European Influence On American Imperialism

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Followed by the first age of Imperialism in the 1600s when the Spanish conquistadors sailed the Atlantic Ocean, the second age of imperialism occurred. Imperialism is when a more powerful country takes over a less powerful country. The European rulers came together in 1885 at The Berlin Conference to discuss the new conquest of Africa. At this time, Africa was viewed as a piece of cake and each “slice” was distributed to each European country depending on its power.In the 1800s right after the Industrial Revolution, the Europeans were colonizing the African territory. As a result, Britain, France and the Netherlands had grown more powerful. The Industrial Revolution resulted in the creation of new machines and infrastructures. However, Europeans …show more content…

The Europeans believed that their culture was superior and that the indigenous people needed salvation. Most of these ideas were influenced by social Darwinism in which the white race had evolved faster and were more civilized than the darker races. At this time, the application of Social Darwinism was rational to them. The Europeans tried to incorporate the task of making the people civilized through education, religion (Christianity), infrastructure and government. The indigenous people were forced to change their ways and assimilate into the European culture. They had to wear European clothes and learn about the Bible. The missionaries from Europe and the Americas settled in the natives land and built churches to convert the natives into Christians. Children were forced to wear European clothes to school. The British also built hospitals, roads, bridges and railroads in the European style. This “new system” for the natives had been a major change and everything around them was …show more content…

Europeans wanted to have power over Africa so that they can access an abundance of natural resources. The Europeans were able to receive natural resources and the Africans made it possible. They worked hard to mine resources in harsh conditions and were used a free labor. The labor that these Africans produced resulted in the Europeans being wealthy. Imperialism created instability because the African workers did most of the hard work and the “uncivilized people” were forced to change their ways. Many families were separated from each other and children were taught to believe that receiving an education and indulging in Christianity will make them better people. Becoming civilized was mandatory in the Europeans’ eyes. In brief, imperialism created stability for the Europeans, but created instability for the “uncivilized