Imperialism

Imperialism is characterized as economic domination. It has a structure that cannot be subjected to change and does not entertain individual variation. A state employs Imperialism to expand its empire through domination and creating a scenario of unstable economy. Imperialism existed over several years but the term ‘Age of Imperialism’ usually relates to the imperialistic activities of the UK, Germany, the US, Japan, Italy and France. Imperialism not only refers to policies related to creation of colonies but also to economic domination or forced domination through military and influential power. Imperialism is different from colonialism because in Imperialism a metropolitan state would exercise power on a distant state without implanting itself on the colonized territory. In imperialism an outside Government through force exercises control over weak states through economical influence. This is called economic imperialism. If the cultural practices of another country are more popular in weak states it is said to be cultural imperialism.

Some people justify the practices of Imperialism with the help of science. They believe that the world is full of people and stronger well established races must work for the development of weak races. This leads to the controversy of racial discrimination. The fundamentals of Imperialism lie in the policies that were implemented by the British. They adapted a policy by which any territory which is not inhabited by people can be annexed. An example of this is the British expansion over Australia. Though Australia was inhabited by significant number of people it was colonized with the false excuse that claimed that it was scarcely populated.

Some powerful countries practices Imperialism through complete colonization and some implemented semi colonization based on their modern perceptions. With the rapid development of industrialization in the late 19^th century the demand for raw materials increased and competition in the markets also skyrocketed. This can be attributed as a tangible reason for implementation of Imperialism. Secondly many European countries could not succeed in complete colonization of some South Asian countries so they started making work people for their benefit through some changed new policies of Imperialism. The imperialist countries often imposed heavy taxes on their weak colonies which were the prime reason that stirred a revolt by the colonies than their resources being utilized. Imperialism however had a great impact on the culture and religion of colonized countries.

Questions:

• What is Imperialism?
• What kind of policy did the British adapt to expand their empire through Imperialism?