Imperialism is called a style of government in which other territories are dominated through military and economic power. It is characterized by the substitution of autochthonous culture, imposing its own, since it is considered more advanced. The causes of imperialism are generally to exploit wealth, as well as military and economic expansion, however, such exploitation is responsible for causing economic imbalances and poverty in the nation that is under its rule. At present, American imperialism is the most powerful, since it has both the economic and military means.
What is Imperialism
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The imperialism as a form of government characterized by political domination exercised military power over any territory, using different means, among which force political interests, economic and cultural. In general, those countries that use this type of domain have great military power, applying them to weaker territories, either directly or indirectly.
According to Lewis Samuel, this is divided into two types, the first is regressive, it is characterized by conquering towns, exploiting their lands and eliminating unwanted elements. The other type is progressive imperialism, differentiated by presenting a broader vision of the world, its ideology is to extend civilization in those third world peoples, with the argument of improving the quality of life and the culture of the territory that was conquered.
Characteristics of Imperialism
- Promotes acculturation: the dominating state seeks to substitute local culture.
- Apply military force on a country: it is usually used when invading a territory.
- Maintenance of political power: they are characterized by imposing governments and removing them according to their convenience, bypassing the established laws of that state.
- Establishment of belonging to a foreign culture: the domain is not only physical, many times citizens develop a certain attachment to a product because of the cultural industry. There are those who consider that US imperialism tends to make use of this characteristic frequently.
Causes of Imperialism
- Discover new territories to exploit the natural resources and wealth found there.
- Create exchange markets within the colonies, which include both the state and private companies.
- At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a significant increase in the European population, generating job shortages, which caused countries to expand as well as their markets. The French imperialism was one that he was in need of expansion.
- Ethnocentrism is another cause, since Europeans had the idea of being the dominant race, so they had to conquer those smaller countries.
Consequence of Imperialism
Due to the excessive exploitation of resources, the economy of many countries was affected, causing massive poverty in society. This can be seen in African countries that suffer the consequences of this system.
Thus, in this way the differences between races arose, which to this day still stand out within the peoples of the world, not to mention the labor abuses to which people are subjected.
Differences between Imperialism and Colonization
Despite sharing certain aspects, they do not have the same meaning. The colonialism that indicates a state completely controls another, both level economic, and political and military, as well as doing directly, formally and absolute. While, the second exercises political and economic control, being able to be formal or informal.
Contemporary Imperialism
It originated from mercantilist imperialism, developing in the 19th century. Among the most important elements we can mention the monopoly of markets, where only some companies have control.
From its emergence, capitalism was in favor of the free market, however, in the last decades of the nineteenth century, after the industrial revolution, it adopted new market methods; for example, the monopoly, which increased the income of large companies and therefore, dominance of the market, which was highly applauded by the bourgeoisie of the time. Examples of imperialism that remain in force to date include the North American and the European.
