1. Old Imperialism

2. WHEN?
Old Imperialism started around the early 1500s, the same period of time as the Renaissance.

3. WHY?
European countries, wished to find a direct trade route to Asia (China & India) and the East Indies.
Quicker and relatively more effective than land routes over Asia

4. WHO? Countries Involved: Great Britain, France, Spain & Portugal.
Individuals, known as Mercantilists, believed that maintaining imperialized territory and colonizing the region could serve as a source of wealth, while personal motives by rulers, explorers, and missionaries could therefore promote their own agenda.
That agenda being “Glory, God, and Gold.”
Great Britain, France Spain and Portugal

5. Mercantilism
Mercantilism was a popular and main economic system for many European nations during the 16th-18th centuries.
The main goal was to increase a nation’s wealth by promoting government rule of a nation’s economy for the purpose of enhancing state power at the expense of rival national power.
It was the economic counterpart of political absolutism.

6. Why did mercantilists want colonies?
At the root of their ideology, mercantilists believed that a country must have an excess of exports over imports.
By imperializing territory, it provided the nation with indispensable wealth with the precious raw materials located in these territories.
Therefore, the territorial possession would serve as a market and supplier of raw materials for the mother country. Which, in time, provided the excess of exports for the nation and thus, creating wealth.

7. WHERE?
European nations begun to imperialize the Americas, India and the East Indies to create a direct trade route.
Great Britain was the leading power in India, Australia and North America.
Spain imperialized Central and South America.
France held Louisiana and French Guinea.
Holland built an empire in the East Indies.
Portugal was able to take control of Brazil.

8. A Turn towards Colonization
As countries started to imperialize these regions, eventually the concept of colonization took hold.
This is what makes Old Imperialism extremely different!

9. End of Old Imperialism By 1800, old imperialism became less popular.
Why?
Revolutions (Spain, France & American)
The Napoleonic Wars
Struggle for nationalism and democracy
Exhausted all money and energies to supervise their colonies

10. Waiting to Wake Again
Imperialism would stay quiet for close to 50 years before Great Britain and France’s economies revitalized.
This sparked the Industrial Revolution which only encouraged European nations to begin their conquest for new territory.