How Did Mercantilism Contribute To The Rise Of American Imperialism

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Despite the various gains from new liberal economic policies, they also enabled the deadly persistence and coexistence of old mercantilist ideals. Even though the concept of free trade became a popular way of connecting countries and markets, it fostered intense competition in which many countries had to rely on outdated colonial polices, especially when they saw the success of Great Britain. Despite being a leading advocate for economic openness, Britain maintained its sprawling international empire. Britain’s continued emphasis on colonial trade in areas like India provided them with valuable natural resources to power manufacturing and a large global market for their goods. As other European rivals reap the financial benefits of liberal policies and match Britain’s status as an economic power, they start to …show more content…

Not only were colonies a vital source of cheap labor and the importation of raw material, they also represented the expansion of trade and additional areas for commerce. However, economic mercantilism soon evolved to include forms of political imperialism. While the Berlin Conference of 1884 and its partitioning of Africa provided new resources of growth and riches for rulers like King Leopold II of Belgium, it also served as an opportunity to advance political interests and rewrite the world order. With little regard for existing cultures and social structures, Leopold forced much of the indigenous population to extract ivory and rubber in the Congo and used the newfound wealth to fund military ventures and other political projects. Similarly, other nations like Japan sought to conquer and annex different areas of the globe in hopes to capturing more economic and political influence. Soon, countries were locked in a battle to outdo one another. The fight for new resources created a vicious cycle in which competition and imperialism reinforced each

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