SECOND WAVE OF COLONIALISM

Rise of Britain, European Industrialization

-The second wave of colonial and imperialist expansion happened in the context of the
Industrial Revolution in Britain, which spread to other parts of Europe from the wooden ships of
the 16th and 17th centuries, the countries in the second wave used ships made from steel and
were powered by steam.

-The second wave of colonialism focused on the speed of travel along existing ocean routes
instead of finding new paths and routes. The expansion and control of previously unconquered
lands in the resource-rich continents of Asia and Africa, however, became important. Colonial
efforts were driven by industrial growth in the British and European economies, which
demanded more raw materials to be processed in the factory systems, as well as new markets
where finished goods could be sold. To accomplish these would require new colonies and
spheres of influence.

-Thus, the interests of industrialists played a big role in this renewed campaign for expansion.
The rise of protestant groups also played a role in the second wave who, together with the
Catholics, went to areas in Africa.

-The Industrial Revolution created demand for raw materials from colonies that need to be
processed in Europe such as cotton, minerals, and agricultural products. The development in
shipbuilding in the mid-19th century allowed even larger imports of raw materials.

-Compared to the monopolized trade during the 16th and 17th centuries, which involved raw
materials and goods that were ready to be resold, other natural resources and commodities
were extracted from the colonies for the benefit of the European colonizers. In 1830, 60% of
goods were made in the Americas, Asia and Africa. The quantity declined to 37% by 1860, when
goods were increasingly produced within Britain throughout industrialization.

-Quests for glory and influence, aside from the imperialist mentality of the “White Man’s
Burden,” were political and cultural factors that drove Western powers to continue colonialism.

-European colonizers added an estimated five million square miles of new territories in Africa,
India, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia from 1824 to 1870.