Imperialism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
For the computer game, see Imperialism (video game).


Territories that have been, at one time or another, part of the British Empire

Imperialism, defined by the Dictionary of Human Geography, is “the creation and maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural and territorial relationship, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination.” Imperialism, in many ways, is described as a primarily western concept that employs “expansionist – capitalist – and latterly communist – systems."[1]

Imperialism is considered the control by one state of other territories. Through political or more often military means (direct imperialism), the imperial power may take over the government of a particular territory, or through economic processes (indirect imperialism), in which the concerned region is officially self-governing but linked to the imperial power by (often unequal) trade relations. Furthermore, the notion of cultural imperialism is indicated by “existing or traditional ways of life and ways of thinking [that] are subordinated to the culture of the imperialists.”[2]

The term imperialism commonly refers to a political or geographical domain such as the United States of America, the Ottoman Empire, the Spanish Empire, the French Empire[3] the Russian Empire,[4] the Chinese Empire, or the British Empire,[5] etc., but the term can equally be applied to domains of knowledge, beliefs, values and expertise, such as the empires of Christianity (see Christendom)[6] or Islam (see Caliphate).[7] Imperialism is usually autocratic, and also sometimes monolithic[8][clarification needed] in character.


Contents

[edit] Justification

A controversial aspect of imperialism is the imperial power’s defence and justification of such actions. Most controversial of all is the justification of imperialism done on scientific grounds. J. A. Hobson identifies this justification: “It is desirable that the earth should be marissa, governed, and developed, as far as possible, by the races which can do this work best, i.e. by the races of highest 'social efficiency'.”[9] This is clearly the racial argument, which pays heed to other ideas such as the “White Man’s Burden” prevalent at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Written in 1899 by Rudyard Kipling (a man born in India of English parents during the heyday of the British Empire), the “White Man’s Burden” is a poem that states that while it may be troublesome for the white man to create empires, it is what they need to do. This poem takes the approach that it is the burden of the white man to civilize natives, who only benefit from the wealth of the white man. This poem makes the reader feel as though it is the lives of the whites that are interrupted, rather than the natives who are expected to change their entire lifestyle and culture.

The principles of imperialism are often deeply connected to the policies and practices of British Imperialism "during the last generation, and proceeds rather by diagnosis than by historical description."[10] British Imperialist strategy centred on the fundamental concept of terra nullius (Latin expression which stems from Roman law meaning ‘empty land’). The country of Australia serves as a case study in relation to British imperialism. British settlement and colonial rule of the island of Australia in the eighteenth century was premised on terra nullius, for it was seen as a land that was ‘empty’ of inhabitants. Despite British claims, an estimated 350000 indigenous peoples were already living in Australia in the era of British conquest. The indigenous population suffered through years of political, social, and territorial oppression, however Aborigines were granted the right to vote comparatively early in Commonwealth elections, depending on whether their state allowed it. An example is in 1856, in NSW, where Aborigines were granted equal voting rights. It should be noted that the 1968 referendum only allowed the Commonwealth to count and administer Aborigines.

This form of imperialism can also be seen in British Columbia, Canada. In the 1840’s, the territory of British Columbia was divided into two regions, one space for the native population, and the other for non-natives. The indigenous peoples were often forcibly removed from their homes onto reserves. These actions were “justified by a dominant belief among British colonial officials that land occupied by Native people was not being used efficiently and productively.”[11] The abovementioned examples of imperialism are consistently racially motivated, and it is, undoubtedly, a driving force behind the concept of imperialism in this era.

[edit] Criticism

"Imperialism has been subject to moral censure by its critics, and thus the term is frequently used in international propaganda as a pejorative for expansionist and aggressive foreign policy."[12]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Johnston, Ronald John. The dictionary of human geography: Edition 4. Wiley-Blackwell: 2000. page 375. [http://books.google.ca/books?id=0-GxowMfwlkC&pg=PT1&lpg=PT1&dq=dictionary+of+human+geography&source=bl&ots=4CyN9B1rhd&sig=E3KtX4B8fvNDgKV-YzJr0RhVqKI&hl=en&ei=yc7cSq6HD5DWsgO5jqWxCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=imperialism&f=false
  2. ^ Painter, J. & Jeffrey, A., 2009. Political Geography 2nd ed., Sage. pg. 170
  3. ^ http://i-cias.com/e.o/imperialism.htm Ottoman Empire, French Empire, Encyclopedia of the Orient
  4. ^ http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/ The Empire that was Russia, Library of Congress
  5. ^ http://www.britishempire.co.uk/ The British Empire
  6. ^ http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=3350 John B Cobb, Christianity and Empire,
  7. ^ http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/ Islam Empire of Faith
  8. ^ http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/isj93/rees.htm John Rees, Imperialism: globalisation, the state and war, International Socialism Journal 93, Winter 2001
  9. ^ Hobson, J. A. "Imperialism: a study." Cosimo, Inc., 2005. pg. 154
  10. ^ Hobson, J. A. "Imperialism: a study." Cosimo, Inc., 2005. pg. V
  11. ^ Gilmartin, Mary. Gallaher, C. et al., 2008. Key Concepts in Political Geography, Sage Publications Ltd. : Imperialism/Colonialism. pg.116
  12. ^ "Imperialism." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd edition.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism"