Imperialism

Imperialism is a policy of extending control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct territorial conquest or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries.

Etymology

The term imperialism was a new word in the mid-19th century. According to the OED, it dates back to 1858, to describe Pax Britannica. The Latin root is imperium (command or supreme power).

Related Topics:
19th century - OED - 1858 - Pax Britannica

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However its intellectual roots can certainly be traced as far back as Dante, who in his Monarchia depicted a world with a single political focus and governed by rationalism. Dante was very influential on John Dee, who coined the term British Empire in the late 16th century. Dee was instrumental in creating the intellectual and scientific environment whereby English seafarers such as Humphrey Gilbert, Martin Frobisher and Walter Raleigh could set the groundwork for a maritime empire.

Related Topics:
Dante - Rationalism - John Dee - British Empire - 16th century - English - Humphrey Gilbert - Martin Frobisher - Walter Raleigh

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According to the OED, in 19th century England, imperialism, was generally used only to describe English policies. However, it was soon also used in retrospect to describe the policies of the Roman Empire. The adjectival form "imperialist" dates back to the 17th century, but until the late 19th century it meant an adherent of an emperor or of an imperial form of government. The adjective "imperial" was used in English from the 14th century.

Related Topics:
19th century - Roman Empire

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In the 20th century, the term has often been used to refer to the actions of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan during the 1930s and World War II. Later, during the Cold War, it was also used in reference to the policies of both the United States and the Soviet Union, although these differed greatly from each other and from 19th-century imperialism. Furthermore, the term has been expanded to apply, in general, to any historical instance of the aggrandizement of a greater power at the expense of a lesser power.

Related Topics:
20th century - Nazi Germany - Empire of Japan - 1930s - World War II - Cold War - United States - Soviet Union

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Since the end of World War II and particularly following the collapse of the Soviet Union and its satellite states, accusations of imperialism have almost exclusively been levelled at the sole remaining superpower, the United States.

Related Topics:
World War II - Collapse of the Soviet Union - Satellite state - Superpower

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