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Reasons for european imperialism
Reasons for european imperialism
What motivated european imperialism and what factors resulted from it
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Dylan Shen 03/08/24 World History II DBQ on Factors Motivating the Age of New Imperialism. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, a rise of new imperialism happened, driven by reasons like money, power, and spreading Western ways. One big reason for new imperialism is money. Rich countries wanted more markets to sell things to and more materials to make stuff with. Documents 1 and 9 show that in Africa and Asia, powerful countries could get things like oil and other raw materials.
Industrialization led to European Imperialism because without the proper advancements and the urge to expand, England wouldn’t of wanted to start imperializing Africa and other countries. The age of imperialism is the age in which mostly Africa and areas of asia are targeted for colonization. This age is a key moment in history because these events led to the cause of WW!. Factors that led industrialization to imperialism were advances in technology, economic advances and social justifications. Advances in technology allowed imperialism to happen much more effectively and rapidly.
The discovery of land in the New World became a motivator for people to gain glory. An example of this was the competition between the Portuguese and Spanish, glory motivated them both to colonize quickly and aggressively. This meant that the new world would expand faster. Another motive was God, which represented their religious beliefs. Religion was a big motivator
As I studied from the first chapter, the European states began to embark on a series of global explorations and expansion to places around the world such as the Americas. The motives for Spanish, English and French explorers were all different, but in some ways, they were the same because they all desired to expand their empires, to find new trade routes and to convert others to Christianity, they believed it to be their duty to convert the native people to Christianity. The Spanish state was the first European states to launch overseas voyages of exploration and their main motivation was: gold, glory and to spread Christianity. “By 1600 Spain was the richest and most powerful country in Europe.” France and England also aspired to spread Christianity
One of the driving forces behind European imperialism was competition. Evidence of this is the European yearn for presence and overcoming of colonies held within Africa. Almost seven European countries held power in the continent, and referring to John Ruskin’s lecture, each country was “founding colonies as fast and as far as she is able.” Much like Ruskin’s point of view, Freidrich Fabri suggested that countries are to advance in power, and take up a “culture mission,” entering into a “friendly competition” among European imperialists.
Expansion by the European countries was found necessary for many reasons. The Ottoman Empire was encroaching on land and population growth was pressuring Europe to find ways to expand their empire. Europe was overcrowded, had dwindling resources, a lack of farm land, and the human desire to explore beyond their current borders. Many people had the desire to migrate due to religious persecution and rumors of gold. The developments in shipbuilding and navigation allowed for Europe to be more successful in sailing across the oceans.
The Portuguese Empire was the first global empire in history, and one of the most successful in its time. Having signed the Treaty of Ayllón, a peace treaty between Portugal and Castile, the Portuguese felt comfortable to begin conquering lands beyond the Iberian Peninsula without the threat of Spain. This essay will examine the main causes for the rise of the Empire, by considering motives for global expansion, and reasons why it began to disintegrate. Firstly, I will outline Portugal’s bases for overseas expansion, such as finding resources, establishing a secure trade route to Asia and the desire to spread Christianity further afield. I will then explain reasons for the Empire’s downfall, including both external and internal factors that led to the initial loss of colonies to better-resourced imperial powers.
God, Glory, and gold were the primary motives for exploration. These motives helped lead to the European exploration. When technology advanced it helped make the voyages of discovery possible. The caravel, magnetic compass, cartography, printing press and astrolabe were the technology advances. Caravel fixed the sailors problem of not being able to sail against the wind.
The imperial sovereignty over Latin America was based on the ethnocentric belief that the Europeans were superior to the indigenous people. Although Europeans believed that expanding into western continents was their justified and inevitable destiny, the underlying reason behind the conquest was for profit. Inferiorizing the indigenous’ culture, race, and civilization developed a justification for the Europeans to exercise economic dominion over the Indies. Therefore, many writers attempted to conceal Europe’s intentions for imperialism by belittling the Native Americans. In “Experts from Colon’s Journal of his First Voyage to the Caribbean Island, Christopher Columbus employs the natural slavery philosophy to justify why the Guanahani indigenous
European imperialism rapidly increased in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries due to economic, political, and social forces. Technology from the industrial revolution started and advanced the desire for more control that European nations obtained. Economic forces such as “survival of the fittest”, political forces like powers of the government and wars, and also social forces such as segregation of races all contributed to imperialism. Political factors played the strongest part in spreading and increasing imperialism. In Focus on World History:
The English were more concerned with finding gold rather than building functioning societies; which were primarily built around biblical teachings, while the Spanish intended for European national power to extend to western civilization beginning with Catholicism and influence of the pope. English settlers were driven from England due to religious practices and perceived themselves as saving the Indians from the Spanish and their tyrannical ways. For the English, owning land would give men control over their own labor and the right to vote in most colonies, and this land possession would show wealth. This new obtained wealth would not only have demonstrated power, but it could also be used to influence a society a certain way to convince others to follow suit. The English believed that their motives for colonization were pure, and that the growth of empire and freedom would always go together, unlike the Spanish.
“For God, Gold, and Glory,” these words were used to describe the motives that led the Europeans into overseas exploration, expansion, and conquests. God stood for religion, gold for money, and glory for power. These each being characteristics of imperialism. An additional motive was based upon ideologies, more specifically Ethnocentrism. As the Europeans conquered the world they often carried these ideas with them, dominating over other people and cultures to stay on top.
Economic motives lead to European exploration. Some religions were spread through the routes and some were forced their religions onto others, and lastly technology has developed throughout the years and now, it is very common to use. Firstly, economic motives lead to European Exploration. “Europeans desired such luxuries as silks and jewels, they needed Asian spices” (Henry Burn 377).
The best reason for the expansion and exploration of the new world was of course due to money. The biggest reason for the exploration was because of the economic scare that everyone got because of the Ottomans taking over the trading routes of the east raising economics concers. Muslims controlled the rich spice trade of the Indian Ocean Everyone wanted to find the Northwest Passage toward the Orient as they all believed that it was the direct rout toward spices, silks and wealth. Europeans wanted to trade with the eastern part of the world, wanting to make money easier and trade off goods that they did not have. Like Europeans, Portuguese wanted to find gold and an overseas route toward a spice market of India.
“I beg your majesty to defend me against everyone as I don't know what European kings will say about this let others know that this region is ours” said Menelik II, the leader of Ethiopia who managed to keep it free from Italian Imperialism. In the 16-19th centuries european slave traders could not get into inland Africa due to Malaria and the dense forest. In 1840 David Livingston started his 30 year trek into interior Africa, but by then slavery had become illegal all over Europe.
