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Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence
on another country.

This section on imperialism will present the main points from SOCY 235 Week 4 Lecture 1.

Often involves:
  • Conqouring or dominating foreign lands
  • contorlling resources and labour
  • Imposing political rule and eocnomic dependency
  • Spreading the colonizer's culture
Why Did Imperial Powers Expand?
  • To gain wealth (gold, oil, land, labour)
  • To grow political power and influence
  • To secure trade routes and markets
  • "Civilizing missions" that justified domination
Key Examples (19th-20th Century):
  • European control of much of Africa and Asia
  • British rule of India
  • The Japanese Empire (e.g., Korea)
  • French colonies in North and West Africa
  • Spanish and U.S. imperial expansion in the Americas and Pacific
Imperialism shaped:
  • Global wealth gaps between countries
  • Patterns of racism and "Western superiority"
  • Borders that cause(d) conflict
  • Economic dependence of former colonies
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