2.3.1 Origins of Imperialism


imperialism
Domination by one or more countries over others in order to gain power and wealth.

It can be take place through the use of weapons, economic control or political power by a powerful nation.

Economic imperialism is when a powerful nation or a powerful corporation takes control of another country in order to make money for itself.

Cultural imperialism takes place when a dominant culture overpowers another culture.
Imperialism occurs when one nation takes control of another by controlling its wealth and resources and/or its government. Imperialism results in the domination of one group of people by a stronger group. This can take several forms.



Political imperialism occurs when one country takes over the government of another. Colonialism
colonialism
A form of imperialism where one nation dominates another politically, culturally and economically.

It usually involves extensive immigration from the colonial power to the colony and the immigrants take over the land and business. There is an organized attempt to change the culture of the native inhabitants of the colony. The First Nations people of Canada were colonized by the British and the French settlers.
is a form of political imperialism. It occurs when one country establishes a colony and then governs and protects it. The controlling country, sometimes called the mother country, sends its own citizens to colonize the new land to take over from the Indigenous (original) inhabitants, usually through force.

Example: About 300,000 Aborigines lived in Australia at the time it was colonized by Britain in 1788. The British sent thousands of settlers to Australia who took over the country quickly. Thousands of Aboriginal Australians died of smallpox contracted from the British, a disease to which they had no natural immunity. Some say the virus was brought deliberately to Australia by the British so they could take control of the country.

A scene in Australia, 1850, by Alexander Schramm
Image courtesy of the Australian Art Gallery

African Slaves
Image in the public domain


Economic imperialism occurs when a wealthy nation takes economic control of poorer nations. The mother country takes natural resources and wealth from the colony for its own gain. This kind of control can be as powerful as political control because the poorer nation must follow the demands of the richer nation to survive.

Example: From 1884 to 1908, King Leopold of Belgium established a colony in the Congo in Africa. King Leopold and his soldiers used brutal force to make the local people obtain rubber, ivory, and other minerals, which were exported to Belgium to make the king rich. Men were forced to meet impossible quotas, and if they did not, their wives and children would have their hands cut off. Ten million people died in this period.


Cultural imperialism occurs when the more powerful nation controls the culture of another nation.

Example: The
Aboriginal
Those people inhabiting a land prior to colonization by another nation. In Canada this would include the first nations people, also sometimes called North American Indians or Native peoples, and Inuit.
Indigenous people of Canada were overpowered by the French, the English, and other immigrants to Canada. As a result, the European way of life dominated. Today, Canadians sometimes fear their culture will be overtaken by the culture of the more powerful United States.

Imperialism became a more powerful force in the 15th century when technology led to better transportation that allowed the corporations and governments of Europe to explore, conquer, and settle other lands. The first wave of imperialism was primarily for resources and wealth.
Classroom in a Residential School Courtesy Glenbow Museum