Imperialism Imperialism started in Europe around the 15th century and lasted for over 400 years. Western nations began what is today called “New Imperialism.” Italy, France, Great Britain, United States were the major powers of the western world. They started to gain a need for expansion and control. Pressure was being exerted on them by each other and these major powers realized that in order to stay on top they must stretch their boundaries across seas. They started colonizing, which had many negative effects. People who were being colonized were seen as savages, and when borders were redrawn different people were forced to work together despite religion and the language they spoke. These colonies were also under harsh rule by people who hoarded the power and wealth for themselves. That said, people who were colonized should characterize their experience as negative. The first reason is that, during these periods of expansion, powers formed new colonial multi ethnic provinces. They did so without regard for the people living in the newly controlled areas, or for existing geographic/cultural boundaries. Populations that had previously identified themselves based on their cultural, ethnic, and/or their religion, were forced to join together under the rule of the nation …show more content…
Favoring one ethnic, religious, or racial group over others promoted inter-group rivalries. This also contributed to the unequal distribution of resources. Favored or privileged groups had access to important resources while underprivileged groups didn’t. For example, under Soviet rule the northern province of Leninabad were given access to some positions in the government. Because of their control over governmental policies, they sent a disproportionate share of the country's development and industry to their own region. Situations like these caused disputes between regions that were sometimes