Unit: New Imperialism Topic: Causes

1. What is Imperialism? It’s when a strong country takes over a weaker country for its own gain AND to spread certain beliefs or lifestyle.

OLD imperialism: countries used colonies for respectable trade – NEW imperialism: countries want to completely dominate and “civilize” their colonies.

C. The biggest imperialist = ENGLAND!!!!! “The sun never sets on the British Empire!”

2. Why Imperialize?

Countries viewed colonies as a way to show off their power.

The Industrial Revolution created a demand for new markets and natural resources.

Mercantilism – when a mother country uses its colonies for (a) natural resources, (b) cheap labor to run factories/plantations, or (c) a population to buy mother-country-made goods.

Imperialist countries wanted to convert and educate the natives or to “civilize” them.

Imperializing Country (PARENT) Colony (CHILD)

“The White Man’s Burden” by: Rudyard Kipling

3. Why Africa?

Africa had been largely unexplored until the IR, when machinery became available to power through jungles and rivers between 1881-1914.

New vaccines for deadly tropical diseases such as malaria had been created.

Powerful African tribal armies had been able to keep Europeans out of Africa for hundreds of years, but were no match for new weaponry and technology.

Africans controlled the trade of valuable resources such as gold and ivory, meeting the Europeans on the coast instead of leading them deep into Africa.