Understanding Modern Imperialism

Modern colonialism and imperialism are the expansion of a society to a region separate from its native habitat, either a border expansion or an inhabitance of a land nonadjacent. Osterhammel dissects this description to exemplify the different types of colonialism, the features that make them unique, and the distinction from imperialism. He states there are six major forms colonialism: total migration of entire populations and societies, mass individual migration, border colonization, overseas settlement colonization, empire-building wars of conquest, and the construction of naval networks. All six have different features such as their reasons to colonize, the impact on the indigenous population, and who the colonizers are, but they all branch from socio-economic factors. Osterhammel defines a colony as, “a new political organization created by invasion (conquest and/or settlement colonization) but built on pre-colonial conditions. Its alien rulers are in sustained dependence on a geographically remote ‘mother country’ or imperial center, which claims exclusive rights of ‘possession’ of the colony.” (Osterhammel 10) This is evident in all forms of colonialism in various ways – whether its the emigration of European families to New England or the Western European colonization of regions in Africa, all colonies are initially under rule by the mother country. Consequently, this creates an additional level of the hierarchy, even further oppressing indigenous peoples at times. This notion also contributes to the colonialist ideology, the belief that all outsiders are inferior and helpless. As we will discuss later in the course, often irrational superiority will inevitably lead to the fall of empires and decolonization. Osterhammel also discusses the evolution of colonialism/imperialism and what it has become in the past two centuries. For hundreds of years prior, colonialism took a more straight forward approach, inspired by land expansion and enslavement. While this is still apparent to this day, modern imperialism/colonization has deeper economic factors between colonizers and natives, as well as power tension between powerful nations. The latter is the root cause of imperialism; Osterhammel struggles to give one definitive definition, but one sentence draws the key distinction. He states, “imperialism is planned and carried out by chanceries, foreign ministries, and ministries of war, colonialism by special colonial authorities and ‘”men on the spot.”‘ (Osterhammel 22) While colonialism has several forms, imperialism is always rooted from a powerful nation’s greed.

There are many factors that affect the above description of modern imperialism; relationships between colonizing powers and the advancement of technology are two key influencers on the expansion of a nation’s colony. The first factor, relationships domestically and internationally, is arguably the most important when an imperialist considers where and when to colonize. Osterhammel discusses who the main decision makers are in a European society, such as foreign ministries and the ministries of war. They ultimately develop actions that the colonizer should take, but these are stemmed from other European powers and their often self-proclaimed borders in places such as Africa and Asia. J. Burbank and F. Cooper, authors of  “Imperial Repertoires and Myths of Modern Colonialism,” write about the significance of intercontinental relationships the nations have and how they can create limitations on other European power’s decisions. For example in King Leopold’s Belgian Congo, his rise to power in Africa and his ultimate fall were accredited to how other countries view Leopold’s intentions and business ventures. With a peaceful demeanor along with his tour of humanitarian policies, other European nations and the United States allowed Leopold to gain power and land in the Congo. The other type of relationship Burbank and Cooper write about is domestic conflicts and internal political strife. Up until antislavery and humanitarian societies arose in Europe and the U.S., colonists were able to rule in virtually any way they desired; Burbank and Cooper state, “Hitching much of the world to European ideas, European political institutions, and Europe’s capitalist economies did not spin the world’s peoples into a single web, as images of “globalization” imply. European empires left fragmented societies and great disparities of economic condition in their wake.” (289) Consistent with Osterhammel, when a group believes they’re superior in every way to a foreign group, the horrors are endless. However, all across the world, citizens of powerful countries began to protest and fight against their leaders, arguing that the mistreatment of Africans were unethical and morally unacceptable. Fortunately, such internal relationships led to the slow decline of slavery and halted the rapid rate of imperial expansion.The other key factor is the advancement of technologies and the advantages it gave colonizers. In Headrick’s “The Tools For Imperialism,” he discusses the importance of having the world’s best technology, specifically weapons, transportation, and modern medicine. As we already know, European superpowers couldn’t care less for the well-being of Africans or any outside group for that matter. In expeditions through Africa, new weapons were tested with little to no ethical backlash, and also absolutely no competition in terms of combat. These convenient tools of dominance allowed colonizer to manipulate the land and people of Africa with ease.

Working Definitions

Colonialism: A nation or people’s acquisition and expansion of land for socio-economic purposes, often exploiting natives of the colonized land.

Imperialism: A power-driven form of colonialism where an empire expands its sphere of influence by forcefully implementing their values on subjugating colonies.

Colony: A settlement created through colonialism for expansion purposes, or a military occupation of a foreign land.

Empire: An imperial center which often competes for power with neighboring nations or cities.

Colonialist Ideology: People outside of Europe were inferior mentally and physically, and their rule would only help the lower breeds.

Quinine Prophylaxis: A medicine developed for the treatment and prevention of Malaria.

Humanitarians: Any individual or group interested in human welfare.

Antislavery Societies: A specific branch of humanitarianism – abolitionist societies created to fight and eliminate slave practices.

Questions for Further Inquiry

Will our society ever return to such rapid forms of colonialism, or are nation borders along with international organizations such as the UN too powerful to foster another free-for-all?

Were certain indigenous cultures more suited to maintain their societal values?

About the Image

The Octopus of Cupidity.