Prompt:

Evaluate the growth of Imperialism; its causes, expansion and effects on Europe, Asia, and
Africa

Essay:
During the 19th-20th centuries the European powers extended their domains over Asia and
Africa in a race for power. This expansionism changed the people’s lifestyle in satellite countries
of the new empires, and also imposed on them a role in the world market. On the other hand, it
reinforced Europe’s leadership in manufacturing and economic development, and created a
strong economic status quo in the world that it took a long time to change.
The Age of Imperialism brought about many important changes to the way societies
worked in conquered territories and in the way Europeans viewed themselves and others. For
example, the British imposed English as the official language in India, and worked to make the
Indians adopt western culture and costumes over Indian ones. In fact, the British had such a
strong impact on Indian culture that to this day the official language in India is English and the
British costume of drinking tea is practiced in India. In a similar, but much more dramatic case,
the opening of international ports in China, introduced modern ideas to an age-old culture. The
most noticeable direct effect of this were the Opium Wars, fought over the selling of opium by
the Western powers to the people of China. This conflict ended with the Treaty of Nanking,
which ceded Hong Kong to the British and opened more ports to European trade. Most
importantly, this conflict brought civil strife to China as supporters of opium trade turned against
the emperor during the war, causing a break with traditions. Besides affecting the way people
lived in Africa and Asia, Imperialism brought Europe tremendous amounts of wealth and power.
While before obtaining natural resources, raw materials, and an agricultural surplus in quantities
large enough to sustain the Industrial Revolution had been a great problem for the European
powers, with the conquering of Asia and Africa a steady supply of all of these was brought to
Europe by an infinitely cheap labor force, making it possible for Europeans to focus on
manufacturing. This resulted in another of the great changes Imperialism brought with it, the
establishing of a role for the satellite countries and the imperial powers in the world economy. It
is not coincidence that Africa, the Middle East, and many countries of East Asia are still
“developing” countries. In fact, European powers would use force to make sure these countries
remained dependent on European-manufactured goods and so exported raw materials to
European countries. An example of this is the way the British put down Egypt’s efforts to
develop a domestic textile industry. This is also tied to the third major change Imperialism
brought about, which is Social Darwinism. This idea, which stated that Europeans were more fit
for survival than people of other ethnicities and therefore superior, served to justify the economic
relations between conquered and conquerors during the 19th and 20th centuries. Because the
native people of satellite countries were considered inferior, the European powers needed to help
IImperialist powers undertook, known as the “White Man’s Burden” is probably the best way to
summarize the social and intellectual changes Imperialism brought to the world. Despite all these
changes, many of the institutions established during the Age of Imperialism lasted for a long
time and preserved aspects of previous time periods.
The main aspects that remained the same throughout the Age of Imperialism can be
found in the daily life of Europeans and in the new institutions that developed during this period
that have influenced the world up to the present. First off, it is important to point out that
expansion was an undertaking meant to support Europe’s growing economies. In this matter,
Absolutism allowed the Industrial Revolution and the expanding of markets to continue through
the 19th and 20th centuries up to the present. Because Europe’s economy continued to develop
along the same trends set by the Industrial Revolution, so did many of the social aspects of
European countries. The growth of cities continued as well as that of the middle class, for
example. In England, the Reform Bill gave more chairs to urban representatives in response to
this trend. In Asia, the Japanese were able to retain their autonomy, becoming an exception to the
changes mentioned before and displaying a continuity of its government into the Modern Era
until the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Moreover, the Japanese retained many important
cultural aspects during this period, like the role of the imperial family, which has remained the
same until present times. In Africa, it can be said that Imperialism worked to make the conflicts
between its native people (which had been escalating since the times of colonization) continue.
These confrontations are still present in modern times in conflicts such as the civil war in
Somalia, and the recent genocide in Rwanda. Finally, Imperialism created economic ties and
relations in the world that affect people even now. For example, African and Middle Eastern
countries are the greatest exporters of resources like oil, rubber, and metals, but have to import
most of the machinery these resources are used in.
To conclude, Imperialism created a more globalized trade network and imposed roles in
economic relations to the conquered and the conquerors. Also, it exposed other societies of the
world to European culture, changing the lives of people in satellite countries, but at the same
time creating aspects of the Modern World that have lasted to this day.