The forces of Imperialism and Colonialism were very powerful in the early decades of the twentieth century. Explain and describe these forces.

To be able to comprehend the idea of Imperialism and it’s history, one must understand what brought about this wave. Early in the twentieth century, with a past already filled with colonization, Imperialism was revived by the major European powers of the time; Great Britain, France, Germany, and Russia. The industrial revolution was brewing. It brought about advancement and power to nations which it effected the most. These waves of progress allowed opportunity for major growth. Encouraged by these new strengths, nations sought to expand not only within their borders, but also to revamp their overseas empires and look for new benefits in far off lands.

These nations sought raw materials and new markets. Feeling superior, these nations began to colonize or take control, either through military force, international pressure, or economic influence, of resource-rich but weak countries beneficial to their economic and national expansion. Strategic positioning was also a reason for Imperialism. For example, Great Britain sought control of Egypt to safeguard the route to their flourishing empire in India. Russia also sought strategic land in the Balkans to gain access to the Mediterranean Sea. Since there was a sense of competition between these major powers, national prestige was also a driving factor in molding their empires. The loss of overseas land was seen as weakness, and tarnished a country’s national pride. These nations were proud of their empires, and they were critical to their progress. Some nations even felt as if they had a burden to help less advanced nations. This was known was the “White Mans Burden”.

While military take-over was the most common way to expand their empires, the major powers had other tricks up their sleeves. This was total economic influence. What better way to take over a country peaceful then taking control of it’s economy? Such an example was the case in China. Great Britain started growing Opium, an addictive drug, and smuggled it into the Chinese markets. This created a dependence on Great Britain by addicted Chinese consumers, and so the Chinese market was temporarily dominated by the Opium Trade, which brought much revenue to the British Empire. The European powers tried hard and long to take control of China, and even worked together to take bites out of their land and riches. It was a prime target, mainly because it refused to cooperate and with the growing economic needs of the west, it‘s tried to isolate itself as its been for hundreds of year beforehand. Although it’s government and people were primitive compared to European standards, China managed to hold it’s own for quite some time until it finally buckled to international pressure and was forced to accept a modern world by undergoing major reform.

Africa, like China and the rest of Asia, also fell victim to Imperialism. However, it was far easier as the people of Africa were even more primitive and defenseless then the people of Asia. The scramble for Africa resulted with Great Britain, France, and Germany occupying around ninety percent of the African continent. Some conflicts almost brought the powers to war, but generally, the great powers were more interested in building their own empires then trying to create conflict with their rivals over land.

Nations that were targets of this Imperialistic game suffered heavily. Whole cultures were destroyed, and civilization obliterated. However, this may have been a necessary evil. While Imperialistic powers took control of their lands, they also brought about many achievements, both industrial and economical, and modernized the areas they took control of. While it was humiliating and cruel for victims in the short term, it may have allowed them a path to a strong future, by paving the way for progress, where-as otherwise primitive nations would have remained so. Imperialism also affected those who didn’t fall victim, by waking them up and making them realize a new age was dawning, an age of progress and modernization. For some countries, such as China and Japan, this wasn’t easy. Their leaders were old fashioned and stubborn, and so was their culture. Decades of international pressure, passive or aggressive, and civil unrest finally brought about reform and modernization.

While led by greed, Imperialism in the twentieth century may have done the world a whole lot of good. The whole world was effected, even if not directly, by this age. It was forced to realized an adapt to a world where economies grow at a rapid pace, with science and technology not far behind. After all, if you neighbor has an old, rusty house that is falling apart, sometimes it’s a good idea to take it over, destroy it, and build them a new one.