Imperialism
Imperialism is the practice of extending power and domination through the acquisition of political power and economic power. Countries that gained political power and economic control gained them over the expense of other countries that were considered weaker. Imperialism was not good for the world since it only served to benefit those who were powerful. Imperialism aimed at exploiting other societies through trade and investment. The countries that were powerful such as the Europeans, created imperialism so that they get resources for raw material. Imperialism, therefore, led to the expansion of their industrial society while they were taking resources from weaker societies. Imperialism was used by powerful countries to control important sites such as sea lanes and harbors politically. Imperialism benefited powerful countries that applied their culture to other societies with the aim of civilization.
The weaker states never benefited from imperialism. Most of the states lost their territories to powerful states. For instance, central Asia lost its territories to Russia. Imperialism created a dependency of the small states to the powerful countries. Imperialism destroyed the local economies by importing cheap goods. Weak states relied on foreign loans, thus accepting foreign administration. While the Europeans enforced their culture to the local societies, conflicts rose due to the erosion of culture and identity. The powerful states used imperialism to enter into treaties that were only beneficial to them. For instance, the British used treaties, which increased the movement of their citizens and the acquisition of trading centers such as ports. While imperialism allowed the European nations to gain wealth, power, and advance their technologies, the indigenous nations were working for them and offered them valuable resources such as Gold in Africa. Imperialism favored those that controlled the indigenous people. This led to conflicts between the imperial nations and the indigenous people.