Imperialism and Nationalism were both main ideas of the 19th century and both ideas that lead to countries wanting to control more land. Some countries wanted to control more land because after the industrial revolution they needed raw materials they could not gain in their own territories. Now other countries wanted to acquire more land because they just wanted to be able to say that they conquered more land, and wanted their people to be proud of the country they lived in. Then there were some countries that wanted to acquire more land for both reasons. However, Imperialism created a bigger impact not only in the world during the 19th century, but also the world we live in today. Imperialism was not just an idea that happened in the 19th …show more content…
Imperialism made some drastic changes to the world in the 19th century. One of the first major changes to the world because of industrialization was the gap between developed and undeveloped nations. Imperial powers controlled most of the world and “By 1914, imperial powers controlled 70% of the land on earth” (Schultz). This made it almost impossible for undeveloped nations to gain new land and other advances, as they could not stand up to the imperial powers, as they did not have the same resources. Another reason imperialism has such an impact on the world during the 19th century was that of the spread of European influences across the globe. Great Britain controlled the most land and had the most power during the 19th century. Since Great Britain had so much power they were able to spread their influences on almost anyone. A great example of this was in India, which was under British Rule for almost 200 years, and is the largest democracy and second largest English speaking population in the world (Schultz). England was also able to spread other ideas about religion, government, and education because of their influence due to imperialism. Another impact of imperialism was a rivalry. During the 19th century, almost every European nation wanted as much land as they could in Africa which led to what is known as The African Scramble. During this time almost, every single nation got a portion of Africa including Belgium. John Green put this into perspective by saying “even Belgium got in on it [ African Scramble], and they weren't even a country at the beginning of the 19th century. I mean, Belgium has enjoyed like 12 years of sovereignty in the last 3 millennia”. This rivalry eventually leads to the Berlin Conference to figure out what nations got what part of the land in Africa. This Conference lead to territory being divided by “watershed or river valley, not by ethnic or linguistic
Nationalistic ideas made European countries want to take action in the colonization of Africa. In Document B, the English John Ruskin says, “…seizing every piece of fruitful waste ground she can set her foot on, and there teaching these her colonists … that their first aim is to be to advance the power of England by land and by sea.” This quote shows how the Europeans were proud of their countries and wanted to spread their territories in order to be the best. It can be seen in Document A how the Europeans had already colonized a lot of Africa by the 20th century, with seven countries holding territories by 1914. The idea of nationalism helped push European countries into colonizing Africa, which led to more land for resources and ultimately helped Europe economically.
During the late 1800s and 1900s in various societies, imperialism played a major role. Imperialism consists of a country's domination of an economic and cultural life in another country. Within the 1800s and 1900s, Europe became a large-scale global leader. Europeans set up colonies all over the world, specifically Africa, India, China, and Japan. Imperialism is viewed through two different major points such as the imperialist and colonialist.
The 19th century set the stage for different policies that lead to the extending of America’s power, which is defined as imperialism. Imperialism started for different reasons like the Americans wanting the U.S. to expand or explore the unknown land, or even some feared existing resources in U.S. might eventually dry up. The reason imperialism started doesn’t really matter, but more of what it caused. Imperialism lead to Cuban assistance, the addition of Hawaii and Alaska to America, and Yellow Journalism.
Like previous American expansion, American imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was motivated by desire for new economic gains and improvements. However, the social justification, diplomatic and military approach and geographical aspect of imperialist expansionism varied greatly from previous American growth. Therefore, American expansionism underwent more change in this period than continuity.
One country that had imperialism was India. By the mid-1880s, the British East India Company controlled three fifths of India. The cause of British domination was that the land was very diverse and the people could not unite and that the British either paid local princes or used weapons to get control. Positive effects of imperialistic rule in India were that the British set up a stronger economy and more powerful industries. They built roads and railroads. British rule brought peace and order to the countryside. They revised the legal system to promote justice for the Indians regardless of class. Indian landowners and princes, who still owned territory grew rich from exporting cash crops such as cotton and jute. The British introduced the telegraph and the postal system as a means of communication. These improvements and benefits from British rule eventually lead to Indian nationalism. The exposure to European ideas caused an Indian nationalist movement, the people dreamed of ending Imperial ...
“History never says goodbye. History says see you later” (Eduardo Galeano). History teaches us valuable lessons from the past, which can be used for the present time, yet our leaders usually overlook these lessons and repeat previous mistakes. I have recently immigrated to the United States and since in my home country history classes are not a place to really discuss the history, I was amazed by the way that this history class challenged every event and fact. I have learned that history is told by bias, so we should be able to think critically and question what we are taught. History is usually written by the dominant group of the society, so if we are looking for the truth, we should study each event from different resources and different
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.
Imperialism is the colonizing of weak peoples by stronger nations and sucking all of the natural resources out of their land. The age of Imperialism was in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The main region that was the sovereign states in this time period was Europe. Imperialism is viewed negatively because it was enforced with excessive violence. Avatar mirrors the Age of Imperialism and how it was enforced with the military powers at play, the attempt to use economic influence, and the attempt to assimilate native people.
Imperialism in America At the turn of the century, America and the views of its people changed. Many different ideas were surfacing about issues that affected the country as a whole. The Republican Party, led by William McKinley, was concentrating on the expansion of the United States and looking to excel in power and commerce. The Democratic Party at this time was led by William Jennings Bryan, who was absorbed in a sponge of morality and was concerned with the rights of man.
Imperialism was one of the things that played a major role in World War I. Imperialism is basically when one country tries to take over another country in various ways. Germany was attempting to control lands in Africa, which was a place that Britain and France had already established. (Brown, B. (2009, April 23). Causes of world war I (great war). Imperialism takes a lot of time to develop in terms of establishing the dominance needed to secure another nation or country. Therefore, imperialism is seen as a long-term cause WWI. (Brown, B. (2009, April 23). Causes of world war I (great war). By gaining land through imperialism, they had the idea that the country that gained the land would also gain valuable resources like the people and money. (Nationalism, imperialism, and militarism in world war I. (n.d.).
Imperialism was a time period in which more developed nations colonized less developed nations. The developed nations took advantage of the less developed nations resources, people, lands, and much more. Many countries lost their freedom and independence due to imperialism, however, they also received new technologies and innovations.
During the early stages of Napoleon’s empire in Europe, much of the territories controlled by France and enemies of France resented French continental domination. Territories dreamed of independence from Napoleon’s rule, and they aspired to be unified as nations, even though Napoleon brought about great reform to conquered regions. During end of the eighteenth century, nationalism emerged as an ideology in which people of similar race, language, and religion identified with each other under a nation. However, as the most of Europe finally united into nation states while managing to secure their liberty and independence through reform in the mid 1800’s, another form of nationalism arose. By the influence of urbanization, industrialization, and
The concept of imperialism is one that has pervaded nearly every major society or empire throughout human history. It seems to be a natural consequence of societies growing in size, power, and knowledge. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries vast changes occurred in Western Europe (and soon spread elsewhere) that spurred a new round of imperialism the likes of which had not been seen before. The changes were the industrial revolution that was taking place. Countries were rapidly advancing to industrial societies producing much greater quantities of goods at much lower costs. The goods produced ranged everywhere from cotton textiles to military machinery, all of which would play important roles in rounds of imperialistic expansion that would follow. The imperialistic displays by Western European nations also brought about several other industrial revolutions in other regions including the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and Japan. I will take a look at how the industrial revolution encouraged imperialistic expansion, as well as some of the results of that expansion in other regions.
The Berlin Conference was started in 1884 by German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck and lasted through February of 1885. It was designed to assist the European countries in developing themselves as a stronger force among world powers to allow them to overtake more unknown territories. “The motives for what became known as the ‘scramble for Africa’ in which Europeans began slicing up that cake, were political, economic, and cultural” (Nardo). King Leopold II, from Belgium, showed the strongest interest in the conference as he was strategically planning the capture of a colony to finally expand his empire. He felt that without the possession of other territories that Belgium held a lower status politically and economically than the countries that had already captured new lands.
Throughout history, imperialism has led countries to extend their rule over weaker countries and then colonized those countries to expand their own power. Imperialism allows the ruling countries to use the weaker countries for their resources. Colonizing other countries would then lead to growth and a better reputation for the dominating country. There are many examples of imperialism throughout European history. When many European countries “scrambled” for Africa, it seemed as though Africa had no say in anything. During the 19th century, Europe found a way to use Africa for their own growth and power. Using Africa for their resources, the Europeans colonized Africa without a second thought. European imperialism in Africa had a negative impact because of social disarray, cultural loss, and death it caused.