The Era of Imperialism: Global Expansion and Its Impact

Imperialism

By 1914, almost all of Africa was under European domain.

The Path to Imperialism

Between 1860 and 1914, many European countries engaged in a race to conquer territories. The result was the radical transformation of the world's political map, marking the entry into the era of imperialism.

Definition: Imperialism is the economic exploitation and political domination of almost all of Asia, Africa, and Oceania by Western countries.

The Causes of Imperialism

The causes of imperialism can be classified into two groups: economic and political.

Economic Causes

• The need for new markets for European products.
• The search for raw materials and cheap labor to extract minerals, petroleum, and agricultural products.

Political Causes

• Settlement: Overcrowding caused many Europeans to look for land to settle (e.g., the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa).
• Ideology: Europeans justified expansion with racist theories, claiming the white race was superior and assigned the task to civilize and educate others.

The Division of the World

By 1914, the global landscape was dominated by major powers:

• The British Empire: Covered 30 million square kilometers with 400 million people. It included settlement colonies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) and exploitation colonies where indigenous populations were subjected to British economic interests.
• The French Empire: Dominated 10 million square kilometers and 48 million inhabitants, spreading across northwest Africa and the Indochina Peninsula.
• The United States: Controlled several strategic territories in the Caribbean.

Consequences of Imperialism

• Political: Disappearance of indigenous kingdoms and the creation of artificial borders.
• Social: Exploitation of labor, including slavery and poverty wages.
• Economic: Introduction of monoculture, mining, railway construction, and commercial obligations.
• Cultural: Substitution of indigenous cultures, religions, and languages with European ones.

European cities benefited significantly from this system, which provided massive economic gains to large companies. In practice, for the first time, European culture dominated the entire planet.