Forces That Drove European Imperialism
Course: History 1401E
Assignment: Final Essay
Student: Yousif Arya
Student number: 250697891
TA: Paul Z.
Professor: Brock Millman
Word count(excluding footnotes, title page, works cited): 2994
Question : What forces drove Europe's imperial expansion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? You may, if you wish, focus on one of the major European powers.
At the turn of the 20th century, the forces of “new imperialism” motivated European empires to seek territorial acquisition abroad in the hopes of building their empire by obtaining political, economic, and social advantages over their fellow adversaries. This essay will show that the increasing imperial interests of the Great Powers inevitably united the colonized populations with the rest of the world, thus creating for the first time in modern history a global civilization. Economic interests were a key driving force as to why many of the Great Powers sought to colonize. The need for new markets to absorb the surplus goods produced in Europe and the increased need for raw materials motivated nations to colonize. Furthermore, the increasing political rivalries among the Great Powers in conjunction with the proliferation of nationalism drove many empires to seek colonial expansion as a form of prestige and supremacy. Lastly, the growing popularity of Social Darwinist doctrines in combination with European society’s approval of imperialism further promoted colonization.
By seeking to expand their empires, the Great Powers were hoping to successfully follow the doctrines of neo-mercantilism by establishing a commanding and multi-faceted economy with overseas colonies, whose production would assist the home country in meeting its needs. The industrialization of Germany, the United States, Japan and other countries after about 1870, heavily intensified the foreign trade market. The revival of mercantilism in the late 19th century stressed the need for each of the Great Powers to sustain an
Assignment: Final Essay
Student: Yousif Arya
Student number: 250697891
TA: Paul Z.
Professor: Brock Millman
Word count(excluding footnotes, title page, works cited): 2994
Question : What forces drove Europe's imperial expansion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? You may, if you wish, focus on one of the major European powers.
At the turn of the 20th century, the forces of “new imperialism” motivated European empires to seek territorial acquisition abroad in the hopes of building their empire by obtaining political, economic, and social advantages over their fellow adversaries. This essay will show that the increasing imperial interests of the Great Powers inevitably united the colonized populations with the rest of the world, thus creating for the first time in modern history a global civilization. Economic interests were a key driving force as to why many of the Great Powers sought to colonize. The need for new markets to absorb the surplus goods produced in Europe and the increased need for raw materials motivated nations to colonize. Furthermore, the increasing political rivalries among the Great Powers in conjunction with the proliferation of nationalism drove many empires to seek colonial expansion as a form of prestige and supremacy. Lastly, the growing popularity of Social Darwinist doctrines in combination with European society’s approval of imperialism further promoted colonization.
By seeking to expand their empires, the Great Powers were hoping to successfully follow the doctrines of neo-mercantilism by establishing a commanding and multi-faceted economy with overseas colonies, whose production would assist the home country in meeting its needs. The industrialization of Germany, the United States, Japan and other countries after about 1870, heavily intensified the foreign trade market. The revival of mercantilism in the late 19th century stressed the need for each of the Great Powers to sustain an
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