...Imperialism: It’s the American Way! The imperialism of the 19th century led to the overall conquering of many smaller nations throughout the world. The results of imperialism are what made America so profitable today. Although it is seldom looked at as having good outcomes as well as bad, 19th century imperialism did contribute both of these qualities. Today’s nation is in my opinion is still imperialistic simply because that is what the world is now accustomed to and capitalism is always welcomed in any facet. Although it is much less than the centuries prior, our country today is still influencing smaller lands as it did so many years ago. When referring to the imperialism of the 19th century, many things come to mind. Mainly the European expansion in Africa and the displays of ruthlessness the natives were subjected to. When the slave trade in Africa began to decline, Europeans felt there was still an opportunity for them to exploit its lands. The discovery of palm oil was only one of the exports that would soon show the Europeans that Africa was exactly where they needed to be. Although the general objective when considering overall expansion to Africa was to profit off of the lands, Europeans did justify their conquests by stating they were also interested in “civilizing” the otherwise barbarian culture. However they failed to mention to the natives that they would be treated like slaves and viciously killed if they did not comply with their orders. I’m sure that was...
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...Noor Navaid P.7 Bolanos January 29, 2016 Imperialism in Africa History seems to repeat itself. Countries have disagreements, wars start, and nations began claiming land. One of the most repetitive problems with history is imperialism. European imperialism in Africa was driven by many causes, including the need for resources, trade and market, but most of all nationalism. One factor for imperialism in Africa was the need for resources. Countries in Europe took advantage of the fact that African land had many resources that would be of use for Europe. European countries would occupy African land and simply take its resources. For example, France took over French West Africa, and it wasn’t for enjoying the never ending sand dunes of the Sahara desert (Doc A). At first glance, it would seem unreasonable for anyone to be interested in taking over such “barren” land. The reality, however, was that French West Africa was rich with resources. The colony’s many resources included, gum, palm oil, cotton, peanuts, bananas, coffee, and cocoa, (Doc C & D). With all these resources, who wouldn’t want to own the Sahara Desert? Clearly imperialism was pushed by the abundant amount of resources available in Africa. Another reason for Imperialism in Africa was trade and market. In 1854, when Great Britain began trading and marketing from South Saharan Africa, the imports cost more than the profit of exports. By 1900, the gain from exports increased by ten times and were more than half...
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...own region throughout that time period. Such as the migration of the European people to the Americas, due to imperialism, starvation, and industrialization. Also, the migration of the African people to the Americas, due to the beginning and end of slave trade. However, when the Europeans migrated over to Africa and Asia, they colonized and conquered territories. During the 18th century, migration of the European people into the Americas was mostly based around imperialism. European countries felt the need to expand and colonize, such as Great Britain, which had many colonies along the east coast of North America. Additionally, Spain colonized the Caribbean and also areas in South America. However, when the Africans came over to the...
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...Conclusion The imperialism is the domination of one country over another (Discovery Education 2009; Mastanduno 2000) and by the end of the 1900s European nations were skilled at colonising and conducting imperial rule over other colonies, continents, and counties (Discovery Education 2009). It was imperialism that destroyed the traditions and ways of many different cultures as they were conquered and replaced with habits and the mentality of the western world (Mastanduno 2000). It had little to no benefit to those being conquered, but for the Europeans imperialism led to a rise of power, and wealth (Discovery Education 2009). Over time Imperialism became such a huge part of Europe that by the end of the 1900s most of the world had experienced some form of formal European rule (Lynn 2015; Roberts &...
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...influence because it represents the European Imperialism and Europe’s scramble for empire. European Imperialism contributed to the spread of science, religion, philosophy, and technology - which originated from Europe -, to the countries it colonized. During the 17th and 18th centuries Europeans were very competitive with one another. Each nationality wanted to be bigger and better than the others. They believed that to gain prestige, a country needed both wealth and power. And to get wealth and power, a country had to have colonies. The more territory that they were able to control, the more powerful and important they thought they could become. As these European empires continues to expand their colonies, they are also fundamentally changing and influencing the lives and other cultures of people under their rule. European imperialism changed the way of life of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. In North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and central Asia, Indigenous peoples were displaced by European settlement in colonies. Indigenous peoples adapted their ways of life to function within the European economic system. For example, the First Nations worked in the fur trade in exchange for manufactured goods such as metal pots, needles, guns, and blankets, although these benefits did not last. As Europeans built settlements and began farming, First Nations people were forced out of their traditional territories. Another way of how Europeans affected Indigenous people is...
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...African Imperialism When the Age of Imperialism began in 1875, it affected Africa in many ways. Nowhere was the competition for settlements more intense than in Africa. Europeans went after North and South Africa splitting up the continent. Egypt and Sudan were taken over by Britain to obtain the Suez Canal. Imperialism helped to develop Africa’s economy and turned it into a continent of settlements. Until well into the 1800’s, Africa was relatively unknown to Europeans. They controlled less than ten percent of the continent. By 1882, Britain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain were all claiming parts of Africa. In 1900, they had divided ninety percent of Africa into settlements. Although European ships had for centuries traded at ports along the coast, they brought back little knowledge of Africa’s interior. Later, Europeans started exploring the continent. The best known of these explorers was David Livingstone. This Scottish missionary spent thirty years in central Africa, and gave Europeans their first detailed information about Africa and its people. In the mid-1800’s, Africa south of the Sahara contained more than seven hundred different ethnic groups. Most were organized into communities based on ties of tradition and family. Occasionally, a powerful group formed a state that was strong enough to conquer neighboring groups and form an empire. Europeans had already moved into North Africa. The once-powerful Ottoman Empire had become too weak to prevent local rulers...
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...pride. The Europeans had this great competition for power, scrambling for sections of Africa to gain it. They wanted the rest of the world to see their greatness. Evidence In his lecture at Oxford University on Feb 8, 1870, John Ruskin proclaimed, “Make [England] again a royal throne of kings...seizing every piece of fruitful waste ground she can get her foot on...that their first aim was to...advance the power of England by land and by sea.” He wanted England to be in control and to have power over as much land as they could get their hands (or feet, as he stated it) on. England was prideful and her first target was to increase her power by land and by sea to keep up her reputation. These aspects motivated the English opportunists, who felt that they had the need and right to colonize Africa. Evidence However, England was not the only European country to feel this way. In the book, Does Germany Need Colonies?, Freidrich Fabri wrote that “[Germany] was the Number One trade and sea power. Should the New German Reich wish to prove and maintain its newly won position of power for a long time, it will have to take up the same culture-mission and delay no longer to acknowledge its colonial task anew.” Germany used to possess the most trade and sea power, and if this country wanted to maintain its position of great power for a longer time, it would be better to join the race for control and ownership of these colonies. Reason #2: Cultural Reasons European imperialism...
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...Do you want to know about European inventions, Africa’s resources, and how the European countries made money? Well, this is how it began. From the start of the nineteenth century, Europeans began seizing colonies since their interests shifted from slavery to imperialism. What is imperialism, you may ask? Imperialism is a countries power and influence on another country. What caused European imperialism to grow in Africa? Imperialism had several driving forces behind it including competition, cultural attitudes, and the economy. However, the most important was the economy. One of the driving forces behind European Imperialism was competition between European countries. Evidence of this is that Britain wanted to build a railroad from Cairo in Egypt all the way to Cape Town in South Africa. However, Germany’s colony was in their way, and prevented it from happening. France and Britain were countries racing for the ownership of more colonies. Thus the competition helped drive imperialism because European countries seize colonies, and never gave a chance to share them, which is why they are competing for more colonies....
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...Africa has been the victim of imperialism for over many years, and Europeans declaring themselves as “missionaries of God.” In the 19th century, European countries divided themselves, and enslaved the African people, furthering their own commercial interests and expanding their lands. The driving force behind European imperialism in Africa happened because, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain, and Portugal claimed African territory as their own therefore, they could take all their power. The majority was under european control it was also motivated by a variety of factors. Imperialism had several forces, however the most important cause of imperialism was technological development. One of the driving forces behind European Imperialism was partition of Africa. It was a process of invasion, attack, occupation, and annexation of African territory by Europeans. European nations in the nineteenth century where African countries were divided into pieces demanding areas for getting raw materials, market area for investment and areas for supplies (Doc C). Evidence of this os that in 1884-1885 European nations divided up the african continent by claim and by the rule of occupation. Although, most of these African colonies were controlled by nations, the berlin Conference allowed King Leopold II of Belgium to become the sole owner of the...
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...periodization 5 the concept of New Imperialism rose going into periodization 6 from the years of 1900 to present day. New Imperialism characterizes a period of colonial expansion by European powers toward Africa and Asia turning them into vast colonial empires. Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and many more European countries participated in what was known as the scramble for Africa. One of the many reasons why this “scramble” happened was to gain more power, land, etc. For instance during this time, Europe needed the raw materials that Africa had to make more goods. This need lead to them to mistreating the Africans and treating them like slaves to get the raw materials they needed. Overall...
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...Imperialism is a type of advocacy of empire. Its name originated from the Latin word "imperium", meaning to rule over large territories. Imperialism is "a policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means".[2] Imperialism has greatly shaped the contemporary world.[3] The term imperialism has been applied to Western political and economic dominance in the 19th and 20th centuries, however its precise meaning continues to be debated by scholars. For example, cartographers of the nineteenth century used cartography to further fuel imperialism. As scholar Bassett notes, "Maps were used in various ways to extend European hegemony over foreign and often unknown territory."[4] It is better to use terms such as cultural or economic imperialism to describe some of these less formal types of domination.[5] Some writers, such as Edward Said, use the term more broadly to describe any system of domination and subordination organised with an imperial center and a periphery.[6] From a Marxist perspective, imperialism is a natural feature of a developed capitalist nation state as it matures into monopoly capitalism. In Lenin's work Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, he observed that as capitalism matured in the Western world, economies shifted away from manufacturing towards banking, finance, and capital markets, as production was outsourced to the empires' colonies. Lenin concluded that competition between Empire and...
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...Europeans had a drive to set out and help other nations, and to civilize them, and bring them to their full potential... or did they? Throughout the 19th century, Europeans had become the most powerful industrial powers, and set off to conquer and carve their piece of the globe. Europeans expanded in brutal and unfair ways hurting natives of many countries. The desire to civilize and help other people in European Imperialism was not serious because European countries had major economic expansion and the control of foreign resources, and they had harsh rule over conquered countries, such as the Congo Free State, and these are bad intentions because actions determine how serious someone is in their intentions. Europeans minimal desires to...
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...South African History and Purposes South Africa’s settlement spans over thousands of years. The first people living there were the San, who were descendants of prehistoric Africans. This group was the only inhabitants of the region for many years. Eventually others learned about the land, and about 2,000 years ago people who spoke Bantu languages arrived. Then in the 1400’s Europeans started to visit South Africa, but did not begin to settle permanently till the 1600’s. When today scientists try to uncover South Africa’s history it is tough. South Africa had no written history until the Europeans arrived in the 1600’s (Human Record), so scientists have to study the oral tradition, ancient artifacts, cultural patterns, and other languages spoken by the South African people. At first the San were the only inhabitants of the region, they moved in small groups hunting animals and gathering wild plants for food. Then in 100’s A.D. a correlated group called the Khoikhoi migrated from the north to the south eventually settling in the eastern coastal belt and the eastern Transvaal (South African History Online). The Khoikhoi settled in communities and raised sheep and cattle. There is no written history prior to the arrival of the Europeans so we have no way of knowing if there were conflicts between these two groups. When the Europeans arrived in the 1600’s, they called the San, Bushmen, and the Khoikhoi, Hottentots. In modern world Africa today, these European terms would be...
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...Adam Dees Dr. Herman WOH1030 2 April 2015 Impact of British Imperialism In the late 1800’s, European nations only controlled about 10 percent of the continent of Africa, France to the north and Britain to the south (Edgar, 2008). As time goes by, other countries gain conquests, mostly in western areas of Africa. This essay will go over a few key points in history that led to the Age of Imperialism and the British colonization of Southern Africa. The essay will also identify key players in this age. Southern Africa was known for its gold and other valuable items that made it so appealing to Europeans. This and many other reasons led to wars over the areas that had high gold content. In the mid-1800’s European nations begin seizing power over countries in Africa. “By World War I Ethiopia and Liberia were the only countries not under European control.” (Edgar, 2008). In Belgium, King Leopold II had aspirations of conquest in African nations (Edgar, 2008). In 1876, he started the IAA or the International African Association in which he hires Henry Stanley to lead up exploration of this uncharted area (Edgar, 2008). Stanley was also dispatched to ascertain the whereabouts of David Livingstone, another famed explorer that was lost in the Congo (“Sir Henry…). When Stanley found Livingstone they became friends until his death in 1872 at Lake Bangweulu. Stanley continued where Livingstone left off, however and helped in the development of the Congo (“Sir Henry…). In a journal...
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...20th century, European nations, such as the Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany, expanded their empire building globally with their extremely superior military forces. They could very easily take over other “undeveloped” nations, since they had newly discovered quinine, which was effective in controlling attacks of malaria, and they had developed steamship and international telegraph. Imperialism is a term that refers to the economic and political domination or control of one country or nation by another one which is technologically and economically more advanced. The economic factors of Africa lured European Powers to its potential money making land that it has to offer. Due to the Industrial Revolution in Europe, production with the help of machines increased. European demand for raw materials such as oil, copper, rubber, cocoa, and gold increased (Document 3). Africa was seen as being capable of supplying the needed raw materials. As a result, European powers partitioned Africa in order to secure some territories in order to provide a constant supply of raw materials to their industries in Europe. As they secured land in Africa, many countries stumbled upon huge diamond mines that increased the value of the land. With the help of machines during the Industrial Revolution, more goods were produced in the European industries but the local consumption was the same. This meant that not all the goods produced in Europe were locally sold and used in Europe. Therefore, European powers...
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