The power of nations in the pre-colonial period was determined by the geographic area under them. Countries that dominated more geographical land were perceived to be more potent than those with smaller geographical land coverage. Consequently, leaders with large coverage were regarded to be powerful. To this effect, nations such as the U.S. extended their cultural, political and economic control in other areas globally. In this case, America aimed at enhancing its power over other nations in the world. The extension of this control by the U.S. has raised questions whether this is the way it came to have total control over land. On the other hand, this also had positive and negative impacts on the U.S. and the countries where it invaded and enhanced its power. Therefore, an assessment of the justification of imperialism, the motives and outcomes of the control, the negative and positive results of imperialism, and the impact of imperialism in Africa and in the U.S. in the 1890s will be of essence.
The Expansion of America’s Global Power into New Territories and Access to New Markets (Asia) Justify the Means by which Lands came Under the Control of the U.S.
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First, the U.S. aimed to enhance its economy as it extended its control to other areas such as Asia. One of the ways of achieving that was to acquire more land in regions beyond its boundaries. Notably, land has been a critical economic factor since the ancient days all over the world. The economic capability of various territories was measured by the amount of land they had. Thus, the U.S. must have taken control of the land as a way of achieving their economic goals of imperialism (Mintz & McNeil, 2015). Secondly, the whole process of invading new areas such as Asia and Cuba was characterized by the economic exploitation of people that inhabited this land. Essentially, this means that the local rights to land were significantly violated.
The patriots in Cuba spend almost ten years fighting for their rights and seeking to be independent of the oppressive rule of the American Imperial Army. They had invaded the area as visitors but then turned out to be oppressors (Kinzer, 2006). The U.S. took these lands and started using them without the consent of owners. This also justifies that this is how land came to be controlled by the U.S. during this pre-colonial period. Thirdly, during that time, land was in abundance in most parts of the world (Mintz & McNeil, 2015). The population was far less compared to how it is today. This typically means that most of it was uninhabited. Americans, therefore, got free land where they settled and established their territories. This also explains how vast pieces of land globally came to be under the control of the U.S.
Then also, the U.S. had a well-established army, which was better than those in the other areas. For instance, Cubans had a weaker army, which had less sophisticated weaponry. Moreover, Americans believed that Cubans were cowards without the knowledge of organizing an army (Kinzer, 2006). Hence, they fought and conquered them taking control of the foreign lands. Armies and people in the other places in the world feared being beaten and sometimes killed because of fighting with the powerful U.S. army that was well equipped and trained. In most cases, they chose to surrender and leave their land under the control of the U.S. Therefore, the extension of the U.S. cultural, political and economic control to other regions in the world justifies how it came to have extensive control of land.
The Motives and Outcomes of Imperialism
The principal motive of imperialism was to extend control to other regions in the world. First, imperialism was meant to enhance the economy of the country invading another area beyond its border. The governments and companies belonging to the imperial nations aimed to archive higher profits in the foreign land than what they used to make in their area of jurisdiction. They sought to do this by having an enhanced control on the local markets, exploit valuable resources in the area where they invaded and also enjoy cheap labor. All these ensured that their expenditure was kept at a minimum, hence, an enhanced profit margin. Secondly, imperial nations also wanted to visit new places and explore them. Some of them aimed to extend their research and scientific ventures using various features in the foreign land. On the other hand, they just wanted to adventure and discover what was unknown to them.
Thirdly, some of these countries such as the U.S. had a plan for extending their political control to other areas beyond their border. This was meant to enhance their security and national prestige. For instance, the U.S. would showcase its advanced armies in the foreign land to prevent their citizens from the threat of attacks. While in Cuba, they were able to maintain a strong political front for some time, which triggered wars within the Caribbean region (Kinzer, 2006). Then also, the imperial nations had a motive of spreading their religion to other areas. In this case, they intended to convert people in the area they invaded to their religion. This was viewed as a way of making the religion strong and more influential in the world. Then, imperial nations also aimed to extend their cultural values, which they regarded to be superior compared to that in other areas. For instance, Americans perceived their culture as more superior and better than any different culture in the world. In this case, they intended to spread it to other areas where they invaded.
Imperialism led to unity among nations. As imperial nationals moved to new areas, they associated with the inhabitants, learned their way of life and became united. For instance, the U.S. is much united with countries in Africa where they extended control during the pre-colonial period. Imperialism also led to quality medical care services and education. People from developed nations came with compelling ideas and concepts, which were incorporated in these sectors to enhance the quality of services to locals (Parmar, 2018). Then also, imperialism improved agricultural activities since more effective technological equipment and ideas were brought in by imperial nations. In addition, imperialism extended the market for locally produced agricultural products as some were exported to foreign countries.
The Negative and Positive Outcomes of U.S. Expansion Abroad
Positive Results
The U.S. expansion spread practical ideas that led to the development of healthcare and education in other areas. This enhanced the quality of services in these sectors. Then also, this led to the civilization of the locals in the invaded areas. People learned better ways of handling issues and activities within their environment. The U.S. expansion also led to the elimination of undesirable cultural values in societies where they invaded. These were typically replaced by better values. For instance, Asians objectified women in the past. Nonetheless, they later became civilized and gender equality is fast gaining ground in the area.
Negative Results
First, imperialism led to ethnic conflicts. The culture of the U.S. was different from that of foreign nations. In this case, they differed in the way of doing things, triggering conflict between locals and visitors. For instance, the U.S. expansion to Cuba was met with vast objections since their behaviour and culture was completely different from that of the locals (Kinzer, 2006). It was perceived that they were out to murder the local culture. While in the Philippines, the U.S. even contemplated merging the Philippines flag to that of the U.S. (Kinzer, 2006). Secondly, the expansion of the U.S. to other areas led to the depletion of resources. They used resources found in the invaded places to maximize profits for their imperial government and companies. Then also, many people in the local areas where Americans conquered were treated with cruelty. They were perceived to be primitive by all standards, and, hence, they were perceived to be valueless (Narayan & Sealey-Huggins, 2017). On the other hand, they were roughed as they objected the invasion of the U.S. in their area. In the Philippines, America resorted to torture locals who were not in support of the U.S. invasion (Kinzer, 2006).
The Impact of New Imperialism in Africa and the Economic Situation in the U.S. in the 1890s
New imperialism in Africa led to stability due to reduced warfare between local groups in Africa. This led to peace and harmony as imperials forcefully controlled the local African governments. Africans were also able to access improved sanitation and education that was brought in by the visitors (Tilley, 2016). Then also, there was a notable economic expansion in America as African products were sold on the international markets. Nevertheless, in the 1890s, America was undergoing the Great Depression. This is equated in the one that occurred in the 1930s in the U.S. Many banks in America failed, and projects were unable to be completed due to the Great Depression. Thus, the American nation was not economically stable in the 1890s
Conclusion
The U.S. expansion to other areas beyond its border is the reason it had more control over other lands. The American nations had a superior army and weaponry, hence, defeated local armies and took control of their land. They also controlled as a way of achieving their economic goals in foreign nations. They also gained more land since it was an abundant resource during that time. On the other hand, the motives of imperialism were to access cheap labor and resources to enhance economic control, spread cultural values to other areas, for exploration, and to achieve political mileage and influence. The outcome of this imperialism was widespread civilization, improved sanitation and education, and improved agriculture. The expansion of the U.S. to regions such as Asia had both positive and negative impacts. New imperialisation in Africa enhanced the quality of life, peace and stability and widespread civilization. The economy of the U.S. in the 1890s was not stable since it was undergoing a period of Great Depression, which affected its infrastructural development and flow of currency.
References
Kinzer, S. (2006). Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. New York: Times Books/Henry Holt.
Mintz, S., & McNeil, S. (2015). The United States Becomes a World Power. Digital History. Retrieved from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3158.
Narayan, J., & Sealey-Huggins, L. (2017). Whatever happened to the idea of imperialism? Third World Quarterly, 38(11), 2387–2395. Retrieved from https://sci-hub.tw/10.1080/01436597.2017.1374172
Parmar, I. (2018). The US-led liberal order: imperialism by another name? International Affairs, 94(1), 151–172 . Retrieved from https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/images/ia/INTA94_1_9_240_Parmar.pdf
Tilley. H. (2016). Medicine, Empires, and Ethics in Colonial Africa. AMA Journal of Ethics. Retrieved from https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/medicine-empires-and-ethics-colonial-africa/2016-07
