Reasons why Italy Expanded
During the 1800’s many European nations began to colonize Africa. The Italians had many reasons to colonize Africa. One main reason for Italy colonizing Africa was economics. By expanding Italy’s control to Libya, Eritrea, and Italian Somaliland, Italy gain the natural resources in the country. Another reason the Italians needed to colonize was the need to keep up politically with the other European nations. If Italy did not control territory in Africa, it would be politically inferior to other European nations, thus more susceptible to being taken advantage of by other nations. A third reason why Italy needed to colonize Africa was for security purposes. If Italy did not have territory in Africa then their military influence would not be as effective, since they would have much less influence with world affairs. . . .
It was very important for nations back then to stay politically parallel with each other, because if one nation begins to grow weak, the other surrounding nations can take advantage of it. It is a countries first priority to make sure that it remains safe and not vulnerable to enemy attacks. To accomplish this, countries must expand to create a balance of power with other nations. An example of this is when the fascists took over Ethiopia in 1936; the reason for the invasion was so Italy could feel as if like one of the more powerful nations, Britain and France. By conquering a country it gives the people of a nation a sense of superiority over a people. If Italy did not have claims in Africa then it would be less influential and less powerful from a military point of view. The balance of power created when countries expand at the same time, only heats competition among countries, driving them to want to expand farther. The third reason why it is important for Italy to colonize Africa is for security purposes. Acquiring new underdeveloped nations is the fastest way to quickly boost a nations power. Italian Somaliland had valuable farmland and pastures that helped produce food for Italy. Libya was particularly important to Italy because it is one of the worlds leading petroleum-producing countries. Having a direct source to a large deposit of oil gave Italy an edge over other European nations, because around this time period petroleum products started to become widely used in developed countries. Imperialistic times are typically times of great nationalist pride. The new source of food in Italy requires there to be less farmers, so they can move to the cities and work in factories, and help promote the economy.
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