Although the Industrial Revolution and nationalism shaped European society in the nineteenth century,
imperialism—the domination by one country or people over another group of people—dramatically changed
the world during the latter half of that century.
Imperialism did not begin in the nineteenth century. From the sixteenth to the early nineteenth century, an era
dominated by what is now termed Old Imperialism, European nations sought trade routes with the Far East,
explored the New World, and established settlements in North and South America as well as in Southeast Asia.
They set up trading posts and gained footholds on the coasts of Africa and China, and worked closely with the
local rulers to ensure the protection of European economic interests. Their influence, however, was limited. In the
Age of New Imperialism that began in the 1870s, European states established vast empires mainly in Africa, but
also in Asia and the Middle East.
Unlike the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century method of establishing settlements, the new imperialists set up the
administration of the native areas for the benefit of the colonial power. European nations pursued an aggressive
expansion policy that was motivated by economic needs that were created by the Industrial Revolution. Between
1870 and 1914, Europe went through a “Second Industrial Revolution,” which quickened the pace of change as
science, technology, and industry spurred economic growth. Improvements in steel production revolutionized
shipbuilding and transportation. The development of the railroad, the internal combustion engine, and electrical
power generation contributed to the growing industrial economies of Europe and their need to seek new avenues
of expansion.
The expansion policy was also motivated by political needs that associated empire building with national greatness,
and social and religious reasons that promoted the superiority of Western society over “backward” societies.
Through the use of direct military force, economic spheres of influence, and annexation, European countries
dominated the continents of Africa and Asia. By 1914, Great Britain controlled the largest number of colonies,
and the phrase, “the sun never sets on the British Empire,” described the vastness of its holdings. Imperialism had
consequences that affected the colonial nations, Europe, and the world. It also led to increased competition
among nations and to conflicts that would disrupt world peace in 1914.
