Imperialism
Name__________________________
Old Imperialism
When?
1500 to 1800
New Imperialism
1850s to 1950s
Where? Mainly in Western HemisphereNorth America, South America, and
Caribbean
Mostly Eastern Hemisphere- Africa and
Asia
Why?
-Establishing trade routes and
obtaining resources
-Create markets
-Find places for financial investments
First- establishing trade routes and
obtaining resources
Later- gaining land and control over
the people in the lands
Reasons for New Imperialism
Economic Reasons
Need for markets to sell manufactured goods
Exploitation of raw materials
Places for businessmen to invest capital
Political Reasons
Nations wanted to gain prestige and glory
Wanted to maintain “balance of power” with other colonial
powers
Increased nationalism
Need for military bases and coaling stations for navies
Native people can be used in army
Social Reasons
Ethnocentricism- European nations thought their way of
life was superior
“White Man’s Burden”- Europeans had a obligation of
bringing Western civilization to “backward” peoples
Social Darwinism- based on “survival of the fittest”;
Europeans considered themselves more powerful and
advanced and it was natural to conquer weaker
civilizations
Forms of Imperialist Control
Sphere of
Influence
A nation gained exclusive or special
control over an area
Nation had exclusive economic rights
to trade, to invest, to develop industries
China was
divided into
spheres of
influence
A foreign nation obtains special
privileges in a region for a specific
purpose
Arabs let
British drill
for oil in the
Middle East
Concession
Protectorate
A colonial nation would allow the native
ruler of a region to stay in power as a
figurehead
Colonial power would really be making
all major decisions
Colony
Colonial power would achieve total
control over a region through
settlement or conquest
Mandate
Example
A region that is placed under
temporary control of a nation by an
international organization
France in
Morocco and
Tunisia
British in
India
Japan in
Korea
League of
Nations let
Britain have
a mandate
over
Palestine
and Iraq
after WWI