Imperialism in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Causes and Effects

Imperialism in the 19th and 20th Centuries

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a number of developed countries took control of other regions and lands all over the world.

The Causes of Imperial Expansion

Imperial expansion was mainly a result of the rise of finance capitalism.

• For European countries, colonies were a symbol of international prestige; it was also important to control strategic locations.
• The growth of the population in Europe and the use of machinery in factories caused high levels of unemployment, and many people emigrated to the colonies to look for work.
• Scientific progress required geographic expeditions to unknown areas of the world, such as the African continent, or expeditions to discover new plants, animals, and minerals.

The Colonial Empires

The European powers, the United States, and Japan colonized most of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. However, the largest colonial empires belonged to France and Great Britain, who competed with each other to gain control of colonies in Africa and Asia.

• The British Empire had begun to establish colonies centuries before when Britain gained control of strategic locations such as Gibraltar, Malta, Ceylon, and the Maldives.
• The French Empire was not as extensive as the British Empire. It included large areas in North-West Africa and the island of Madagascar.

Other Colonial Powers

• Portugal colonized Angola and Mozambique.
• Italy colonized Libya, Eritrea, and part of Somalia.
• Belgium colonized the Congo.
• Spain colonized the north of Morocco.

The Occupation and Administration of the Colonies

The colonizing powers wanted complete political, economic, and territorial control of their colonies. There were three stages in the colonization of an area:

1. Occupation by conquest.
2. Political and administrative control.
3. Organization of the colonial economy.

Each colony had a specific value for the colonizing country:

• Exploitation colonies
• Settler colonies
• Protectorates

The Consequences of Imperialism

Imperialism had important political, economic, demographic, social, and cultural consequences.

Political Consequences

The colonies, because of their strategic and economic value, became the scene of political rivalry between the colonizing powers for dominion of territories.

Economic Consequences

• The colonists displaced the indigenous tribes from their land to establish their single-crop plantations, such as tea, coffee, and cocoa.
• Indigenous artisan crafts disappeared.
• The world economy was organized unequally.

Demographic Consequences

• There was pressure from population growth in colonizing countries, especially in European countries.
• The population in the colonies increased because of the decrease in mortality. Resources were insufficient to maintain the population.

Social and Cultural Consequences

• The colonizing countries imposed Western culture.
• Social and racial segregation developed.