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Imperialism Analysis

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The process of empire-building and the influences it has postulated on the developments of world history has always been a fervent topic of discussion among scholars due to the magnitude of its scale and its far-reaching consequences. Imperialism reached its height from the 18th to the 20th century before it faded away against the backdrop of decolonization after the Second World War (WWII). Historians are in particular concerned about a myriad of issues pertaining to imperialism, tracking its manifestation and proliferation and finally to its decline. From political developments to economic trends to underlying currents of social and moral perplexities, imperialism offers a kaleidoscopic perspective of both the colonizers and the colonized …show more content…

Hyam situates the sexual escapades of white men in relation to the defence of their careers, providing various narratives of imperial elites who were inadvertently caught in and destroyed by the entanglement between their public and private lives. Hyam brings into the discussion the tragic endings of Charles Stewart Parnell, Sir Hector Macdonald and Sir Roger Casement, all of whom had been outstanding imperial elites whose meteoric rise and fall was characterized by their unrestrained sexual interests and maneuverings which cost them their entire career. Some crushed their reputation and destroyed their livelihood, while others lost their raison d 'être and died a broken man. It is easy to associate the decline of these white men to their sexual obsession with native women, as a Chinese idiom hongyan huoshui (红颜祸水) may illustrate: a beautiful woman is the cause of troubles. What is interesting about Hyam’s thesis is that he cleverly subverts this usual perception. As a matter of fact, these white men who have fallen from grace were not always obsessed with women. They were in fact obsessed with men, as Hyam detailed their sexual fantasies with rent-boys and native male partners which eventually became the defining blow to their careers. Hyam’s lengthy discussion about how men who could not resist their sexual urges sacrificed their careers ended with a caveat that these marital troubles were in essence reflective of the need for sexual compatibility where he asserts could be easily burdened by “misery of separation for imperial men and their wives, uncertainties of childbirth, ill health and juvenile attitudes of Victorian men towards women (pp.

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Imperialism, as an irrevocable phenomenon, facilitated the expansionism, conflicting interests, intense nationalism, and seething competition that enveloped the European continent at the beginning of the 20th century. Characteristic of the movement, imperialism fostered policies of colonial expansion and conquest, exemplified by the evidence of Source B. The German imperialistic career, beginning after the events of the Franco-German War in 1884, swallowed almost a million square miles and governed an additional 14 million people; the French Empire, after a revival of ‘the old colonial spirit’ conquered an area of over 3.5 million square miles and brought under its protection over 37 million indigenous peoples of these colonies; Italian, Russian,

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Best Answer: well african rulers didnt have such strong support against imperialism as the muslims did.....muslims didnt want to be conquered by the western countries but they wanted to modernize without western rule..... so they fought for there lands....... but the many african rulers almost gave control to the western countries.... there was one country that revolted against imperial rule and it was Ethiopia..... although it was in independent rule they still modernized to improve there military and education..... -Same-

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1533 Words | 7 Pages

Imperialism has been around for many years. Throughout history, countries have extended their rule and government to other countries. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, imperialism became an important issue in many countries in Africa. These imperialistic movements in Africa and other locations have had varying effects, some with positive repercussions, while other effects ended negatively. An example of mostly negative imperialism is shown in Egypt’s long history of colonization.

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738 Words | 3 Pages

Imperialism was a controversial idea that a nation can extend its power outward through means of diplomatic or military force. This often results in a shift of power from one major force currently in control to another. The people of that nation under control conflict may also experience wars, rebellions, or cultural destruction. Looking at some of these events, we see some positives and negatives of imperialistic action taken by the United States, and how it affected the nations imperialized by the United States. For starters, let’s look at Hawaii’s annexation.

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572 Words | 3 Pages

Spielvogel describes “new imperialism” as the new expansion of Europeans for overseas territories. He also says that this new form of imperialism was very closely tied to the rise of nationalism as “newspapers and magazines often featured soldiers’ letters that made imperialism seem a heroic adventure on behalf of one’s country” (Spielvogel p.745). The need for expansion was not always economically driven, sometimes, like in Great Britain, it was used to keep other countries from taking the land themselves. In turn this causes people to promote their own countries expansion and “plays were even written to excite people about expansion abroad” (Spielvogel p.745). The empire builders that did expand, like Britain and the Dutch benefited greatly from this while the ones that were expanded upon (Africa mostly) were forced into a state like those that have been conquered.

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In the reading “Murder of Helen Jewett”, Patricia Cohen main argument is on how polarizing society was on the topic of prostitution in the 1800’s, and the different treatment that men, and women had to face (Cohen, P. 1998, pg.65 & 75). Women who were seen walking alone in the streets were considered to be prostitutes, and as being out of place, while men did not have to face the same prejudice (Cohen, P. 1998, pg.65 & 66). Even the way that newspapers covered the murder of Helen Jewett shows the polarization that existed in the 1800’s on the topic of prostitution, and the role of women, and men. Some newspaper writers such as James Gordon Bennett, sexualized, sensualized and tried to portray Helen Jewett in a positive light in order to persuade

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461 Words | 2 Pages

During the 1800’s and early 1900’s the world was substantially controlled by the European empires. Imperialism was Europe's main plan of action to acquire more territory. Therefore the Industrial Revolution benefited Europe tremendously giving them new machinery, technology, and production on a larger scale. The causes of World War I were Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, and Imperialism. The most important cause was Imperialism because tensions began to rise as countries competed for territory and economic power across the world.

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944 Words | 4 Pages

In the late 19th century, Western Imperialism gave rise to movements of resistance and independence. Decolonization movements gained importance after World War II, not only because the wars sparked nationalism in the colonies. However, imperial powers weakened by the war were less able to suppress colonial independence. Many methods were used to gain independence. In some cases, fighting was to achieve independence from a colonizer such as France.

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463 Words | 2 Pages

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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480 Words | 2 Pages

Ed Cohen’s article begins with a summary of Oscar Wilde’s trial and how it captured the “imagination” of the public. Cohen articulates how the British “middle aged” and “middle class” men judged Wilde not only in court but in the press too. The court and press saw themselves as needing to protect British vales and their children from the realms of homosexuality, thus Cohen explains that “Wilde provided the perfect opportunity to define publicly the authorised and legal limits” within which a man could “naturally enjoy the pleasures of his body with another man”. Cohen explains through Oscar Wilde’s dandyish behaviour how Wilde lived a life “straddling the lines” of class relations due to his aristocratic upbringing, but in his sexual encounters, he was working class. Through brining Wilde’s background and personal life into focus, Cohen article argues that Wilde was detached from the prevailing bourgeois culture in Britain and constantly challenging its ideals.

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813 Words | 4 Pages

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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1067 Words | 5 Pages

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States began to grow into an empire. Within the United States, policies of both expansionism, the policy of territorial or economic expansion, and imperialism, the policy of placing a nation under the political, military, or economic control of another nation, were considered. The United States’ first large step toward an empire came with the Spanish American War, a war fought because the United States wanted to buy Cuba from Spain during the Cuban revolution. However, after the war, the United States did not gain Cuba.

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744 Words | 3 Pages

Riding also has a sexual connotation which could easily symbolize the typical, heterosexual, male-dominated relationship. This is reinforced by the description of women as being immobile, sweet lipped, and smiling. These rocking horse qualities symbolize women’s desire to be confined, dedicated, valued for their beauty, and ready to serve. Of course, this description is not a factual representation; it is another expression of the persona’s ironic

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981 Words | 4 Pages

Her unsuppressed sexuality produces the appearance of a wild and uncontrolled woman, but in her relations with men she proves to be tamed and submissive. She is used, and often abused, by her powerful lovers, firstly, the colonial representative, the Englishman who fathered her child, and, secondly, the new neocolonial delegates: the General and the tycoon. For the renowned movie star, these men were “all the same… Carrying around her used panties as if they were a fetish, like a piece of her they had carved off, like her skin” (Hagedorn,226). Sex, for her, is the means of support, it provides her with luxury and she willingly accepts the price she has to pay in return.

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1520 Words | 7 Pages

Imperialism is the ambition of a powerful nation to dominate the political, economical, and cultural affairs of another nation or region. The idea of imperialism occurred after the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The specific years of imperialism are from 1870-1914. The regions that were affected by imperialism include Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These region were wanted by the imperialist powers of this time, which were: Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

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