 During the 1800s, two underlying factors (“root causes”) drove industrialized nations to claim colonies in the non-industrialized world:  1) Capitalism: Industrialized nations needed to acquire natural resources and markets for manufactured goods in order to fuel their capitalist economies  2) Nationalism: Industrialized nations competed with each other for power  But the domination/subjugation of other peoples ran counter to the Enlightenment ideals of freedom and natural rights that had become a part of the culture in much of the industrialized world;  Therefore, leaders of the imperialist nations were forced to find ways to justify their imperialist policies

 One common justification for imperialism was the desire to convert people in the non-industrialized world to Christianity  This justification appealed to people’s sense of duty towards others—what could be more important than “saving the souls” of non-Christians?  In the late 1800s, this justification was expanded;  Proponents of imperialism argued that it was the duty of people in the industrialized world to bring all of the benefits of Western “civilization” to the non- industrialized world  An American poet, Rudyard Kipling, captured this sentiment in his poem, “The White Man’s Burden”

 Christian missionaries taking up the “White Man’s Burden”

 Another justification for imperialism was the philosophy of “Social Darwinism”  Several respected thinkers in Western nations argued that Darwin’s theory of natural selection could be applied to human societies;  Those nations/cultures that were the most advanced would thrive and dominate the world;  More primitive cultures would be dominated, or subsumed, or simply die out  (What else could Social Darwinism be used to justify, besides imperialism?)

 What do you think this phrase means?:  “Might makes Right”  In the 1860s and 1870s, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck voiced and employed a philosophy of Realpolitik in his governance of Prussia and Germany  (Side note: Italy and Germany became unified nations in 1870/1871)  Realpolitik means that politics should not be based on ethics or morals;  Instead, nations’ policies should be based simply on what is practical/possible;  Nations should do what benefits them, using whatever power they have

 Regardless of how imperialist policies were justified, the reality of imperialism made it obvious that the imperialist nations were in reality concerned about two things:  Power and Profit  Imperialist armies crushed any resistance to imperialism with brutal force,  Native peoples’ lands were taken,  Native people were forced to work in mines and on plantations, under brutal conditions, for inadequate pay