the direct or indirect influence of one nation over another DIRECT Colonialism – establishing colonies under direct political control INDIRECT Sphere of Influence – controlling trade and other economic activities (no political control)

 Belief that:  a nation should rule itself  one nation is better than all others  European nations compete for colonies and trade 1. Nationalism

2. Economics  Mercantilism  Need raw materials  Cotton, oil, rubber, tea, iron, gold, diamonds, silk, etc.  Need markets to sell goods  People in colonies buy goods

 Agricultural goods grown to export  Examples: cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, bananas, pineapple, coffee, indigo  Grown to sell, not for food

3. Missionary Spirit  Spread Christianity to the world  Social Darwinism  White Man’s Burden  “Save the savages” and “civilize heathens”

 Applying evolutionary theories to human society  Used to justify the exploitation of “lesser breeds” by “superior races”  Europeans (and Americans) would suggest that they had evolved more than Indians, Africans, and Asians

 “Scientific racism”  ranking races  Measuring heads, quantifying physical features, etc.

 Lasting implications:  Military build-up to WWI  Core doctrine of the Nazi Party in WWII  Holocaust and Eugenics  “Scientific” and “ethical” justification for genocides in the 1900s

 Need to introduce civilization to the “colored” and “savage” races of the world

4. Prestige  Bragging rights  Whoever has the most, must be the best

1. Colonization  Europeans control land and people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America  Weaken independent political systems in colonized areas

2. Colonial Economies  Europeans control trade  Disrupts traditional systems  Cash-crop dependent economies  Depletes natural resources

3. Christianization  Disrupts traditional ways of life  Christianity in Americas, Africa, India, and Asia