How Did Imperialism Change Over Time

As the world of global exploration and colonization grew, many powerful European empires set out to see what the New World had in store for them. Each empire had their own individual agendas and incentives for colonization. This led to the many differences between methods of colonization and exploration in every colony and region. The Atlantic World portrayed these contrasts between the Spanish, French, Dutch and British empires. However, the British settlements along the Eastern seaboard differed the most from those of other empires because there were no established policies or methods in British colonization, which led to differences in the economics and culture of each colony depending on who settled it.

There were a few changes that were immediately experienced such as sweeping away of the English traditions like laws of land inheritance. The Church of England in America could no longer continue to exist as its head was the British monarch. It would take another century to abolish slavery but an abolitionist movement had already been initiated due to the Revolution. Due to the American Revolution, other Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas started rebelling against their colonial masters for independence. This would mean that a new powerful nation would emerge that would endanger French and Spanish claims to territories.

Despite the differences of the empires in existence during the time, the early modern period held many common motivations for rulers to expand trade and connections to the rest of the world. The motives of the major empires of the early modern era were extending the range of their political power and religious influence, increasing connections through trade, and defending against neighboring forces. One common motive of empires displayed by Western Europe, Russia, China and the Ottoman Empire during the fifteenth century is the desire to establish power over new land and groups of people. Western European countries could not conquer territory on their own continent because borders were becoming concrete between the newly formed states. Instead, they used their wealth and ship building innovations to conquer land across the seas in the Americas.

Imperialism was a policy of extending a countries’ power and influence through diplomacy or military force. It played a major roll in the beginning of the war. It had a lot to do with the different countries wanted to expand and other countries wanting to keep their land. Imperialism is a system where powerful nations control and exploit one or more colonies.

This era includes only 300 years, but some profound and long-lasting changes occurred. The western hemisphere came into continued contact with the eastern hemisphere. Technological innovations, strengthened political organization, and economic prosperity all contributed to this change that completely altered world trade patterns. Technological advancements and willingness of political leaders to invest in it meant that sea-based trade became much more important. Relative power and prosperity of Europe increased dramatically during this time in comparison to empires in the longer-established civilization areas but, Europe did not entirely eclipse powerful empires in Southwest Asia, Africa, and East Asia.

King Louis XIV had a goal to expand France’s borders, and he did that with a powerful army. He standardized the uniforms, weapons, and training. This was the peak of Louis XIV’s success in reforming the government. Similarly, Frederick William I, the Soliders’ King, made Prussia one of the largest militaries in Europe. He was constantly wearing his military uniform and lived a very disciplined life.

Many scholars believe that the French and Indian War was the turning point that led to a downhill spiral of the relationship between the American Colonies and Great Britain. After this war, the British were more strict on the colonies in many ways. Due to the firmness and unfair laws, many colonists grew upset and demanded that they have the rights of Englishmen. The British believed in a different form of representation, known as virtual representation, which was when someone from England represented the colonies in Parliament. But, the colonists believed in actual representation, which was when someone from the colonies would represent them in Parliament.

The Satire of the Industrial Revolution and Imperialism In The Time Machine Throughout history, many countries and cultures have spread across continents in order to create a more powerful society. Some of the great conquerors of our human history, Napoleon and Alexander the great, have control vast empires across many continents. Great Britain was to be the next great empire to expand in the 1800’s.

In Conclusion Thomas Paine was able to prove that monarchies weren’t the correct form of government for the Europe and much less the American colonies. He demonstrates how monarchs can have a severe impact on many people both directly and indirectly. Paine also manages to establish a precedent in which society was able to prosper and be at peace before monarchs took over. Domat’s belief in absolute monarchies is flawed because even though it similar to other natural relationships the one between monarch and subject is just one in which the monarch holds all the power and and can abuse of that

Since the dawn of civilization, there have been many empires and nations in which power was held by a small set of individuals. Monarchs and emperors often claimed to rule by divine right or, in some cases, they simply claimed to be divine. These regimes would oppress the people and create extreme gaps in social status. In the 18th century, the Enlightenment movement ran directly counter to ideas of absolutism that many rulers practiced. Revolutions become very common in the late 18th century as people were very unhappy with their government.

The movement and growth of power throughout history has occurred with many strides, but also with many obstacles. Jon L. Berquist writes “The process of imperialization simultaneously generates the process of resistance”. Berquist explains the pattern of an empire gaining power and consequently facing the repercussions of reign. The issues within imperialism rise from the hierarchal dynamic of its system. Especially seen within the Persian and Roman Empire, imperial power creates a society with diverse positions; some individuals who have everything and many with nothing.

This displays imperialism because while there may have been an initial reason to be there at first, we later find ourselves there simply to exert power over another country and often to change their government to closely match ours. Overall, military influence plays a big role in how modern day imperialism is broadcasted to the rest of the world. The final way I will discuss how European imperialism differs from imperialism today is through the economy. Gigantic corporations have recently introduced the term of “economic imperialism.

The economic and social structure changes after the French and Indian War inevitably lead to political structure change. Before the war, colonists had, for the most part, their own self-government with little participation by British officials. Royal governors were appointed for most southern states, however their roles were limited. After the war, Great Britain attempted to give more power to British officials so that they could enforce the laws of trade and taxes more prominently. The growing idea of Liberty in the colonies also brought a realization to the colonists that they were in need of "actual" representation in Parliament instead of the "virtual" representation they were given.


They also showed how they understood their membership in the empire to be voluntary or on their own, not forced. • The political legacy of the Great Awakening-particularly the emphasis on individual choice and resistance to authority-corresponded to the developments in the colonial political world. For the most of the seventeenth century, ties within the empire developed from trade rather than governance. But as America grew in wealth and size, the king and parliament sought out to manage colonial affairs more directly.

Even though both France and Britain had many colonies in Africa and Asia and Germany and Italy decided they wanted a colonial empire to,because the battle and struggle to divide borders between countries,even though Britain was the world’s dominant imperial power,disagreements about who owned different areas of the world created jealousy and