Answer:
In the nineteenth century, imperial powers like Portugal and Spain wanted to increase the number of colonies they controlled. They wanted better and cheaper access to natural and mineral resources, as well as manpower.
Explanation:
Colonialism can be defined as a set of political, economic and military attitudes aimed at the acquisition of colonial territories through the conquest and establishment of settlers.
The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were the heyday of colonialism. Europeans, mainly Portuguese and Spanish, colonized the American continent. In this process, the main objective of the colonizing countries was the exploitation of natural and mineral resources.
In the 19th century there was also an intense process of colonialism. France, England, Belgium, Holland and other European countries colonized several regions of Africa and Asia.