In the late 1800s, Europe was scrambling to conquer vast amounts of land. Imperialism had swept the continent by storm, with many countries vying for pieces of Africa and Asia to control. From 1880 to 1900, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy fought for African possessions and by 1900, nearly the whole continent had been split and placed under European rule. There was plenty of motivation for Europeans to conquer the world, and while some supported it, others didn’t. Most people in Europe at this time held ethnocentric views toward the “uncivilized” cultures in the world. Martial Henry Merlin believed that Europe was entitled to occupy territories in Africa to “civilize” them. (Doc. 6) His speech was given to justify the colonization of Africa. Most Europeans in this time would agree that it was a virtue for a “fully developed race” to develop countries full of “backward peoples who are plunged …show more content…
Rooted in American exceptionalism, the idea that the United States is different from other countries due to its mission to spread liberty and democracy, America acquired territories like the Philippines. Many Americans accepted the ideology of the white man’s burden; an important factor in the decision to rule, rather than liberate the Philippines after the country was taken from Spain after the Spanish-American War. One of America’s notable examples of American imperialism was the annexation of Hawaii in 1898 which became a state later in 1959. Imperialism greatly effected many nations throughout the late 1800s and 1900s. As countries fought for more power and influence, it became one of the main reasons for WWI in the early 1900s. Many countries during this time period scrambled to grab as much land as they could to conquer it for their own benefit, at the expense of their country’s people and the exploitation of the uncivilized, leaving few to reap the benefits of the ever-expanding