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EARLY BELGIAN COLONIAL EFFORTS - The University of Texas at ...

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more difficult issues <strong>of</strong> a study <strong>of</strong> this period. For simplicity, and specifically in regard<br />

to this paper, imperialism is defined as the political, economic, and military control or<br />

domin<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>of</strong> one n<strong>at</strong>ion over another noncontiguous area or n<strong>at</strong>ion without the free<br />

consent <strong>of</strong> the people contained therein. Colonialism will be defined as imperialism<br />

with the added transplant<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>of</strong> people from the domin<strong>at</strong>ing n<strong>at</strong>ion to live in wh<strong>at</strong><br />

becomes a colony. Although somewh<strong>at</strong> simplistic, these two definitions will suffice for<br />

the purposes herein. For convenience, and reasons to be discussed, the term colonialism<br />

will be used in lieu <strong>of</strong> imperialism unless imperialism is meant.<br />

It is the general consensus <strong>of</strong> historians th<strong>at</strong> there were three major causes <strong>of</strong><br />

New Imperialism, along with several advances or conditions th<strong>at</strong> permitted or helped it<br />

to occur when it did. <strong>The</strong>se major areas were the political, economic, and cultural<br />

conditions th<strong>at</strong> began in the early nineteenth century and came to a head in the last<br />

quarter <strong>of</strong> the century, along with the ability to transl<strong>at</strong>e these conditions into action.<br />

Wh<strong>at</strong> distinguished this phase <strong>of</strong> Western Imperialism from all others was the depth,<br />

intensity, and unprecedented scale <strong>of</strong> its reach, 18 especially the “Scramble for Africa” in<br />

the 1880s.<br />

Despite the tendency to reduce world history to its lowest economic<br />

denomin<strong>at</strong>or, 19 economics and industrialism were not in themselves enough to drive<br />

imperialism. Political justific<strong>at</strong>ion and the realpolitik <strong>of</strong> the n<strong>at</strong>ions involved would be<br />

18<br />

Not only did Europe divide up Africa but Russia expanded its territorial boundaries throughout<br />

Asia, Japan began its march into Korea and l<strong>at</strong>er China and the United St<strong>at</strong>es expanded outside its<br />

continental boundaries across the Pacific as far as the Philippines, with territorial interests also in China.<br />

19<br />

<strong>The</strong> classic economic discussions are J. A. Hobson, <strong>The</strong> War in South Africa: Its Causes and<br />

Effects (New York: Macmillan Co., 1900); and Vladimir Illich Lenin, Imperialism, the Highest Stage <strong>of</strong><br />

Capitalism; a Popular Outline (Peking: Foreign Language Press, 1970).<br />

20

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