PaperDue

Essay Topic Hub

Imperialism
Essays

616+ paper examples, study guides & outlines

616 papers

UG & Grad levels

Free to browse

What is Imperialism?

Imperialism refers to the practice by which powerful nations extend political, economic, and cultural dominance over weaker territories and peoples. It appears frequently in political science, history, and international relations courses because it shaped the modern world order in fundamental ways. Students are drawn to the topic because it sits at the intersection of power, ideology, and human consequence, raising questions about how Europe and other dominant nations built empires across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and beyond. Its connections to colonialism, racial hierarchy, industrialization, and both World Wars make it academically rich and persistently relevant to understanding contemporary global politics.

The papers archived on this topic reflect a wide range of approaches. Many take a historical and regional lens, examining imperialism in Africa during the nineteenth century, its aftermath in Asia following World War II, or its dynamics in the Caribbean Basin through foreign policy analysis. Others are comparative, tracing connections between industrial capitalism and imperial expansion, or linking imperialism to racial othering as a broader ideological system. Some papers engage in literary criticism, using Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness to examine how imperial ideology was represented and challenged in literature. Still others adopt a broad survey approach, covering the Protestant Reformation, New Imperialism, and the lead-up to global conflict.

A strong essay on imperialism requires a focused thesis that moves beyond simply cataloguing events toward explaining causes, mechanisms, or consequences. Evidence drawn from specific regions, time periods, or policy decisions carries more weight than sweeping generalizations. Writers should be careful to avoid treating imperialism as a single uniform phenomenon — its expression differed significantly across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas — and a well-scoped essay will acknowledge that complexity without losing argumentative clarity.

616 papers

Sort by:

Paper Doctorate

Athenian morality and imperialism in Thucydides' Peloponnesian War

Did 'might make right' during the Peloponnesian War?

Research Paper Undergraduate

Ethnic conflict and imperialism as roots of Balkan terrorism

¶ … ethnic strife and historic imperialism in the past to understand recent terrorist activities in the Balkans.

Paper Undergraduate

Collective security agreements and state sovereignty implications

Collective Security's Affect on State Sovereignty:

Paper Undergraduate

Stephen Rabe's "The Killing Zone" and U.S. Latin American Cold War policy

When it comes to Latin American Cold-War policy, the results have been far worse than Roosevelt ever imagined. From a policy of being a good neighbor through trade and peaceful monitoring, to a policy of political…

Thesis Undergraduate

Meta Warrick Fuller's "Ethiopia Awakening" and Harlem Renaissance art

Five page paper describing in detail several works of art by African-American artists including Ethiopia Awakening by Meta Warrick Fuller, Fetiche et Fleurs by Palmer Haden, Richmond Barte's Fera Benga, and Augusta Savage's the Harp. The paper also addresses the way these and other early 20th century African-American artists increased the numbers of African Americans choosing fine art as a career.

Essay Doctorate

Indigenous populations and citizenship in Republican Rome and colonial era

Indigenous populations in Republican Rome (ca. 500 BCE – 31 BCE) There were number of indigenous populations that were conquered by the Roman Republic whilst on the expansionary course. The fundamental issues that these populations, isolated ethnic minorities faced were regarding the preservation of their culture, their economic life, and their right to the properties in which they lived since centuries. Equality is the paramount notion that comes to mind regarding ‘citizenship'. Race and gender have been predominant factors that have enabled the elites to exclude the indigenous people from their right to their properties and the lives they live.

Research Paper Doctorate

Canadian nationalism and environmentalism in Margaret Atwood's Surfacing

For Americans or Europeans who are oblivious to the justifiably pessimistic feelings many Canadians have toward the U.S. In particular and Western attitudes in general, reading Margaret Atwood's book Surfacing should…

Research Paper Doctorate

Evolving roles of social workers in international welfare organizations

Over the last several decades, the role of the social worker has been continually evolving. Part of the reason for this, is because a wide variety of problems have emerged that are highlighting the challenges facing…

Research Paper Undergraduate

Manifest Destiny as American imperialism and native dispossession

Comment on the relationship seen in the growth of U.S. borders against the backdrop of the siege of native people's land. Was this siege of native land at the expense of native people survival and identity?

Deconstruction and postcolonialism in Margaret Atwood's "Death by Landscape"

This paper will analyze ‘Death by Landscape' written by Margaret Atwood in the light of two important theories; post-colonialism and deconstruction theories. Postmodern colonialism is often referred to as one of the postmodern methods of discourse that are used for the analysis of cultural legacies that were followed in the period of colonialism as well as imperialism. Within the colonial nations, the detailed study of human relationships is carried out by the anthropologists using postmodern colonialism (Young 67). All important questions in relation to post colonial identity are explored with the help of post colonial theory.

← Prev 1 2 3 … 31 62 Next →