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Imperialism
07 February 2016 10:50
The term imperialism means the practice of extending the power, control or rule
by a country over the political and economic life of the areas outside its own
borders
This may be done through military or other means and particularly through
colonialism
New Imperialism
During the initial period of Industrial Revolution, the pursuit of colonies had
slowed down. Why?
• because Between 1775 and 1875, Europeans lost more territory than they
acquired in North America and Latin America, because of successful
revolution.
• Spanish colonial rule from Mexico to Argentina was overturned.
• There was a widespread feeling in Europe that colonies were more trouble
than they were worth and the sooner or later colonies would revolt and fight
for independence.
• Benjamin Disraeli said “These wretched colonies will all be independent in a
few years and are millstones around our necks.”
However, the pursuits and rivalries re-emerged in the last quarter of the 19th
century.
New imperialism resulted because of the economic system that had developed as
a result of Industrial Revolution.
The form of domination and control included direct colonial rule, sphere of
influence and various types of commercial and economic agreements.
• New imperialist countries emerged viz. Germany, Italy, Belgium, USA and
Japan.
• While, Britain and France continued to be powerful and expand.
• Power of Spain and Portugal declined.
2. Marxists view:
Lenin argued that Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism, and it’d lead
to the demise of Capitalism.
3. Protectionism:
As started above, the capitalist countries, Western powers had to find new
markets for selling their goods.
England was the first country where industries developed, therefore she
gained almost complete control over the world markets.
Even when other European countries began to use machines, they could not
compete with England’s low prices.
So, they tried to protect and stimulate its domestic industries by imposing
heavy tariffs on imported items.
Result? = European powers could not sell their products to each other. They
had to find totally new markets and customers in Asia, Africa and the two
Americas.
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4. Mercantilism:
It was the economic policy prevailing in Europe during the 16th, 17th, and
18th centuries. This policy assumed following:
○ Volume of world wealth and trade was relatively static, so one country’s
gain required another country/colony’s loss.
○ Wealth of a nation depended primarily on the possession of gold and
silver.
○ A colonial possession should provide wealth to the country that
controlled it.
○ Exports to foreign countries is preferable to imports or domestic trade,
because exports brought more money into the country.
○ Governmental interference in the national economy is justified if it
helps achieving the of above objectives.
So nations acted accordingly. They setup “trading posts” which would later
become “forts”, arm twisted local rulers to gain exclusive market for their
products and so on.
All this was done and justified as the objectives of mercantilism were
fulfilled.
As the industries grew in Europe, they needed more and more raw material.
For example,
1. Cotton= India and Egypt
2. rubber= Congo and East Indies
They also needed =food grains, tea, coffee, Indigo, tobacco, sugar, coal, iron,
tin, gold, copper and later oil.
Result?=>
Imperialists forced the colonies to cultivate only one or two crops which
were
needed as raw material for their own industries (e.g. indigo in India, Sugar
in
Cuba.)
6. Investment
Towards the end of 19th century, Western countries began to look upon Asia
and Africa as good places to invest their capital. But Why?
Both Asia and Africa had abundant supply of raw material and cheap
labour=
good profit.
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But if the same amount was invested in Asia or Africa, you could earn as
high as 20% profit.
7. Infrastructure Investment:
As the foreign powers invested more and more money in business and
infrastructure in Asia, Africa and Americas, their risk increased:
what if the weak local prince, Nawab or tribes chief could not contain an
uprising or rebellion?
What if there was a change in the government?
8. Slave Trade:
The Spanish rule in Americas had resulted large-scale extermination of
original inhabitants/Native-Americans. Because they were forced to work in
gold/silver mines and were massacred, if resisted.
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Steamship could carry goods much faster than the old sailing vessels.
Thus could get raw material out of the interiors and send their
manufactured
products, faster than ever before.
Thus every area of the world was brought within easy reach of the
industrialized countries.
Once the scramble for colonies began, failure to enter the race was perceived
as a sign of weakness, totally unacceptable to an aspiring great power. Many
nations developed myth of their superiority over other people. Each country
felt that she too must have colonies to increase her own prestige and power.
Imperialism became the fashion of the age.
Writers and speakers in England, France and Germany promoted the idea
of
imperialism and took great pride in calling their territories as “empires”.
Germany’s expansion under Hitler was also based on the belief that German
national culture was inherently superior than others. By the end of the 19th
century colonialism like nationalism developed into a mass cult.
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For example, England established naval bases and coaling stations at Port
Said, Aden, Hong Kong, Singapore and Cyprus – not to protect England but
to protect its conquered lands and trade routes to India from her rival
nations.
The rival nations installed similar bases elsewhere to protect their colonies
and trade routes from England.
Thus, if you acquired one colony, you had to acquire other colonies to
protect the first colony => leading to a chain reaction and race for grabbing
more and more colonies. (And ultimately first World war).
Jules Ferry- France - Superior races have the duty of civilizing the inferior
races.
All these seemed quite natural to most Western people, because they
considered it their nation’s destiny to civilize and Christianize the people of
Asia and Africa.
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Gradually, the explorer’s home government would take over the protection
of the entire area around the trading Post. Then this imperial home
government would proceed to claim the entire territory as her own colony.
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