In the 1700s and 1800s, the European world experienced the Industrial Revolution. New technologies, such as the steam engine, led to an economic and technological boom all over Europe, but beginning first in Great Britain.

Source: Factory 1, Wikimedia

Before long, Great Britain was producing so much stuff in its factories that British people alone couldn't afford to buy all the stuff! Additionally, British factories needed more resources and raw materials that could not be supplied by the British Isles alone.

In short, the British needed more resources and more customers, and so they looked to conquer areas overseas that provided for that need. The primary reason for imperialism was economics.

However, soon many other countries began to follow suit and capture overseas empires of their own. But the motivations were not always simply economic. This is especially true of the French and their empires in West African countries such as Algeria.

Below are the photos of six different people from France during the Age of Imperialism. Mouse over their photos to learn who they are. Match the quotes about imperialism with the proper photo by dragging the quote into their speech bubbles.