Effects Of Imperialism In The 19th Century

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The 19th Century was a time of scientific advancement and discovery. When this century began, the Western World was right in the middle of the Industrial Revolution, and there were many advancements being made along with new countries joining in the industrialization. Along with that, figures such as Charles Darwin, Herbert Spencer, and Thomas Malthus emerged in the 19th Century, bringing with them new ideas that would change the world. The 19th Century was also a time of imperialization, primarily in Africa. The industrialization in the West, along with the ideas of Darwin, Spencer, and Malthus, no doubt led to the reemergence of imperialism. When Europe began to industrialize, it brought about a lot of change within the different nations. These nations now had the power and the means to imperialize. Thanks to the industry within their countries, they had more wealth and could more quickly produce supplies in larger quantities. Nationalism was also spreading throughout Europe, giving countries, especially the more powerful ones, pride in their nations. In small doses, nationalism can be a good thing. It makes people in a country feel happier about being there. When people feel a sense of pride in their country, there is less chance of rebellions against the government, because people are proud of what their government stands for. However, nationalism during this time was taken to a much more extreme level. Rather than simply being proud of their countries, people began to believe that their countries were superior and others were inferior. Countries such as Great Britain, Germany, and France were better countries than those of Africa, because they were educated and industrialized. One of the reasons that these countries began to imperialize again was because they believed that they were better than them and needed to help the other countries become Industrialization led to urbanization, which in turn led to food shortages and growing tensions and eventually rebellion. Those rebellions are what unified Germany into one country, a country that would quickly become an industrial leader and a world power. With all of the power that industrialization provided the Western World, they had both the means and reason to imperialize. Darwin’s natural selection led to Spencer’s Social Darwinism, which led to the Western World believing that it was superior to less civilized societies. They had the responsibility to bring civilization out into the world, and imperialization was the way to go about it. Without these advancements, the world would be a very different place

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