New Imperialism, period of intensified imperialistic expansion from the latter half of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The renewed push to expand territorial control included not only the earlier colonial powers of western Europe but also newcomers such as Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States.
Church officials working in the Inquisition burned alive both Renaissance scholars and leaders such as Copernicus, Martin Luther, and Galileo Galilei.