth. Imperialism increased because countries sought to develop their empires as every country desired new markets and natural resources during the Industrial Revolution (Van Tol et al. 2012). Moreover, European nations that were already industrialised sought colonies to extend their influence in the world that was full of competition. Due to the tense competitions i...
During the time periods of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, much of European history revolved around the conquest of foreign lands. This conquest was performed by the racially motivated, whether good or bad, European men of these decades. These men were looking to expand their empire, clustering around a belief in the idea of imperialism. Examples of nations that took part in the ideology of imperialism and foreign colonization abound. Out of these examples, two major nations were the British and the Belgian nations, and two major continents involved in colonization were that of Africa and Asia.
Economic interests, political and military interests, and humanitarian and religious goals were all reasons for New Imperialism. The economic result of imperialism would grant manufacturer’s access to natural resources allowing them to expand their markets across the globe. Colonies helped expand Europe’s population, which helped support the economy. New steam ships and naval vessels needed places worldwide to pick up and exchange supplies. Some land and knowledge was used only for prestige of having more than another country. Many people, such as missionaries, doctors, and colonial officials believed it was their job to spread Western ideas including medicine, law, and Christian religion. They showed their compassion in distributing their ideas beyond the sea to their “little brothers” in distant countries. European countries often used Social Darwinism as a reason to improve weaker countries and peoples. Industrialization was successful because diverse lands were unable to unite which ...
Throughout the colonial period, both economic and religious concerns contributed to the settling of British North America. The statement that the "economic concerns had more to do with the settling of British North America than did religious concerns" is valid. These economic concerns, as a cause for the colonization of British North America, outweighed the notable religious concerns that arose, and dominated colonial life during and up until the very end of the British colonial era in North America.
European imperialism in the 19th century began with the idea of power and control. There was constant tension between the powers about who the dominant European power was and who had the most money. With the new technologies like gunboats and steam-powered ships and demand for goods and profit, Europeans used their power and ideologies to start conquering and controlling weaker countries. European imperialism was based around the idea of using European dominance and power to create more markets in less advanced countries, build the respective imperialist power’s military, and enforce the imperialist power’s culture and will on the weaker states. Imperialists also wanted to spread their religion to different countries. The annexation of various colonies meant that the imperialists could convert more people to Christianity. It also meant that the more countries the imperialists had, the more markets they could create, which could sell their goods, and therefore generate more money to the imperialists.
Throughout literature and history, the effects of colonialism can be seen in both explicit and subtle ways. The Stanford Encyclopedia defines Colonialism as “a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another.” Kohn, Margret. “Colonialism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2006. “The term colony comes from the Latin word meaning farmer. The root reminds us that the practice of colonialism usually involves the transfer of population to a new territory, where the arrivals lived as permanent settlers while maintaining political allegiance to their country of origin.” Kohn,
... traditions and beliefs. Besides that, another major driving force of colonialism was religion. By moving to distant places, believers help religion to globalise all over the world.
New Imperialism refers to a rise in imperialism among European countries, mainly between 1870 and 1900. Countries would sometimes invest capital in less industrialized nations, then loaned local governments money or intimidated them in order to create a more favorable balance of power. Other times, Europeans used their military and technological advantage to conquer the native people. European leaders annexed or directly ruled these foreign nations, or added them to their spheres of influence. New Imperialism came from the rising tensions in Europe; rather than open war at home, leaders would redirect it through their colonies. In addition, European leaders fought over strategic colonies to use as military bases. Later, possession of colonies became a trait of a great European power, and nationalists argued that a great country must possess colonies. Many people justified their country’s imperialism through racism. Imperialism favored the European mother countries because it expanded the economies, opened new markets to trade, and allowed the country to support a larger population. However, mother countries
Colonialism as an aspect has defined the foundations of many of the modern nations of our time. The mark of many age old nations reflects on the development of many older tribes and cultures. Most notably, Africa and various coastal South American nations are the most evident definition of colonialism. Starting at around the 16th century, colonialism involves the...