Why were Europeans able to conquer most of the known world during the Age of Imperialism?
Imagine a life without a proper education, without any technology, or even electricity, without there always being enough food, without much meat, without even a real home; this is how many people live in developing countries, such as New Guinea. Across the world,many people have civilizations have lived as hunters and gatherers for thousands of years. Then, some places experienced a evolution while others did not. In locations, such as the Fertile Crescent, people started taking back seeds and animals to their villages(Gachegua, Episode 1). This was the beginning of permanent homes, as well as farming. People began to domesticate food and animals. For example, horses were tamed to pull plows, a more effective way to farm. However, places like New Guinea were unable to evolve because they did not have any plants or animals in their location that could be domesticated. So, as Europeans had more free time because, they were able to invent new technologies(Gachegua, Episode 1). Meanwhile, New Guineans continued to spend the
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Since masses of people in Europe were moving from the rural areas to the cities, there was now a working force for the factories. New technology was now being rapidly invented and older technology was being radically improved, including automatic weapons and steel which helped the Europeans immensely in conquering the known world. The reason why one hundred sixty eight Spaniards were able to go to the Inca Empire and conquer seven thousand Incas was that the Spaniards had more advanced weapons(Gachegua, Episode 2). Their firearms and steel weapons were never seen before in South America so the Spaniards were able to kill and control the population there. These weapons gave the power to the conquistadors; the nations they conquered were not able to properly defend themselves against new world
In the early twentieth century, Europe as a whole possessed great power and influence across the globe. Imperialism brought many European countries more territory and capital, making it easier for competition to thrive amongst these nations over influence and money. While the growth and mass advancement of technology made it easy to assume peace and prosperity ran rampant across Europe, the opposite was true under the façade of a wealthy, powerful continent. Complicated alliances, advanced weaponry, and misleading accusations throughout Europe led to the First World War, the greatest war the world had yet seen.
Guns and steel helped the Europeans fight in an easier way. The guns were lighter and more easy to carry around. They were also easier to aim. Also, steel could be shaped in many different ways to form spears or swords. The Europeans spread deadly germs like smallpox and measles to people who did not have the antibodies to fight them off. This wiped out most of the population of those people. Lastly, natural resources provided important materials. An animal like a horse was a scary large animal who could easily fright many people who are not used to seeing horses. A horse also provided transportation that was quicker than walking. Other animals provided fur, and food which was also very helpful. In order to fight with swords you needed them to have the perfect point and shape. Natural resources like coal and trees made this possible by providing heat to shape the metal. In conclusion, by using great battle tactics like the Europeans did, it is possible to conquer from
“Guns, germs, and steel” refers to the geographical advantages and disadvantages that were present in early civilizations. Although Europeans some may see them as a genetically superior race, their large amounts of success is due to geographical advantages (Source 1)( Diamond, year). It is shown throughout Diamond’s discoveries that because these three continents lay of the same vertical latitude, they are able to keep up with each other when it comes to livestock (Source 1). Geography has played a major key in shaping the current day cultures of Eurasia, South America, and Africa. Jared Diamond stated in episode one of Guns, Germs, and Steel that Europeans were put on this pedestal over the other continents spoken about in the video.
The 14th century all the way towards the 18th century marked Europe's conquest of the "new world" or the Americas in hopes of expanding and improving their empires. These centuries show the priorities of the individual European states and their motivations to conquer the new world. The most important factors that guided the Europeans to the conquest of the new world are the need to grow a larger land base to sustain their economy, the burning desire for wealth, and the want for a new beginning for the oppressed minorities in Europe. The growing population in Europe required more space and land to grow crops and other materials to sustain their population and economy, making the Americas an ideal place to conquer. Wealth was also an incentive
European imperialism in Africa Occurred between 1871-1914. Imperialism is the domination by a powerful nation over the political, economics and cultural affairs of another nation or region. The industrial revolution was the primary cause to imperialism while political causes were the the secondary causes. The military and technology are the third cause to African imperialism.
Throughout the 19th and 20th century, imperialism was a common force used by Europeans against ethnic countries. They used a superior demeanor implemented by social darwinism to convince natives that their way of life and international affairs were uncivilized in order to gain control of their land for selfish economic interests. Although the Europeans promised a progressive society by establishing colonies, they also forced civilization, stole resources, and stripped away culture.
What is imperialism? Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Beginning in the 1800s European explorers began to push their way into the interiors of western and central Africa. In 1807 the British outlawed the trans-Atlantic and in 1833 slavery itself bringing a new wave of imperialism. What were the driving force behind European Imperialism in Africa?
European imperialism started as a source for raw materials and a way to gain advantages over their rival countries (Spielvogel and McTighe 226). Yet, the African countries being imperialized were impacted by this settlement in many positive ways (Spielvogel and McTighe 231). Europeans brought ideas of Westernization and influenced the societies that were not yet industrialized and ones that lacked the modern elements many European countries had acquired (Spielvogel and McTighe 235). Through the spread of western ideals and democracy, the people of Africa were inspired to pursue their own self-rule and continuation of the modernization that the European imperialists left behind on the continent. When European nations first imperialized the African
The European powers that were in much need for resources during the 1500s through 1800s were Great Britain, France and Germany. During 1500 and 1800 Africa seemed like an impossible feat to conquer because of malaria but this wouldn’t stop the persistence of the leaders of France and Great Britain. The idea of exploring and conquering new land meant more to these leaders because of the motivation to keep their national security strong and keep their economy stronger. These countries would use their remaining resources to look for more disposable ones so that their empires could grow considerably. Great Britain would be dug in the
Europeans were in a much closer proximity to the Americas than they were to asian countries. European societal groups, which included the competing merchants, impoverished nobles, monarchs, and commoners, Christian missionaries, and minorities different yet very strong motivations for having participation in empire building. European trading companies enabled the mobilization of both material resources like wood and crops as well as humans. The Disease in the Americas that had been brought by spanish conquerors made the natives weak and unable to stop the European invasion
Although Europe may have encountered a series of obstacles along the way, European countries collectively imperialized the entire country of Africa for many reasons. European countries seized land by utilizing technological advancements to their advantage, to gain power and rise above competing other European countries, and to spread their own culture and religion throughout Africa. European countries did technically compete with each other to conquer African land, but altogether each country eventually came together to take over the entire country. All of these reasons share one common factor: they only benefit the Europeans. From the way Europeans treated Africans and forcefully took over their country, it is clear that Europeans would destroy any other countries without hesitation to gain as much power as
The Europeans all scrambled to colonize Africa for t’s raw materials and land. THey had justified it as the White Man’s burden. They believed that is was their responsibility as a more developed race to help Africa catch up in technology, government, economics etc. Rhodes even said, “-and that the more of the world we inhabit, the better it is for the human race.” (Doc, 1) With this mindset, Europeans colonized Africa and started to export raw materials such as rubber, diamonds, gold, palm oil etc. White man’s burden led to Imperialism because they thought taking over other countries was the only to help them move forward. In doing so, they also spread their power and influence throughout the world. The White man's burden was also accompanied
In, the age of exploration, the Old World’s and the New World’s ideologies clashed. The Old World introduced their many advancements in technology with the indigenous nations. However, the explorers and settlers also introduced new weapons of mass destruction and many new diseases to the Natives. The Spanish and Portuguese were the first European powers to come to the New World. The Spanish came to modern day Central America and interacted with many of the indigenous tribes, including a tribe called the Aztecs. The Spanish went to war with the Aztecs and prevailed because of their advanced weaponry, the help of the other tribes who were enemies of the Aztecs, and diseases that wiped out many of the Native population.
There are many reasons as to why the Europeans were able to make empires far away from their homelands. The first reason being that Europeans were near the Americas unlike their opponents (Asia) in which were father away. The Europeans were determined to gain more land, enlarge the religion of Christianity, and expand the economy by gaining more territory. Every European had their own reasoning for wanting to expand therefore, everyone had their own motives. Another reason that enabled them was that they were also involved in trading which helped them transport items to and from the Americas. The last reason was the Europeans immunity to diseases. While many Americans fell ill because of all of the European diseases, the Europeans did not, enabling them to conquer more land.
What aspects do you think motivated Europe imperialism in Africa? Between 1500-1800, Europe traded along the west coast of Africa, but they were not able to reach the interior due to all the diseases they could catch. In the 1800s, European explorers had a cure for diseases and were prepared to push their way into the interior of the continent. By the 1880s, European nations competed with one another for control over Africa. With this being said, what do you think motivated Europe to imperialize in Africa? Many things contributed to the driving force behind European imperialism, such as politics, economics, and cultural attitudes.