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What is Imperialism?
Imperialism is a doctrine that defends the right of some countries or people to rule over others based on cultural, racial and economic superiority of the firsts over the seconds.The purpose of imperialism is to decrease the strategic and political vulnerability of a nation. Imperialism is necessary to preserve the existing social order in the more developed countries. -
How did imperialism change around the year 1870?
European industrialized nations had to expand their markets globally in order to sell products that they could not sell domestically on the continetnt. Bankers and businessmen had excess capital to invest, and foreign investments offered the incentive of greater profits. -
Causes of Imperialism.
A few major causes of imperialism are economics, exploration, ethnocentrism, politics, and religion. Economics prompted imperialism due to countries pursuing benefits to improve their economies. Economic benefits mean having control of markets, raw material, and natural resources. -
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The Second Industrial Revolution.
It began in the United States and Germany, and was based on the use of new energy sources and changes in work organisation wich promoted new industrial sectors. Rapid advances in the creation of steel, chemicals and electricity helped fuel production, including mass-produced consumer goods and weapons. It became far easier to get around on trains, automobiles and bicycles. At the same time, ideas and news spread via newspapers, the radio and telegraph. -
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Conquered territories.
Imperialism and colonialism are new in the 19th century being caused by industrialization and nationalism.
New empires rose in the 19th century: British Empire, French Empire and Italian Empire. Spain will lose its collonies during the period. -
Bismark alliance system.
Bismarck alliance system laid the foundations for the alliances of 1914 and had its origins in the so-called German wars of unification (1864 against Denmark, 1866 against Austria and 1870-1871 against France). Following the German defeat of France in 1871 and the annexation of the French provinces of Asace and Lorraine, the German Empire was founded , with a kaiser, William I, at its helm. -
Bismark alliance system II.
Germany was one of the strongest military powers in Europe and was fast becoming the leadding industrial power in the continent, wich seemed a terrible threat to other great European powers. Bismark´s main goals were to isolate France and to manain Germany´s hegemony in Europe. In order to achieve this , he developed a complex system of alliances known as ''Bismark alliance system''. -
The Scramble for Africa.
It was the division of the African colonies. It began in the 1880´s. By 1914 the only African countries not controlled by a European power were Liberia and Ethiopia. -
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Peace Through Strength.
Peace was mantained during these years but, anticipating war, the European countries rearmed and formed two alliance blocs: The Triple Alliance, formed by Germany, Austria Hungary and Italy, and the Triple Entente, consting of France, Russia and Great Britain. -
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The Balkan Wars.
In the First Balkan War, the Balkan League defeated the Ottoman Empire, which, under the terms of the peace treaty, lost Macedonia and Albania. The Second Balkan War broke out after Serbia, Greece, and Romania quarreled with Bulgaria over the division of their joint conquests in Macedonia. Bulgaria was defeated, and Greece and Serbia divided up most of Macedonia between themselves. The wars heightened tensions in the Balkans and helped spark World War I. -
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The First World War.
The First World War broke in Europe in 1914. It was a conflict that covered a large territorial extension and was known by its contemporaries as Great War. The political conflicts between the major powers were due to various reasons. Some of these were territorial: France claimed Alsace Lorraine from Germany and Italy and Austria Hungary disputed the territories of Istria and Trento. Other conflicts were nationalistic like the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. -
The Russian Revolution.
Russian Revolution of 1917, Revolution that overthrew the imperial government and placed the Bolsheviks in power. Increasing governmental corruption, the reactionary policies of Tsar Nicholas II, and catastrophic Russian losses in World War I contributed to widespread dissatisfaction and economic hardship. In 1922 Lenin created a political organisation called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, with Russia and other Asian republics. In 1927 a totalitarian political system was established. -
The rise of totalitarianism.
During the interwar period, the catastrophe of the WWI and the post war difficulties helped breed a new current of thought agaist the democratic system, considering that parliamentarianism had failed. Totalitarian parties held full political power and control over every area of people´s lives. In countries where they rose to power, they implemented an authoritarian political system, economic and social control, rejection of equality, irrational thinking, ultra-nationalism and militarism. -
The Crash of 1929.
On October 29, 1929, Black Tuesday hit Wall Street as investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors. In the aftermath of Black Tuesday, America and the rest of the industrialized world spiraled downward into the Great Depression (1929-1939). -
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The Great Depression.
In the United State, the stock market crash sparked a widespread depression. Millions of people lost their money and savings. From 1930 to 1931, the crisis spread from the US to the rest of the world affecting Europe and countries in Asia and Latin America. Economically, agricultural and iindustrial production dropped as demand fell; population growth slowed considerably; unemployment and inequality increased in society; and in politics, democracy was discredited by the depression. -
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The Second World War.
The Second World War is considered to be the most important war in the history of humanity. The warring countries formed two large groups: on the one hand, the western powers, called the Allies, led by the United Kingdom and France, and on the other hand the Axis powers, led by Germany and Italy. During the war (1941) both sides gained allies, such as the Soviet Union, Japan and the United States, giving the war a global character. -
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The Second World War (II).
There were many causes of the war: Germany´s quest for revenge, since it considered it had been humiliated by the Treaty of Versaillesby having to pay an indemmnity to the Allies and reduce its army and naval fleet; the increase in totalitarian ideologies and the rise of militarism; nationalism which was the source of territorial claims; and an economic depression and general impoverishment caused by the 1929 crisis.