How Did European Countries Gain Power In The 19th Century

Throughout all of the 19th century, European countries were scrambling to obtain more power than each other by taking land, especially from Africa and Southeast Asia. These two areas were geographically the most convenient for Europe, as well as having incredible amounts of raw materials, resources, and territory. Assets such as slaves, gold, and ivory were accessible in Africa, and in Southeast Asia there were rubber plants, oil, and tin. This expansion, also called imperialism, led to many uprisings and changing of power in these areas. Europeans used imperialism to expand their land, gain resources and materials, and increase their power. Land has always been an extremely important asset to countries, but this was especially true during