The Compelling Motives of Imperialism
The presence of Europe in Africa in the late nineteenth century was one of extreme power. The countries of France, Britain, and Germany had especially large claims to the African continent during this time. The motives of imperialism for these countries greatly define Europe at this time. Insatiable desires for economic markets, power and political struggles, the motivating belief in Social Darwinism, and the European idea of superiority were the driving forces at the European home front in the late nineteenth century. Many of the causes for imperialism in Africa were evident in Joseph Conrad's turn of the century novel, Heart of Darkness. Successful domination of Africa was not attainable prior to the eighteen hundreds. The obstacles of travel and disease were too powerful to overcome. However, with the development of the steamship and the protection from malaria in the form of quinine, Europeans tackled Africa with a renewed energy (Sanderson "Imperialism notes"). A European council c
Salt, spices, gold, silver, and diamonds were constantly searched for on all continents that the Europeans explored. Europeans contained the belief that their customs and religious values were the sole method in living. Joseph Conrad illustrates a partial account of imperialism in an African region in Heart of Darkness. The introduction of machinery reduced the number of workers Messner 2 needed on the European home front. There had been a lot of such rot let loose in print and talk just about that time, and the excellent woman, living right in the rush of all that humbug, got carried off her feet. The earnest desire of some to help civilize and Christianize natives was the utmost reason for imperialism. Countries competed for "strategic passages" and "overseas bases" in locations throughout Africa (Lehmann "European Imperialism). These motives are questioned in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Missionaries from throughout Europe desired to journey to foreign lands in order to teach the civilized and Christian ways of living to the natives. Political and nationalistic rivals were fueled and each European power desired to prosper greater than their competitors did. Often missionaries were in competition for converts, and thus supplied imperialism with other drives (Patterson, par. Furthermore, an "expanded market" was needed after the rise of the Industrial Revolution (Sanderson "Imperialism notes"). A new source of economic resources for ever growing European wants also encouraged imperialism. Surpluses of products demanded a larger community to obtain the goods. ongregated in 1885 and drew up the Berlin Act, which was responsible for the carving of Africa into pieces of land for the major imperialistic powers in Europe (Lehmann "The Scramble for Africa").
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