Imperialism And Its Impact On The World Today - 1367 Words

Imperialism has been one of the most powerful forces in human history, serving to set the foundation of our modern world. While this has led to the formation of a global society where cultures, ideas, and innovations are spread across countries, imperialism has also left a history of exploitation, racism, and violence that is still affecting the world today. Imperial relationships are always imbalanced when it comes to power and influence; that is, one group (known as the metropole) maintains authority and control over another group (known as the periphery) with economic, political, and cultural dominance (Spiegel 2012). There are many reasons why one group chooses to dominate the other, such as expanding territory, extracting raw resources to fuel economic development, or to spread their beliefs (i.e. religion) (Spiegel 2012). In spite of these varied reasons, one of the main motivators for imperialism began with competition between empires. Empires have shaped world history in both good and bad ways. From changing regional and global power dynamics to diffusing goods, ideas, animals, vegetation, people, and even illnesses, empires have cultivated peace and instigated war (Spiegel 2012). Groups of people have been decimated while others flourished (Spiegel 2012). Before imperialism, empires did exist (i.e. Aztecs, Incas, etc) but were separated by geographical barriers, such as deserts, oceans, mountains, etc. It was with the invention of the sextant that allowed EuropeanShow MoreRelatedImpact Of Imperialism On The Middle East, Africa, And Asia1287 Words   |  6 PagesImperialism is defined as a policy of extending a country s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Countries during the Industrial Revolution wanted to imperialize due to social, political, and economic reasons. As early as the mid 1800’s, the European countries craved the idea of power and conquering new lands in order to obtain resources/raw materials. They took over Africa, the Ottoman Empire, India, and Southeast Asia due to this as well as for their convenient location. TheyRead MoreAnalysis Of Rudyard Kipling s The White Man s Burden / Send Forth The Best Ye Breed1132 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica and England, was superior to foreign cultures. He was an admirer of British imperialism in India, and was a strong advocate for America’s involvement in the Philippines. Kipling earnestly believed that foreign peoples would benefit from the forceful introduction of American culture. This position has, of course, proven to be heavily misguided, and the damaging effects of colonialism are still being felt today in the Global South. The cultural conversion advocated by Kipling, however, did notRead MoreEssay On Ecological Imperialism1618 Words   |  7 PagesEcological Imperialism and the New World Starting from the times that countries started travelling overseas and conquering other lands, they used this newfound power to supply their own greedy desires through ecological imperialism. This process altered this new landscape and homogenized it into the ways Europeans wanted it with the natives taking all or most of the side effects, while all the benefits went to the colonizers. Using various sources from authors such as Crosby, Piper, SandlosRead MoreNegative Effects Of Imperialism850 Words   |  4 Pages Imperialism is defined as the policy when a powerful nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, economically, or socially. Imperialism was mostly devised because of the nationalistic feelings that the industrial revolution produced. In my opinion, imperialism has had both good and harmful effects on the world. In some ways, it has brought modernization to countries that were stuck in their old ways. In some cases, I believe it would have been better to leave these countries alone, butRead MoreThe Effects of Economic Imperialism on Colonization in Canada516 Words   |  3 Pages Economic imperialism is a central part of the ongoing contemporary colonization of indigenous peoples in Canada. Since the colonial era marked the beginning of imperialism in North America, an intricate web of power and domination have formed leaving Indigenous communities in the grip of its economic philosophy. This has led to the ongoing contribution to the disposition of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Economic imperialism can be defined as the need for countries to expand their territories inRead MoreCauses Of Imperialism1107 Words   |  5 PagesImperialism Essay Growing up, many children play the board game â€Å"Battleship,† where a player’s main goal is to conquer his opponent’s ships and, eventually, land. Similarly, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the nation of Europe and other countries took over and influenced countries that they believed were inferior to them. This process, known as imperialism, is defined as â€Å"a policy of extending a countrys power and influence through diplomacy or military force† (googleRead MoreNegative Effects Of The Industrial Revolution710 Words   |  3 PagesDuring the late nineteenth-century, the western world as a whole was turning towards a direction that focused on the mass production of goods. This time was called the Industrial Revolution, where farms were being replaced for factories and technological advancements that would change the way of living for everyone. As with all significant events in history, there were positive and negative impact s that the Industrial Revolution had on the world. Despite all the technological advancements that wereRead MoreThe Impact Of British Imperialism On Modern India1244 Words   |  5 Pagesinquiry is to analyze to what extent did British Imperialism have an effect on shaping modern India? The main source that will be discussed in this paper is the seventh book of the Spotlight on History Series called The British Raj, which explains the reasons behind the conflicts between the British Empire and Indian nationalism and assess the achievements of a memorable relationship. The whole notion behind imperialism, more often than not, is regarded as a negativeRead MoreEssay on Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness1276 Words   |  6 Pagesof Darkness presents one of fictions strongest accounts of British imperialism. Conrad’s attitude towards imperialism and race has been the subject of much literary and historical debate. Many literary critics view Conrad as accepting blindly the arrogant attitude of the white male European and condemn Conrad to be a racist and imperialists. The other side vehemently defends Conrad, perceiving the novel to be an attack on imperialism and the colonial experience. Understanding the two viewpoints sideRead MoreReflection On Cultural Imperialism748 Words   |  3 Pagesregarding the role of language and communication having much larger impact than just speaking and communication. We have brought up the notion of language as a system of cultural domination and oppression that has been shown in real-world cases through many reading in which we have explored. One of the topics that we have explored and had introduced was that brought up in â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue† is the notion of Cultural Imperialism which I would like to explore more and pose some questions and attempt