Imperialism

Formal or informal expansionist process in which a stronger state gains territorial, political, and economic hegemony or control over a weaker state. Imperialism has taken, and continues to take, many forms and can apply to political, economic, or cultural domains. In each case, the central notion is the creation of empire—the expansion of an already large sphere of influence. The stronger state feels the need to expand in order to control a large territory. Although this territory may be multiethnic and multinational, the peoples of conquered territories remain oriented toward the imperial nation and serve its interests.

Political Aspects of Imperialism

An imperialist nation is one that seeks to build an empire, gaining in national security, wealth, prestige, and power. The nation (known by political scientists as the core) looks outside its territory (to the periphery) to achieve these ends and uses force, typically in the form of military power, to realize its ambitions.

In some cases, this use of military force means invading another sovereign state. In other cases, the target of the expansion is not another nation—although [Page 349]it may be occupied by a people (or many peoples) with their own institutions and societies. In this instance, the imperialist power may consider the territory unclaimed land because it has no formal government. Once a territory has been conquered, the imperialist power establishes a legal, military, political, and economic presence that results in the core nation's dominance.

Legally, the imperialist power formally claims the land as its own, gives it a name, delineates its boundaries, and takes responsibility for it on the international scene. The conquered land becomes part of the nation, and any threat to it by a hostile power is regarded as an attack on the nation itself. The people in the territory, however, may or may not be treated as full and equal citizens.

In some cases, the imperialist power may install a full administrative structure in the conquered state. This was the strategy adopted by France toward its African colonies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the imperial power may merely send a trained group of administrators to the colony and allow cooperative local leaders to manage local affairs. The British adopted this strategy of limited rule in their colonial holdings.

Economic and Social Aspects of Imperialism

Economically, the imperialist relationship is inherently exploitative—the core power extracts one or several raw materials from the conquered territory for its own enrichment. Financial or structural investment in the territory is generally confined to obtaining these raw materials. It often does not include the development of infrastructure, such as financial institutions, roads, or transportation systems. Imperialism is often seen as monopolistic capitalism because the conquered territories are obliged to tailor their economic output to the specifications of the imperialist core.

Societal relations between the core and the periphery are likewise based on dominance and subordination. The people in the core consider themselves superior to the conquered peoples of the periphery. The core often tries to assert that people in the periphery lack the intelligence or ability to govern themselves properly. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, European imperialist powers went so far as to say that imperial rule actually served the interests of conquered peoples.

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