A French propaganda poster supporting the united French empire showing an Arab, and African tribesman, and a Southeast Asian standing together in front of the French flag.

Source: French Colonial Nations, Wikimedia

Imperialism is when one country dominates another one politically, economically, and in some cases even culturally.

In a basic sense, imperialism has been around for a long time. In ancient times, large empires such as Rome and China would dominate neighboring peoples. During the Age of Exploration, Spain and Portugal ruled vast overseas empires after they conquered the Americas.

However, in the 1700s and 1800s the world began to witness a "new imperialism," led first by the British but followed by many other European countries.

Let's look at a political cartoon on the topic of imperialism published at the time:

Source: English imperialism octopus, Wikimedia


Interactive exercise. Assistance may be required.

Clearly, opinions were divided about the value of imperialism, even during those times.

You might be wondering, what was "new" about the "new imperialism?" Why did it start out with Great Britain? Well, let's find out!