Causes Of Imperialism In The 19th Century

From the 16th to the 18th century, world superpowers from Europe and America alike sought to conquer more land as expressed through their colonization of bountiful countries and imperialism across the globe. Early instances of imperialism, including the Portuguese colonization of Brazil in the 1500s and the British colonization of the east coast of North America in the 1600s, had nations sending their own inhabitants to new lands and in search for money and power. The prevalence of the British and Dutch East Indian companies during the 17th and 18th centuries brought these nations highly coveted goods and spices, producing wealth that funded their growing empires and brought them prowess amongst the other powers of Europe. This sentiment extends

Nationalism had spawned the desire for imperialism within Europe and America, as it brought much pride to these countries and was a motivation to make their countries known and powerful for the sake of geopolitics. In Document B, two European men, from England and Germany respectively, both encourage acquiring new colonies as a way to strengthen and improve their countries to be the powers that they once were. It is conveyed that these nations would gain immense power through the acquisition of colonies, strengthening their pride and granting them control of the sea and trade. This illustrates a strong sense of nationalism as the driving force behind imperialism, and evidences how this nationalism fueled the ultimate goal of becoming a predominant power for the sake of geopolitics. John Ruskin, who delivered the first part of Document B, was a well-regarded English intellectual who delivered this speech at Oxford to a standing room only crowd. Him being a well-regarded intellectual and his audience being students at Oxford would serve to