European Imperialism In the years leading up to World War 1, , European countries became powerful enough to basically control many of the poorer areas of the world. Imperialism= domination by 1 country over the political, economic, or cultural life of another country or area.

Motives (Reasons) for Imperialism 1. Economic=  European nations wanted the many natural resources available in many of the poorer countries  European countries wanted to make money from trade & taxes off the areas they controlled (mercantilism) – remember this word?!

Political & Military Reasons=  Europeans needed new places for military bases throughout the world.  Wanted to expand their borders or keep other powerful countries from expanding theirs!  Europeans saw more land as equaling more power

Humanitarian (doing good works) reasons =  Doctors saw a need in many of these countries for better health care – this encouraged domination to “help” the more unfortunate  Europeans saw a need to “educate” the poorer areas & used this as an excuse to colonize them

Religious Reasons =  Europeans used religion as a reason to spread all over the globe. Missionaries from European countries were sent to many of these areas to spread Christianity and this later allowed the countries to move in and completely take over the day to day operations in many of these areas that could not fight back.

European nations were able to easily dominate other countries because: 1. Strong economy due to factories & industrialization 2. Well organized governments 3. Strong armies & navies 4. Better technology 5. Better medical knowledge

The Berlin Conference 1884 The conference was held in Berlin between November 15, 1884 and November 26, 1885, under the leadership of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck Controlling the slave trade and promoting humanitarian idealism were promoted as the focus of the conference. In truth, the result of the Conference was a method of dividing the continent of Africa between the European powers.

Cont….. The Berlin Act was an important change in international affairs. It created the rules for “effective occupation” of conquered lands, ensuring that the division of Africa would take place without war among the European powers. Through the Berlin Act, the European powers justified dividing a continent among themselves without considering the desires of the indigenous peoples.