Causes and Consequences of Colonial Expansion

¶ … 1800-1914 is characterized by the rapid development of capitalist and market relations in both hemispheres of the globe. In the 19th century most of the European states already had a developed system of colonialism in Africa and Asia that was essential for the development of industry, as the colonies became the customers of the metropolitan products produced on the base of raw materials brought from colonies. The struggle for the suppliers of the raw materials was essential during that epoch, because the existence of suppliers would guarantee the prosperity of industrial production and goods exchange.

The development of production and market relations are integral components of each other and with the growing wealth of business, their interests began to penetrate into politics as well, because they have to get the support and ensure their stability and prosperity from the side of government. This was relatively new for the 19th century European civilization but it's a characteristic feature of an industrial capitalist state. In the second half of the nineteenth century the dependence of Latin America upon the interests of the northern neighbor is getting more and more obvious, as the United States are becoming the major importer of fruits, other agricultural products and raw materials for industry from Latin America.

On the other hand in eastern hemisphere, Western Asia and Northern Africa had been always the regions of the increased political interest from the side of European super powers as they were the gates way to the markets of Asia, Eastern Europe (through the black sea). The construction of the Suez Canal by English companies in 1859-1869 had shorted tremendously the distance between Europe and Asia and boosted the goods exchange between two parts of the world. Besides growing economical interaction between the European and Asia world the nineteenth century is characterized by the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the decline of Turkey itself. The feudal system of relations in the Ottoman Empire stopped the development of capitalist relations and resulted the economical decline of the state. As a result Ottoman Empire trying to save its influence over the conquered territories was transformed in a half colonial state of the European superpowers of France and Great Britain and a bridge-head against Russian expansion to Southern Asia and Middle east.

Already in the middle of the nineteenth century there had occurred colonial repartition of African continent. Europeans had definite financial interests in African colonies. First of all it was abundance of wood, latex, coffee, cotton, etc.; at the same time Africa appeared to be rich in gold, diamonds and copper. As the result Africa was divided between France, Belgium, Britain, Portugal and Germany. The result of colonial arbitrariness poured out into the waves of riots and rebels from the side of native population. The biggest were led by Chaka, Samori and others. But the further exploration of African entrails only strengthened the positions of European colonialism on African continent, as the more minerals where found. The conditions of the native population were unbearable, nearly none of them had any rights or freedoms, most of the native Africans were forced to work on plantations and mines and their labor was sometimes not different from that one of slaves.

China and Eastern Asia had experienced the influence of European colonialism as well. Hundreds years of isolation from the rest of the world were broken by European intervention in the nineteenth century. As a result diverse market relations were established, but to make China more dependent on European capital, British and French started to import opium, making addicted dozen millions of Chinamen. All the attempts of Chinese emperor to stop import of opium failed, and only made the conditions of China worse. The crisis of feudal system of production caused economical decline of Manchu dynasty, but still China remained an unexplored and unexploited market for European goods. European and American imperialism was interested in usage of Chinese markets for their goods and they wanted to establish the policy of "open doors" and equal opportunities for trade in China or divide it on the spheres of influence (as it was proposed by French and part of English capital).