Imperialism is a expansion policy and territorial, cultural and economic domination of a dominant nation over others.
The first examples of imperialism as a policy of territorial expansion are Ancient Egypt (Hittite state), Macedonia, Greece and the Roman Empire. Later, in the Middle Ages, the Turks and Islam were great imperialist powers.
O european imperialism it demonstrated its strength by dominating many countries, mainly in Africa and Asia. A characteristic of imperialist countries is that their domination over another country was justified by three explanations: o ethnocentrism, which indicated that some peoples were superior to others; racism and the social Darwinism (a misinterpretation of the theory of evolution), which explained the power of the strong over the weak thanks to natural selection.
Learn more about ethnocentrism.
The imperialist countries sought to obtain three things: raw material, consumer market and cheap labor.
At the end of the 19th century, the imperialist countries launched a race for global conquest, which unleashed rivalry between them and materialized the main reason for the First World War, starting the new era imperialist.
World War I ended with German and Italian imperialism, but it gave rise to the struggle for the conquest of markets and a new type of imperialism: the ideological imperialism and of classes. This kind of imperialism was one of the origins of World War II. When World War II ended, colonial imperialism lost strength, thanks to the political liberation of the former colonies.
The study of neo-imperialism was carried out by English and French economists in the early 19th century. At that time, one imperialist country was one that economically dominated the other, and in this way the capitalization of imperialist nations gradually expanded.
Imperialism and Neocolonialism
Contemporary imperialism can also be called neocolonialism, for having many similarities with the regime in force between the 15th and 19th centuries, colonialism.
As stated, Imperialism is the policy of expansion and territorial or cultural and economic domination of one nation over another, and it took place at the time of the Second Industrial Revolution. However, under colonialism, colonized countries lost their sovereignty and political control and were annexed to the dominant country. In the case of imperialism, there is an influence exerted formally or informally, politically or economically, and there is not always the annexation of the country that receives the influence.
Learn more about neocolonialism.
Characteristics of Imperialism
- State seeks its expansion, mainly from the economic submission of other nations;
- Dominant state exerts political, cultural or economic influence over others, whether formally or informally;
- Based on ethnocentric ideas and social Darwinism (superiority of the dominant people over the dominated ones);
- Expansion process of European powers;
- Industrial capital merged with financial capital;
Imperialism in Brazil
Brazil is one of the emerging superpowers, taking into account that it presents clear developments in its economy. It is not possible to compare the influence that Brazil has now with the influence of the United States and England for centuries. Despite this, the fact that Brazil is looking for several investments in neighboring countries has caused some discomfort in these nations.
Several articles have been written about the concerns of countries like Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Guyana, Paraguay and Peru. These countries complain about what they call the "Brazilian imperialism".
See more about the meaning of Imperialism and Neocolonialism.
american imperialism
American Imperialism (referring to the United States of America) is a notion related to the military, cultural, economic and political influence that this country exerts in the world today. According to this notion, the United States wields that power in an imperialist way.
The concept of American imperialism had its origins when the United States, in the late nineteenth century, won the Mexican-American War, joining to its territory the states of Texas, New Mexico, California and Arizona.
At that time, the country had a clear policy of expansion, and President Theodore Roosevelt encouraged expansion into the Caribbean and Pacific, thus becoming a world-class power.
The United States has exercised economic and political influence in the rest of the world since the 19th century. However, thanks to a severe economic crisis in the 21st century, American influence has diminished.
Learn more about First World War and the Second World War.
