New Imperialism
With the wealth of the Industrial Revolution burning in their pockets, the powerful nations of Europe were ready to formally expand their empires into Asia and Africa. Known as New Imperialism, this desire for expansion was motivated by many things, not the least of which were the promise of economic growth, the sting of national rivalries, and a sense of moral superiority.
Prior to the 19th century, Europe's interactions with Asia and Africa had mostly been limited to holding trading posts on the continent. Content to make money from these commercial outlets, Europe usually didn't impose direct rule onto these areas. However, as the 19th century progressed, a shift occurred. In this period of New Imperialism, Europeans began to seek formal political control over foreign and overseas areas. Now that we have the definition down, let's take a look at the reasons for this change. First, we'll hit the desire for economic growth.
Economic Growth
With the Industrial Revolution in full swing, Europe was looking to bolster their trade markets abroad. Thinking of it this way: in order to sell more goods, you need more places to sell them. So, with this thinking in mind, the Europeans said to themselves, 'What better place than Africa and Asia?' Along the same lines, colonies on these continents were seen as great places to get cheap, raw materials for Europe's factories. Add to this that Europe needed a place to house and employ their surplus population, and you can see why New Imperialism held the promise of economic growth. In fact, an excellent example of this were the Dutch, who sent almost a million people into Indonesia to work. Although many of these Europeans they sent either succumbed to disease or fled back to Europe, the Dutch influence can still be seen in Indonesia.
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