The Enlightenment Set the Stage for New Imperialism

New imperialism was the mid nineteenth and twentieth centuries cultural equivalent to a modern day mafia, its roots entangled in the economic, cultural, and humanistic aspects of life. The sole objective of the nations entailed the exploitation of their controlled state. Gestating from the change in control of Asian and African nations to the Europeans by means of political deviance, malicious sieges, and strategic military attacks. The juxtaposition to the modern equivalent endures as the aforesaid is sheltered by the fairytale that these nations were in need of aid and by doing so the Europeans were the good guys. The ideas of new imperialism are greatly influenced by those of the enlightenment. Taking place during the eighteenth and†¦show more content†¦An account of the extreme dependence on the slave trade is that of the Robin Johns. Brothers who endured years of harsh conditions and experienced the nefarious realities of the trade firsthand, yet they continued to tra de slaves upon returning home as free men; justified only by their strong ties to Britain and their unique skills (Sparks, 147). The enlightenment formed a pretense of universalism, while new imperialism furthered the fairytale. Tabula Rosa, meaning blank slate, was a term John Locke used to convey the ability to convert people through the influence of the environment around an individual (Genova, 1/13). This was used during new imperialism as a scapegoat. Nations set out on civilizing missions in order to disguise their imperialist nature. Furthermore, The White Mans Burden was a written work that was used to rationalize destroying cultures and creating satellite nations, because it was their burden to help the people of the less sophisticated nations. This aid was in the form of forced colonization, imbalanced trade, and forced slavery. For example, the Portuguese set out on their mission of new imperialism to gain trade and slaves (Genova, 2/15). Stemming from universalism, imp erialist nations pursued the enlightenment idea of social Darwinism. Which equated to survival of the fittest, not only were the subject of Darwin’s original experiment animals, theShow MoreRelatedThe Ritual Of Sacrificial Suicide1006 Words   |  5 PagesKing’s command, but the King humiliated her so Sati set fire to herself and bore a sacrifice to defend her honor. The custom of sati persisted in the subcontinent for centuries and in fact persists to today. A widow immolating herself on her husband’s funeral pyre or committing suicide one or another way is seen as a symbol or marital felicity and longevity, as specified by Hindu scriptures. 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