EUROPEAN COLONISATION and IMPERIALISM

Introduction

Colonialism and imperialism are often used interchangeably, but they are two different words
having different meaning. As both colonialism and Imperialism means political and economic
domination of the other countries or territories.

In Colonialism, one can see great movement of people to the new territory and living as permanent
settlers. Though they lead the life as permanent settlers, they still maintain allegiance to their mother
country.

Imperialism is just exercising power over the conquered regions either through sovereignty or
indirect mechanisms of control.

Coming to the origin of the two, Imperialism has a longer history than Colonialism. While the history
of colonialism dates back to 15th century, Imperialism has its origins dating back to the time of the
Romans.

Colonialism has its origins when Europeans started to look outside their country during the
exploration and industrial revolution, pursuing trade with other nations. Though colonialism can be
attributed to the trade pursuits of a country.

There were two great waves of colonialism in history.

1. The first wave began in the 15th century, during Europe’s Age of Discovery
(Exploration). During this time, European countries such as Britain, Spain, France, and
Portugal colonized lands across North and South America. The motivations/reasons for the
first wave of colonial expansion can be summarized as: God, Gold, and Glory:

God, because missionaries felt it was their moral duty to spread Christianity, and they
believed a higher power would reward them for saving the souls of colonial subjects;

Gold, because colonizers would exploit resources of other countries in order to enrich their
own economies;

And Glory (balance of power), since European nations would often compete with one
another over the glory of attaining the greatest number of colonies. The more colonies a
European country had, the powerful it was regarded.

European colonialists asserted that a place did not exist unless White Europeans had seen it
and testified to its existence, but indeed, colonists did not actually discover any land. The
“New World,” as it was first called by Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator and
cartographer, was not new at all: People had been living and thriving in the Americas for
centuries. This period involved Europe’s Exploration for expansion where men traveled on
ships that landed in foreign countries.
 2. The second wave of colonial expansion began during the 19th century, centering on the
African and Asian Continents. In Africa, it came to known as the Scramble for and
partition of Africa. European nations such as Britain, France, Portugal, and Spain sliced
up the continent like a cake, creating arbitrary borders and boundaries, and claiming large
colonies for themselves. These borders split cultural groupings as many families found
themselves in different countries, resulting in fierce ethnic tensions/conflicts.

KEY TERMS:

1. Colonialism: This is where one nation assumes control over the other nations/countries. It
means a powerful country conquers and rules the weaker country. That country exploits the
resources of the conquered country for the benefit of the conqueror.
Types of colonies: settler colonies, exploitation colonies, surrogate colonies, internal
colonies. Examples are the British setting up colonies in the United States and pushing out the
native populations, India, Africa etc.

2. Imperialism: Refers to political or economic control, either formally or informally.

Imperialism is the idea driving the practice of colonialism. It means creating an empire,
expanding into the neighbouring regions and expanding its dominance far.
Types of imperialism: colony, protectorate, sphere of influence, economic imperialism.
Examples are the policies put in place by Mongol leader Genghis Khan's empire to take over
large parts of Asia. At its greatest extent it included all of modern-day Mongolia, China,
parts of Burma, Romania, Pakistan, Siberia, Ukraine, Belarus, Cilicia, Anatolia,
Georgia, Armenia, Persia, Iraq, Central Asia, and much or all of Russia.

• Settler colonialism - An ongoing system of power where one nation settles in another and seeks to
replace the native population with settlers. Settler colonial states include Canada, the United States,
Australia, and South Africa.

• Exploitation colonialism - The use of force to exploit the natural resources and labor of a country in
order to extract wealth. In the 17th century, the British settlers established the East India Trading
Company, which was a trade company that actively sought and dealt in Indian-based commodities.

• Internal colonialism - The result of the exploitation of a group by a more powerful group in a
society, which leads to economic inequality.

• Colony - an area over which a foreign nation or state extends or maintains control e.g. "British
America" in 1776 signified not only the thirteen colonies in America but also Canada, Nova Scotia,
and Britain's Caribbean colonies.

• Protectorate - A protectorate is still able to govern itself and have its own internal government, but
is protected or ruled by another.

At various times, the United Kingdom administered these Protectorates: Gambia Protectorate,
Swaziland Protectorate, Ugandan Protectorate, Nigeria Protectorate(s), Nyasaland (now
Malawi), Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Solomon Islands.
• Sphere of influence - Sphere of influence occurs when an outside force wields power over a region
and claims certain rights or privileges, including exclusive trade control or investment. Eg. Anglo
sphere —English-speaking world, Franco sphere — French-speaking world, German sphere —
German-speaking world.

• Economic imperialism - One country has economic power and influence over another and controls
its private business interests. The best example of this are the BANANA REPUBLICS of Central
America.

Causes of Colonization

With the wealth coming from the Industrial Revolution burning, the powerful nations of Europe
were ready to formally expand their empires into Asia and Africa. Known as New Imperialism,
this desire for expansion was motivated by many things, not the least of which were the promise of
economic growth, the sting of national rivalries, and a sense of moral superiority.

Prior to the 19th century, Europe's interactions with Asia and Africa had mostly been limited to
holding trading posts on the continent. Content to make money from these commercial outlets, Europe
usually didn't impose direct rule onto these areas. However, as the 19th century progressed, a shift
occurred. In this period of New Imperialism, Europeans began to seek formal political control
over foreign and overseas areas. There were a number of reasons for colonization and these are
discussed below;

Economic Growth

1. Need for Markets for the Industrial goods: With the Industrial Revolution in full swing, Europe
was looking to bolster their trade markets abroad. Thinking of it this way: in order to sell more
goods, you need more places to sell them. So, with this thinking in mind, the Europeans said to
themselves, 'What better place than Africa and Asia?' Therefore, colonies served as markets for
surplus manufactured goods.

2. Need for Cheap Raw Materials: Along the same lines, colonies on these continents were seen
as great places to get cheap, raw materials for Europe's factories eg cotton, Rubber, Cocoa, and
Coffee etc.

3. Surplus population for Settlement: Europe needed a place to house and employ their surplus
population, and you can see why New Imperialism held the promise of economic growth. In fact,
an excellent example of this were the Dutch, who sent almost a million people into Indonesia to work.
Although many of these Europeans they sent either succumbed to disease or fled back to Europe, the
Dutch influence can still be seen in Indonesia and the White settlers in South Africa (BOERS and
BRITISH)

4.National Rivalry: Along with economic growth, Europeans were spurred on by national rivalry.
Since land equaled power, the more land a country could acquire, the more prestige and power
they could wield across the globe. The nation’s greatness is measured by the quality and quantity of
its colonies. European nations wanted to plant the flag in as many places as possible. Every country
wanted recognition as a world power. They wanted to improve their reputation among other European
countries.
Adding to this, no country wanted to see an empire they didn't trust gaining ground. A great example
of this were the British and Russian relations of the time. Known as the Great Game, Russia and
Britain became embroiled in a bloody battle for Central and South Asia. Wanting to keep Russians
from gaining power, Britain fought aggressively to keep them out of areas like Afghanistan, Iran, and
especially India. This was also seen in the Treaty of Berlin in which several European nations kept
Russia from gaining ground in Turkey.

4. Military: Every imperialist country was worried about its own national security: The competition
among imperialist powers was vicious. One had to protect one’s own country and its colonies. Every
country wanted to gain military advantage over its rivals. A colony could serve as a fueling station for
the Navy. A ship could stop and load up on supplies. Some spots in the world, especially waterways,
were strategically important. The Navy was paramount: It must have freedom to travel to and from the
colonies.

5. Cultural: Social Darwinism was the prevailing belief in Europe. It explained why some countries
were rich and some were poor. People competed for survival. The strong survive. The rich were
naturally superior. The weak were unfit. Poverty was a sign of being unfit. The poor were naturally
inferior. The European colonizers were the Superior Races. The African and Asian colonized were
Inferior Races. The Europeans regarded themselves as racially and culturally superior to the people of
Africa and Asia. Humanitarians argued that it was Europe’s noble duty to uplift and enlighten the
backward peoples. Belief in Anglo-Saxon superiority was prevalent.

6. Religious: The “missionary impulse”: Christianity is superior to all other religions. We must
spread Christianity to Asia and Africa. Religion encouraged imperialism and colonization. People felt
they needed to acquire territory in order to Christianize people. A serious moral issue – Christianity in
direct conflict with Social Darwinism. Under Christianity, all people are equal in God’s eyes. Under
Social Darwinism, the Europeans are superior and the Africans and Asians are inferior. There was
also a certain element of hypocrisy: While the Europeans spoke of uplifting people, they were actually
motivated by profit and greed.

7. Strategic reasons: Certain colonies were acquired for their strategic importance. This means that
they were well positioned in times of war. They also enabled the colonisers to control trade routes.
The settlement at the Cape is a good example of a strategic reason for acquiring a colony. As long as
the Dutch controlled the Cape, they controlled the sea route to the East. The Dutch built a fort on the
Cape peninsula to defend the colony against attack from rival colonial powers.

Sources:

Colonialism in Different Countries: Causes, Establishment and End of Colonialism

Article shared by: Baivab Ghosh.

https://www.historydiscussion.net/world-history/colonialism-in-different-countries-causes-
establishment-and-end-of-colonialism/1866

National Geographic by ERIN BLAKEMORE

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/colonialism