American Imperialism

Today, the United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world, and its influence grows by the day. This influence manifests itself in a variety of ways; the United States wields economic, political, military, and cultural influence across the world. Throughout the second part of the 1800s, the United States experienced the Industrial Revolution, and the American economy transitioned from one based mostly on agriculture to one centered on produced and manufactured goods and tools. The United States seized the northern part of Mexico during the Mexican American War (1846-1848). The United States took possession of the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Cuba during the Spanish-American War of 1898..Following these acts of imperialism, in which one country expands its rule over another, the United States became a world power.

Exploration, economic expansion fueled by the Industrial Revolution and economic competition among industrial nations, increased political power, the diffusion of ideological beliefs such as the popular concept of nationalism that rose quickly, and the spread of religious beliefs and practices to others were the five main reasons for American and European imperialism, with Spain and the United States serving as perfect examples.

The United States' imperial aim was driven by both a desire for additional markets for its industrial products and a conviction in the racial and cultural superiority of Americans.

----> Colonialism linked to imperialism: The principle of colonialism was trading, if one has an excess of something, then the solution is to trade it. Colonialism is based on trading the excess you have. however, the extreme of colonialism is Spain which started conquering the new world and converting it to god as in a Christian mission, However, the problem is that they took and did not give. Gold and silver ruined Spain and lead them to stagnation because they were not doing trade but only taking. However, two groups in colonialism can be seen: the superpowers, and the little powers. The little powers trade because it will make them rich cause they are not powerful enough to conquer, an example is the Dutch. However, the British are different and don’t fit into any of these groups as they colonize countries with people but also trade. During this time, the great Britain empire covers half of the world and France 25 percent. Thus, three fourth of the world is owned by comedy else.

Imperialism: Imperialism is colonialism gone wrong, it is geopolitical chaos between empires that will eventually cause war, it starts on the outside and then will slowly lead into Europe.

----> Imperialism linked to nationalism: also rises from nationalism which is the idea that you have to wrap a country around political ideology, add military support, and fuel the country with the idea that it is the best. However, this combination makes imperialism bad, and how Napoleon influenced other countries to nationalism. In 1799 Napoleon breaks the monarchy by exporting the idea of constitutional democracy, and France shifted from a monarchy to an ideology. However, people weren’t ready to die for the monarchy but for doctrine. For example, on July 14, 1789, French revolutionaries met in front of the Bastille and refused to enter. When the governor of the Bastille refused, they entered by force and cut off the governor's head, to make him walk in the streets of Paris. this act has great symbolic meaning because the Parisian people showed the monarchy that the thirst for freedom and equality is stronger than the fear of dying. Unity is now identity characterized by what you believe in, not religion, but politics. People are now fighting for their rights and ideology unites them. However, this new concept and the emergence of this ideology is dangerous as the end of monarchy influences other countries that turn this concept into chaos.

Furthermore, it leads authoritarian rulers to realize that it can regroup masses f people as they will use it as a way of creating a nation-state in which they remain in control. For example, Hitler instead of unifying the country, excludes others, by exclaiming that what we are is what we are not, establishing the bases for fascism, and the rise of Nazism.

Furthermore, this ideology that motivated the French revolutionaries is the motivation that unites people by attacking other countries. In this era, in particular, nationalism pushed the governments of Britain, France, Germany, and other European powers to compete, first in Europe and then around the world. Nationalism motivated imperialists to take new colonies before their competitors could.

CONCEPTS

----> Social Darwinism linked to imperialism: Charles Darwin's concept of "survival of the fittest" applied to mankind. It is the belief that some people are fitter and better than others and hence should do better in society. This notion had an effect on imperialism since it was used to legitimize it. Some people believed that because the major cities and white people are superior, they should be able to conquer the weak countries and poor populations. As a result, social Darwinism offers conceptual backing and justification for imperialism and the subjugation of indigenous peoples and territories. However, this notion is problematic because it contributed