Question

In their competition for power, nations raced to?

Answer 1

If you are referring to the colonial and mercantilist period, the nations sought to expand their colonial territories where they could extract raw materials, open consumer markets and exploit in every way.

If you speak already when we were in the capitalist model, the nations sought industrialization to boost their economies and consequently increase their influence over the rest of the world.

Answer 2

In their competition for power, nations raced to colonize as many places as possible, since colonization meant an increase in raw materials, as well as usually an increase in labor force through exploited natives.