Indeed, these raw materials formed the backbone of European consumerism and industrial development and the fact they were unavailable in mainland Europe provided another reason for piquing European interest in Africa. Capital was often more profitably invested overseas- cheap labour, limited competition, and land rich in raw materials that were easy to extract made a greater return possible. Thus, during the Long Depression (1873-1896) Africa offered Europe an open market that could foster the kind of trade surplus that could help kick start the ailing European economies. Shillington continues that Africa offered the perfect opportunity for European powers, especially Britain, to redress the increasingly dire Balance of Payments situation and ease the rabidly protectionist nature of the continental markets. Indeed, as Shillington cites, Africa saw a transition from ‘informal imperialism’ of exerting influence through military and economic dominance to that of direct rule from London, Paris, Berlin and other European capitals. The great example of this was the scramble for Africa. The imposition of the will of a nation over another must have roots in autocratic principles merely by the fact that democracy has been quashed by the substitution of the government of the host nation by the colonial power’s own regime. Indeed, Rees continues by saying that not only can imperialism be an excuse for a somewhat dubious exertion of power, rather is, by necessity, autocratic. Indeed, Hobson suggests that such a projection of power can justify direct military intervention as well as economic coercion, political pressure or simple colonisation to achieve the aim of spreading the direct and indirect influence of the imperial master. Imperialism is considered the desire to extend the influence of one’s nation over the, primarily, economic and political machinations of other nations to the colonial powers’ benefit. Indeed, such case studies need to underscore the basic issues of democratic-imperialistic interaction in a microcosm- and as such I intend to look at Joseph Chamberlain and Theodore Roosevelt, in the British and American perspectives respectively, in order to see firstly how suitable each is in fulfilling the role of democrat and imperialist, as well as seeing how they personally dealt with issues concerning democracy and imperialism.įirstly, however, we need to clarify what democracy and imperialism are and how that is applicable in a practical context. However, the overlapping issues of both imperialism and democracy, and the subsequent conflicts of interest need to be highlighted before we set such findings against the backdrop of our specific case studies. In such a vast topic as examining the compatibility of democracy and imperialism we need to select two case studies that allow us not only to examine the interaction between democratic and imperialistic principles but also the practical compromise that both strains of thought are forced to come to. Has democracy proved compatible with imperialism?Īnswer with reference to at least two case studies.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |