Creation of Overseas Empires in the Late 19th Century - Essay Example

Europeans were focusing on the shores of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and various social, political and cultural factors motivated them in this widening of imperialism.

Cultural factors: The desire to preserve the cultural values, identity, and improvement of the society as a whole was an important driving force behind colonization. For instance, it was the British who introduced the secondary education system in India which helped Indians to advance to the frontline of administration. These statements explain the impact of imperialism in carrying out modifications in the social and cultural setup of European colonies (Baker 184). The role of missionaries in the process of colonization is another important factor to be discussed. Their mission was to popularize the teachings of the Bible and propagate Christ’s preaching; however, Christianity was employed by the missionaries as an ideology used to convince people to accept the domination of the white. Missionaries provided information regarding the social political and economic structure of particular regions to the imperialists so that they could plan appropriate strategies for colonization.

Political factors: One can never undermine the political motivations behind colonization during the nineteenth century. During the war of Sedan in1870, the political situation was disturbing and conflicts were there among the European nation. French nationalism became deeply rooted after the war and colonial imperialism turned out to be a means of revenge for France. Other European nations used colonialism as an instrument to divert attention from their internal issues. National prestige was another key factor that compelled the Europeans to concentrate more on the division of existing colonies and occupying power over new colonies (Mathias & Todorov 68). Modern systems of communication and transportation have been introduced as a result of technological development. These innovations eventually restructured European colonies.

Economic factors: The nineteenth-century industrialization could be connected with colonization. As a result of the industrial expansion, Europeans went in search of raw materials and new markets for their products. According to Lenin’s theory, an enlargement of the scale of production would result in a decline of profit in capitalist economies and as a result of the accumulation of capital the production will increase and the excessive production would result in the accumulation of unsold products (Mathias & Todorov 68). The industrial revolution resulted in the generation of such a situation.   Imperialist policy and overseas expansion became necessary to overcome this difficulty. It became an important objective of the statesmen to improve their participation and share in world trade so as to increase national wealth and thereby national power (Mathias & Todorov 68).

Impact on the international relationship: Most of the Asian and African countries were European colonies and their influence played a major role in shaping the social and educational institutions and the economic structure of these nations. Colonization was beneficial to both the European nations and their colonies. Even though economic interest was one of the driving forces, imperialism succeeded in creating a positive impact on the world (Todaro 74). Similarly, the European migration that started along with the colonization resulted in the intermixing of European culture with other cultural situations that prevailed in different colonies and led to the origin of new ethnicities. However, the First and Second World War period was the time of colonial downfall in many African and Asian countries as there emerged a new wave of nationalism and freedom struggle movements. After the Second World War, there were remarkable changes in the imperialists’ foreign policies with regard to development cooperation, environment, and human rights, and emphasis on the subject varied according to governments. The formation of the European Union in 1970 has unified the foreign policies of different European nations and this cooperation resulted in coordinating various perspectives of human rights globally (Baehr et al 389).

To conclude, it can be stated that the establishment of European overseas empires benefited not only the imperialists but it had various positive outcomes for colonists as well. While the European imperial powers amassed a huge amount of wealth and treasures from the colonies, the African and Asian colonies benefited in terms of social, cultural, and political developments. The development of educational facilities, the influence of Western thoughts, infrastructural developments, and the new wave of nationalism that permeated the colonies during and after the colonial period have been instrumental in the growth and development of many of these nations in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. One has to also bear in mind that the modes of government, international and bilateral relations and the constitutions of many of the colonies are adapted from or modeled after these Western imperial powers, and all these points towards the continued relationship between the West and the rest of the world in the 20th and 21st centuries