Old vs. New Imperialism

Unit 5: Imperialism

Imperialism: The practice of a

country extending its

influence over

another through

military and/or

diplomatic force

Old Imperialism● ~1450-1700

● Mainly focused on finding trade

routes to India

○ Spices

● No major conquest

○ Mainly set up trade

stations and colonies

● Motivations

○ Spread Christianity (God)

○ Gold/Silver (Gold)

○ Spirit of adventure (Glory)

Old Imperialism ● Major Examples:

○ Columbian Exchange

○ Atlantic Slave Trade

Columbian Exchange

● New plants, animals,

and diseases

exchanged between

Europe and the

Americas

○ Part of massive

trade network

Plants and Animals Old World New World

Horses

Potatoes

Tobacco

Cattle

Wheat

Tomatoes

Oranges

Sugar

Columbian Exchange

Effects of the Exchange

● Population growth across

the world

● European diseases

devastate Native

American population

Atlantic Slave Trade

● Primarily due to sugarcane

○ Not enough Native Americans to

use for labor

● Increased demand for African slaves

○ Mainly from African coasts

○ Supporters and critics

● Slaves became part of Triangular

Trade

New Technology

Europe

AfricaAmericas

Manufactured Goods: Guns, Cloth, Rum

Enslaved Africans

Raw Goods (Tobacco, Molasses, Sugar, Cotton)

Triangular Trade

Effects of the Slave Trade

● Depopulation in African states

● Increased warfare between African peoples

● Continued use of African labor

New Imperialism

Mid 1800s-1914

• Conquest is the focus

• Use of economic and

technological means to make

regions economically

dependent as suppliers of

raw materials and

consumers

84% of the world was colonized

What Stayed the

Same?

● Guided by feeling of

superiority

● Exploitation of land, labor,

and capital

● Guided by civilizing or

Christianizing mission

● Use of new technologies

● Spirit of capitalism

● Markets exploited by

dominant cultures

Exit Ticket

On a half sheet, answer the following using complete

sentences:

1. What were the 3 primary reasons for European exploration/old

imperialism?

2. How were Europeans eventually able to open markets in Africa’s

interior?

3. What is the key difference between Old and New Imperialism?

4. Describe each leg of the triangular trade