European imperialism is a crucial moment in history, as it has markedly influenced the current global economic situation. Its meaning comprises the course of military forces for foreign policy expansion. The goal is to seek to conquer territories, form colonies, and establish political and economic control. A complex of reasons and technology served the development of imperialism, and the consequences were disgruntled colonized people and the War Between the States’ leaders.
The expansion of European territory and power is complex, as it comprises economic, ideological, and political factors. The economic boost has resulted from the Industrial Revolution and capitalism. Manual labor gradually began to be replaced by machinery, and capitalist views made people strive for better welfare. At that time, Europe did not have a sufficient amount of the required raw materials, which led to the need to look for them in the nearest countries. The market was over-saturated with certain goods because of the necessity to expand geographically and add new properties. Ideological and political factors were nationalism, social Darwinism, and Christianity. The goal of the authorities was to improve the well-being of the people, as well as to unite faith and principles. As a result, the combination of these three factors led to European expansion.
European powers used technology to form, maintain, and expand colonies. As mentioned earlier, the industrial revolution brought new technologies; therefore, steam energy, medicines, and military science developed. The advent of steamships made it possible to conquer non-Western territories. Previously, these places were considered difficult to access, and it was a problem to get there for people who drifted on sailboats and warships. Industrialization has led to an entirely new system of world trade. According to Barr (2020), “Between 1850 and 1914, world trade grew by almost 600 percent.” Having realized the technology of steam, people have improved military equipment and weapons. They changed the boat building material from wood to iron and increased the rifle’s rate of fire. Military superiority made it possible to simplify and accelerate new territories’ seizure, which positively influenced the enlargement. A medicinal breakthrough happened with discovering a remedy for malaria; it was necessary since earlier, most of the soldiers died of illness before reaching the enemy. The expansion of colonial empires happened because of industrialization, which leaders used to advantage in all areas.
Expansion led to the formation of significant powers and their further rivalry for the seizure of land. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, major European forces, the United States and Japan fought to conquer Africa and partly Asia. The territory seizure made it possible to capture world markets and cheap resources. Additionally, it meant world domination for national elites and the whole government. The expansion of control was the impetus for Africa and Asia’s capture before the First World War. For example, the new Germany won a brief war against Austro-Hungary, and the Franco-Prussian War against France (Bakker, 2017). The British policy and active actions of Germany led to the search for allies in the face of Japan. Britain later strengthened its position and joined France’s alliance with Russia. Major powers expanded their territory and power but continued to compete for world leadership.
The colonized people were displeased with what was happening, as it violated their moral standards. Colonization pursued a civilizing mission; in other words, the rulers who wanted to colonize the people believed it would benefit them since they would become part of a great and privileged empire. The moral inconsistency of imperialism’s policy manifested itself in full measure when people whose cultural affiliation belonged to the West got into the “second class”. It led to people’s reluctance to fight for their crown, for example, Africa against Italians and Germans, and Asia against Japan. People’s colonization during imperialism shaped disputes and disagreements regarding cultural customs that still arise nowadays.
Imperialism is an integral part of globalization, as it involves growth up to the conquest of the entire world. It is seen in the case of European expansion when the leading powers fought among themselves for new territories. The primary driver of economic globalization is free trade and the free movement of capital. In this case, the conquered countries had to be provided with jobs and deliver the essential resources. Imperialism is expressed in international cooperation for further political development or the improvement of living conditions. Unification has many conflicting views from scholars because of different reasons. On the one hand, economic, political, and religious integration will lead to fewer divisions among people. On the other hand, in practice, it is impossible since the folk culture and concepts are remarkably unique. Imperialism has contributed to globalization, as it managed to gather many distinct communities and colonize them.
European imperialism has dramatically influenced the current way of life and the views of the people. A complex of reasons such as economic, ideological, and political served as the beginning of this event. Imperialism was formed and sustained by technology and its correct application. Also, the leading countries began to fight among themselves for the territories of Asia and Africa at a specific time. The conquered lands did not accept the colonization policy; hence the authorities later changed their minds. Leading countries’ occupation of reliable positions and attempts to conquer even more territory leads to globalization.
References
Bakker, J. I. H. (2017). Imperialism. The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory, 1–9.
Barr, B. (2020). The technologies that helped expand Europes empires. History of Yesterday. Web.