The New Imperialism

Although imperialist practices have existed for thousands of years,in the late 19th and early 20th centuries there was a new enthusiasm for the acquisition of colonies.

Several motives prompted European powers, as well as Japan and the United States, to seek an expantion of their rule over other territories,conquering almost all Africa and part of Asia.

• As a result of the Industrial Revolution,the economic expansion demanded new markets, raw materials, cheap labour and new places to invest capital.
• Politically speaking, national prestige was an important motive for western powers to compete.They also tried to control strategic points for military and trading routes.
• Scientific curiosity and the belief in a "civilizing mission" (the duty to spread European civilization to those regarded as inferior cultures ), also played  an important role to justify imperialism.
• This expansionism was made possible because of the technological advances in communication (telegrah), transport (railway, steam navegation) and armament (repeting rifle, machine gun, lighweight artillery).

In 1870 only 10% of Africa was under European control. From 1880s until 1914, the beginning of the World War I, the continent had come under the contro lof the European powers, as you can see here by comparing the maps of Africa in both dates. This historical process is known as The Scramble for Africa.

The United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands had established colonial powers in Asia andsubsequently added to their empires vast expanses of territory in the MIddle East, the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia. In the same period, Japan, Germany , Russia and the United States quickly emerged as new imperial powers in this area.