Unit Objectives:

Imperialism is a type of advocacy of Empire. Its name originated from the Latin word "imperium", meaning to rule over large territories. Imperialism is "a policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means". Imperialism has greatly shaped the contemporary world. The term imperialism has been applied to Western (and Japanese) political and economic dominance especially in Asia and Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its precise meaning continues to be debated by scholars. Some writers, such as Edward Said, use the term more broadly to describe any system of domination and subordination organised with an imperial center and a periphery.From a Marxist perspective, imperialism is a natural feature of a developed capitalist nation state as it matures into monopoly capitalism.

Colonialism is the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition, and expansion of colony in one territory by a political power from another territory. It is a set of unequal relationships between the colonial power and the colony and often between the colonists and the indigenous population.

to define imperialism and locate the major colonies established by the European powers in Africa and Asia in the nineteenth century;

to understand the major reasons for European expansion;

to explain how imperialism shaped the culture of European nations at home;