New Imperialism of Africa and Asia

The new imperialism in Africa and Asia was when a stronger European nation seizes control of another weaker nation for dominion over people, land and natural resources.  In the late 19th century the Europe embarked on new imperialism especially in Africa and Asia. There were many factors leading to this imperialism. Some of the major reasons were power over other countries, scramble for natural resources endowed in those countries and a market for industrial products in order to reap profits. The Europeans also needed raw product for their industries and labor in the industries they had from the countries they colonized (David, 2003). There was also the political and military reason; they needed soldiers for training to gain strength over their competitors. The imperialist also had ideological and religious motives in the countries they took over. In India the British India Company took over and controlled India politically.

This new imperialism impacted heavily on these two continents in various aspects. One the most notable impact was the introduction of a new religion that is Christianity and this was accepted by the colonies especially in Africa. A new education system was established that was efficient and developing more than the indigenous forms of education in these continents. Major agricultural and technological developments also impacted heavily on agriculture the colonies especially after introduction of new varieties of crops for example the Portuguese introduced maize in east Africa. In china the European foreign powers controlled china and steered the country in a new technological and industrial development. IN India rapid modernization took place, roads, rails, buildings and also major irrigation projects were developed. In Africa the continent usually referred to as the Dark Continent was opened to the rest of the world especially with the construction of the Suez Canal and became a source of labor and natural resources, minerals and a market for industrial goods (David, 2003).  Slave trade also was a notable impact on the lives of the colonized people and this led to resistance and war to free the colonies from their masters. Introduction of newer medicines leading to healthier longer lives was also another impact. Finally, the African and Asian countries were able to compete and participate in the larger world economy to this day.

The imperialism also impacted on the European countries in various ways. a major impact was the boosting of the economies of the imperialists. This was possible with the availability of raw materials, cheap slave labor and ready market for finished goods. Britain for example gained from this imperialism by modernizing her economy. Europe also became the heart of global trade and political control of the world. This favored Europe as it was taken to be superior to other continents. The commonwealth countries were also formed which favored Europe politically. These social and political reforms helped Europe to take the helm of the world political arena (Cruthers, 2006). The British also introduced taxes from the colonies which further developed their economies.

The imperialism was a necessity in Asia and Africa. It set the pace for these continents to participate and compete in the global arena both economically and politically.  Africa reawakened from its dark state and improved industrially and agriculturally. New crops were introduced and effective farming method. This led to population growth and economic development. Government systems were also formed from the colonies after independence with better constitutions favorable compared to former traditional systems of leadership (Cruthers, 2006). These are long lasting effects and they gave Asia and Africa recognition on the global scale. These impacts led to positive development of these two continents. Better education systems eradicated literacy among the people colonized and this furthered their intelligence growth and improvement of living standards. The imperialism also helped form a global community with better understanding and interaction. This is good argument that the imperialism was a necessity and a positive phenomenon to both the colonized countries and to the imperialists.