Imperialism in India and China

Colonialism and Imperialism

The policy  adopted by the European countries from AD1492- AD1763 is known as Colonialism. During this period England, France, Spain and Portugal established their colonies in the Asian and American continents.

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Colonialism refers to the policy of acquiring and maintaining colonies especially for exploitation. It also means that it is a relationship between an indigenous majority and minority foreign invaders.

Imperialism is a state policy and is developed for ideological as well as financial reasons. Imperialism is the concept  whereas  colonialism  is the practice.

This policy of imperialism followed by European countries from A.D.1870- A.D.1945 is known as  New Imperialism.

The major forms of Imperialism

Imperialism took three major forms in the 19th century.

Military Imperialism

Ruling a country directly by the military forces is called as Military Imperialism. For example, the USA’s invasion against Iraq with its military power forced it to have another sort of government favourable to the USA.

Political Imperialism

Ruling a country indirectly by keeping a puppet government is called as Political Imperialism. For example, the British conquered territories in India and appointed their own officers and changed the existing political structure.

Economic Imperialism

An imperialist country controlling the economic power of another country to exploit its natural resources is called Economic Imperialism. For example, China was politically independent under the Manchu rule, but it was economically controlled by the European and American countries.

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Topics covered in this page:

Major forms of imperialism

Three major forms of imperialism