3. Imperialism
• Europe demanded commodities, e.g. Silk, cotton, chocolate, coffee,
sugar, silk, tobacco
• None were essential for life
• Controlling production and trade routes
• Reduced risks
• Created monopolies $$$
• Colonists, merchants, corporations backed by nation states
4. Imperialism
• Colonised lands and people became a source of cheap resources
• Colonies also provided a market for manufactured goods
• Colonies were good for national prestige
• A common metaphor “the race for empire”
• A Civilising and Christianising mission
5. World Powers
• First Spain and Portugal
• Then the Netherlands
• Then France and Britain
• Finally Russia and Germany
• Fierce, often violent competition
6. America
• Christopher Columbus 1492
• Caribbean and South America settled first. Lucrative crops of sugar
and tobacco worked by slaves. Dominated by Spain, then Britain and
France.
• Piracy and privateering flourished as a means of competition.
• 1607 first successful English settlement in North America in Virginia.
• French 1608 in Canada. Dutch settled in what is now New York.
Settlers sought land and religious freedom
8. Atlantic Triangle Trade
• A million people in North America by
1750 in a sophisticated society rivalling
Europe
• The Navigation Acts prohibited trade
with British colonies in non-British ships.
• Britain’s powerful navy was vital to
domination of world trade.
• Trade brought a varied diet- tobacco,
coffee, tea, sugar, potatoes
9. America: not just raw materials
• By 1797-8, North America and the West Indies
received 57 per cent of British exports, and supplied
32 per cent of imports.
• 1700: imports 6 million pounds : exports 6. 5 million
pounds
• 1800 imports: 28.3 million pounds : exports 40.8
million
10. Slavery
• From Africa to the Caribbean and then American mainland
• Between 9 and 10 million slaves were shipped
• Up to 40% would die on the voyage
• They worked on plantations – tobacco, sugar and cotton
• Free labour brought great wealth to the colonies
