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European Imperialism In The 19th Century

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European Imperialism In The 19th Century
The three main factors of imperialism in the 19th century were economics, military/ technological advancements and cultural/social differences. After European countries became industrialized, they started to colonize countries in weaker continents like Asia and Africa. The industrial revolution combined with a sense of superiority greatly enabled the expansion of European dominance in countries that were less equipped to protect themselves.

The economic differences in Europe and Africa caused imperialism between the two continents. Because industrial countries were ahead of the game, they were constantly looking for new locations to sell their products and expand their markets. “...industrial countries also attempted to sell their own products,
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Because white people were considered superior, and most of the population in Africa was of color, countries were more vulnerable to the white men who traveled there to colonize and industrialize the land. “The British empire was a racial construct in which whites were of higher status than non-whites”(Jackson 42-43). Whenever a white, male European traveled to Africa they were considered the “master” which showed how they were viewed as superior to colored men. The difference between colored and non-colored men made it easy for Europeans to take over land in countries with a majority of the population being of colored people. There was also a set in stone social standard of what society should be and Africa's people were considered inferior to Europe's people. “...rulers cannot allow the ruled to become too like them, because this would denote equality”(Jackson 33). The social differences between classes made rulers worry about the equality of classes and did everything in their power to avoid that from happening.

The expansion of european territories and land around the world during the 19th century was mainly due to economics, military/ technological advancements and cultural/social differences. The industrial revolution greatly influenced the ease of dominance. These factors combined allowed Africa and Asia to become vulnerable to occupation from foreign countries, especially the British

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