Africa contained a great number of natural rescources valuable to Europe such as: cotton, palm oil, rubber, ivory, gum, peanuts, bananas, coffee, cocoa, zinc, lead, coal, and copper. These valuable raw materials were used to create products that Europe could export and trade for a huge profit. These products included: fabrics, soaps, candles, tires, drugs, food products, electrical wiring, electrical insulation, rope and twine, jewelry, and many others. The invasion of Africa yielded many valuable economic advancements, and created a logical reason for Europe to invade. European imperialism in Africa was partly due to rivalries between the different European countries involved, with Britain, Germany and France the dominant powers.
One effect was they both shared was being connected globally to other places around the world and interacting with them. However the two continents had a much more different effects than shared ones. In Africa, the Atlantic slave trade cause major disruption between different groups of people which resulted in a lot of violence and civil war. The Europeans, because of what they were earning, were able to expand their middle class so that their social system was not secular. African groups of people were also split up into kingships and because so many of them were being imported to Europe they brought their type of community wight hem when they were traded, one can see that the slaves definitely form something similar to these types of groups when they were settled down.
Essentially, every country not only wanted to better themselves economically but also strongly desired expansion. Hobsbawm’s point becomes clear when colonies began to fight for possession of land in Africa. Colonizing in Africa was ideal in order to harvest new raw materials and have ownership of another piece of land. The Moroccan Crisis is also an important event in which demonstrates industrial capitalism and how it led to WWI. Britain and France had recently signed a treaty called the Entente Cordiale, which initiated an alliance between the countries.
American vs. Islamic Imperialism In every case motivations have been similar to obtaining other nation’s natural resources, to suppress and hold back enemies, to build up wealth, and to win power and glory. Most empires have expanded to territories next to their borders. They were driven by the need to provide raw materials for their industrial capacity, and the types of goods exchanged were determined by that need. There are other reasons and motives for imperialism. Economic motives included the desire to make money, to expand and control foreign trade, to create new markets for products, to acquire raw materials and cheap labor, to compete for investments and resources, and to export industrial technology and transportation methods.
Companies fought the government and the courts for the right to become incorporated and to reap its many benefits. Capitalism has adapted in order to continue making profits. Capitalism was the primary reason for the shift from Fordism to Post-Fordism, as Post-Fordism was a more efficient model of production meaning greater profits. Capitalism requires ever expanding markets and constantly evolving methods of production, lest it cease to exist (Marx & Engels, 1848). In order to achieve this a production revolution of sorts took place in many advanced economies, countries shifted from Fordism to Post-Fordism.
Great Britain sought control of Egypt to safeguard the route to their flourishing empire in India. Russia also sought strategic land in the Balkans to gain access to the Mediterranean Sea. Nations (China, Africa) that were targets of this Imperialistic game suffered heavily. Cultures were destroyed, and civilization destroyed. Some may say it was a “necessary evil”, because Imperialistic powers took control of their lands, which brought about many achievements, both industrial and economical, and modernized the areas they took control of.
Analyze the Origins and Development of Slavery in Britain’s North America Slavery has long been imprinted onto the image of the Americas; it has augmented and sporadically blackened the history of the colonial North America. It has roots so deep and complex in the primeval days of the Americas that the survival of the country owing to slavery can be easily asserted. Many factors contributed to the development of slavery in colonial America; these include the positive effects it had on the economical and population growth of the populace, the growth of capitalism, and the rise of individualism. The early origins of slavery in North America can be traced to the preexisting slave trade already flourishing between other European nations and Africa. Slavery was such a vital part in the cultivation of cash crops such as sugarcane that it was introduced to North America with its colonization.
“The role of individuals was the most important factor in the expansion and dismantlement of the British Empire in Africa 1870-1980” There are many different factors that caused the expansion and dismantlement of the British Empire in Africa during 1870-1980. As a result of British New Imperialism and the creation of Germany in 1871, Africa became a hotly contested area for expansion for European states. Although the role of individuals were vital in securing a governing body in many African countries - such as Nigeria - it was the economic prosperity that opened an opportunity for expansion, coupled with the strategic factors that became increasingly important. The dismantlement of the empire in Africa was mainly due to World War II. The subsequent economic crisis and changing attitudes in colonial countries were the two main issues that caused decolonisation.
Imperialism is defined by Oxford’s dictionary as a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means (“imperialism def. 1”). An explanation by Marxist Historian, Walter Rodney, characterizes Imperialism as “capitalist expansion”, stating that European countries were “forced by the internal logic of their competitive system to seek abroad in less developed countries opportunities to control raw material, to find markets, and to find profitable fields of investment”(“Imperialism”). Testerman 2 Imperialism has existed all throughout history, the vast Roman Empire in Europe and the Chinese Empire in Asia are both prominent historical examples of the practice, but through the 19th century the most dominating and historically notable Imperialist power was Great Britain. At its height, the
First, there needed to exist an industry that proved to be very lucrative for the manufacturers involved. The cotton industry would become such an industry, compounded by the technological innovations that were taking place during this time. Second, a world market would need to be monopolized by the producing nation; this was created by Britain’s military, through war, revolutions in other nations, and imperialism. As these advances took place, the divide between the working class and the upper class became wider;