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Western Imperialism: A Case Study

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Through the balance of examining the history of Western domination and imperialism, evaluating contemporary issues that are a result from this history, and seeking ways in which to dismantle unsustainable economic and environmental systems, through individual action, we can work towards finding our place in a global community. Dr. Perry Bush’s lecture and John Isbister’s work on the history behind initial European domination and the affects imperialism set the stage. History matters because it explains why people are in the positions they are in today. Figuring out how the world has been shaped is a key in understanding how to fix the economic and environmental problems that the world faces today. Through the examination of two case studies, …show more content…

John Isbister’s article, “Imperialism,” he explains how the past contributes to the realities of poor and rich countries today. The first wave of imperialism started with voyages to the in the “new world” where Western powers created and maintained colonies through military might. Colonizers not only dominated the people in their colonies, but they dominated their colony’s environment, stripping the places of their natural resources. These colonies were used for economic gains. The West’s demand for raw materials also began the trend of disregard for the environment. Throughout the waves of Western imperialism virtually every area in the world has been affected. Even though Western countries have decolonized, the world remains scared. The legacy that imperialism has left behind continues to negatively influence countries today. For example, many of the borders in Africa and the Middle East were drawn by Western powers. These, often arbitrary borders, have imitated many of the ethnic, religious, social, etc. tensions that have resulted in wars and contribute to their instability to this day. Isbister comments that without Western imperialistic empires exploiting the world, they would have had little growth. Imperialism has set up the unequal world system that we live in …show more content…

While there are many factors that affect the economics of this situation, one of the central problems is that the coffee price is set by the West. There is no longer a standard set for the price of coffee. The main four multinational corporation coffee buyers, Kraft General Foods, Nestle, Proctor & Gamble and Sara Lee, set the price for coffee to be bought at around the world via the stock market. The West has an absurd amount of economic influence in the global economy. This type of influence reflects the way in which Western dominance continues to perpetuate global inequities. Only by taking actions such as buying fairly traded commodities, where everyone receives a fair wage, can help to deconstruct these economic

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Human history, throughout periods, has encountered various incredibly momentous changes. One of the biggest alterations was the emergence and development of the new Imperialism, which lasted from the 19th century to World War I. This period of time was significantly characterized by intense policies. Great nations such as America, Germany, Britain and France concentrated on expanding their boundaries and influence by traveling to undeveloped countries and ruling over these regions. The Europeans either created trade or sent militaries to their colonies with the intent to force the locals to follow their directions, which led to aggressive resistance from the local people, more specifically, Africans and Asians.

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Brigid Cosgrove AP World Mr. Bryant 15 March 2023 Imperialism LEQ In the 19th century, European imperialism began to dominate the globe. While Europe remained isolated from the rest of the prosperous world in earlier centuries, by the “Age of Exploration”, they began gaining the knowledge for development and advancements. As European countries began to realize the gain of wealth and power came through acquiring territories, they began competition of lands with imperial powers such as “the scramble of Africa” and missionaries sent to countries in Asia. With the continued expansion of European imperialism from the 19th into the early 20th century, Western dominance of profitable economies, reform movements in the Eastern world, and rebellion

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The national debate over imperialism became a major

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Imperialism DBQ Throughout the history of the world, imperialism has played a major role. Imperialism is one nation taking over another by social, economical, political aspects. This policy was introduced and also practiced in Europe during the 1800’s and the early 1900’s. The foreign policy of Imperialism was the product of The Industrial revolution.

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As America became a great power, it has continued its legacy of territorial expansionism through neo-imperialist policies. Aside from acquiring land and expanding American territory, the United States has established policies that have allowed direct and often indirect military and political control, economic exploitation, and the introduction of American ideals. The U.S. has justified this form of colonialism by claiming that it is for mutual economic pursuits, the spreading of democracy, and the establishment of stable governments in developing countries. Despite America’s noble causes, American imperialism has caused many repercussions. The United States should cease to be an imperialist power as it is economically damaging to countries under its rule, costly to America, violates the fundamental American principle of self-governance, and exacerbates social and political situations in countries America has tampered with.

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Throughout American History, imperialists and anti-imperialists ideals have opposed each other, but each for a valid reason. The imperialists were for expanding the United States and for spreading their ideas of government. The anti-imperialists wanted to play it safe and prevent any conflict that could have risen. It is also existent in today's world with modern day conflicts about the current imperialistic values. The views of American Imperialism were similar about the concerns for racism, but the views also differed because some believe the US was strong when others do not.

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As Frantz Facon once stated that “imperialism leaves behind germs of rot which we must clinically detect and remove from our land by from our minds as well”, one can assert without much exertion that such European powers, in the course of Imperialism, indeed, brought about an array of irreversible impairments such as ethnic tensions, slavery, increased local warfare, and many others. Rwanda, for instance, is a country that is rife with the presence of such an irretrievable deficiency. Rwanda, indeed, has shown a startling economic growth and become an emergent leader country in Central Africa. The World Bank has recently eulogized Rwanda’s recent remarkable development success, which it

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The social reaction to expansionism continued throughout both movements because the opposing sides of each argument disagreed on completely different topics. Many during the time of Imperialism believed America was destined to expand due to the believed superiority of the Anglo-Saxon race (Doc 1), and was justified in expanding due to the fact that America would spread democracy and that they were required to expand because it was the “White Man’s Burden” (Doc 1-POV). This is also true for Manifest Destiny, which was built on the idea that God ordained the western hemisphere for Americans.

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As depicted in the political cartoon, “The World Plunders” by Thomas Nast, competition between imperialist powers left underdeveloped nations at the mercy of these countries(doc a). Competing with other nations in order to safeguard the interests of the United States was not a new concept introduced by imperialism, but rather a old ideal encouraged by the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine encouraged Americans to take control of the lands in the western hemisphere viewing interference by foreign nations in these spheres of influence as hostile. The Monroe Doctrine placed responsibility on the US to exercising “international policy

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In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s America started expanding abroad to try and enlarge our borders. However this expansion ended up creating more problems for the US. In the end America lost more than they gained all due to American imperialism. Imperialism is when a bigger nation takes over a smaller or weaker nation. When America did this they thought it would make them stronger but it ended up making then weaker and causing them to lose the allies they once had before they imperialized the smaller nations that once trusted them.

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Colonialism and Imperialism affected our world both positively and negatively. On one hand, Imperialism has often been linked with racial segregation, manipulation, and hardship. On the other, it has been said that many colonial powers contributed much in terms of schools, roads, railways, and much more. Whether this time period was constructive or harmful, it has played a large part in shaping our lives today. European Imperialism started long before the 1800’s.

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Having varying effects, imperialism approached nations differently and implemented different changes. Many desired the beneficial changes imperialism would bring, not only to them, but to the world as well. Still, others saw the devastation brought about by imperialism. Although imperialist powers focused on benefits that were supposedly mutual and effective to both imperialists and their subjects, imperialism left a drastic, unfavorable footprint on the face of colonized regions. It was commonly believed by imperialistic powers that their influence was incredibly beneficial to all those involved.

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A Modern Day Imperial Power Presently, the presence of injustice, disorder, and poverty are all problems demanding a need for an active imperial power to solve them. Throughout the past two centuries, America has emerged as a capable modern day imperial power. As an imperial power, America has the ability to spread its economic, cultural and military influence internationally, majority of which benefits foreign nations. Likewise, imperialism is a widespread concept amongst existing and rising imperial powers due to the beneficial impacts it has on everyone—for example, economical, political, military, growth and cultural benefits. America’s ascent in strength and power was driven and motivated this imperialistic interest for everyone, having grown to become one of the most strongest forces in the world, it is a moral responsibility for America to aid less fortunate nations and people.

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Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. It is a great way to strengthen the economy and gain power and territory for countries that practice it, though it often failed and resulted in war and the deaths of innocents. Four intellectuals that played a big part in influencing American imperialism were Frederick Jackson Turner, Alfred T. Mahan, Herbert Spencer and John Fisk. All of these influencers had different ideologies and came together to justify American imperialism. They believed America needed to expand power and gain territories.

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In conclusion, imperialism had countless negative effects on the world today. It resulted in slave trade, caused cultures to be destroyed and took away countries’ natural resources. Had it not been for imperialism, the world today would consist of more diverse cultures with less discrimination and countries would be able to use their resources as they

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