Imperial Nations

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help the counties to achieve their goal such as having a better understanding of other peoples beliefs and traditions. These traditions also spilled out into domestic and imperial politics with the rise of nationalism and its association to new imperialism by historians such as Watson . Who believe that the tradition of empire was based on nationalism, as it is essentially a sense of identity with the home nation. This led to the belief of humanitarianism where the uncivilised should be civilised such as in Africa. Marxist supporters such as Lenin who believe that the culture of the empire is based around economic gain rejected this theory however. European policy also changed culturally turning into more colonial policies due to different spheres of influence at home. More people became involved in contributing to these policies than previously, as it was now not just the social elite that decided what occurred within imperial expansion . The traditional aim of imperialism was to use the power of the state beyond its own borders to serve the interest of profit seekers and to secure supposed economic advantages . Due to the link between nationalism and imperialism however, it meant that cultures began to change to be more accepting to other races. Especially those that lived in ‘uncivilised’ areas such as Africa as previously before 1880 the people would not have been accommodated for and could have been wiped out.

To put the question into context the major powers need to be looked at in Europe and to see what was actually going on. The French, the British, the Germans and the Italians competed with each other in the last third of the 19th century to lay claim to Africa. The Belgian king Leopold was also extensively involved. The only remaining areas of Africa not colonised by the end of the century were Ethiopia in the horn of Africa and Liberia on the Atlantic coast .
The increase in power within the previous industrialisa...