Key Thinkers
Argued for natural rights (life, liberty, property) and government by consent.
John Locke
Colonists in the Thirteen Colonies, inspired by Enlightenment ideals, sought independence from Britain, establishing a new democratic nation.
American Revolution
New inventions like the steam engine, spinning jenny, and power loom revolutionized production.
Technological Advancements
Imperialism was driven by European powers (such as Britain, France, Spain, and later Germany) seeking to expand their political, economic, and military dominance over large parts of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, especially during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Expansion of European Powers
Enlightenment thinkers believed in human progress through reason, science, and civilization. These ideas were used to justify imperialism by claiming that European powers were bringing "civilization" to "backward" societies.
Enlightenment Ideals of Progress and Civilization
Advocated for freedom of speech, religion, and separation of church and state.
Voltaire
French citizens, inspired by Enlightenment ideas, overthrew the monarchy and sought equality, liberty, and fraternity.
French Revolution
Movement of people from rural areas to cities as factories created jobs.
Urbanization
Imperialism was largely motivated by the need for raw materials, cheap labor, and new markets for European goods. Colonies were exploited for their resources, and the wealth generated often flowed back to the imperial powers.
Economic Exploitation
Enlightenment-era ideas, including emerging racial theories and scientific racism, were used to justify the domination and exploitation of non-European peoples, portraying them as "inferior" and in need of European rule.
Racial Theories and Justification
Promoted the idea of the "general will" and the social contract.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The rebellion was sparked by a variety of factors, including resentment over British rule, economic exploitation, cultural and religious insensitivity, and the poor treatment of Indian soldiers (sepoys) in the British East India Company’s army.
Sepoy Rebellion
Social Changes
european imperialists justified their actions by claiming they were spreading Western culture, religion, and values to "uncivilized" peoples. This belief in cultural superiority helped rationalize colonial exploitation and domination.
Cultural Superiority and the “Civilizing Mission
Enlightenment concepts of capitalism, trade, and individual rights fueled imperial expansion, as European powers sought new resources, markets, and territories for economic growth and national competition.
Economic and Political Motivation
Advocated for the separation of powers in government.
Montesquieu
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Improved the steam engine
James Watt
Imperialism was supported by racial ideologies that viewed non-European peoples as inferior. Pseudo-scientific theories, like Social Darwinism, were used to justify the subjugation of indigenous populations as part of a natural hierarchy.
Racial Ideologies and Scientific Racism
Imperial powers framed their colonization efforts as a "civilizing mission," claiming that European governance, culture, and Christianity were beneficial for indigenous populations, often overlooking the exploitation involved.
Colonial “Civilizing Mission”
Known for his work in ethics, promoting autonomy and rationality.
Immanuel Kant
A successful slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, influenced by both the American and French Revolutions.
Haitian Revolution
Developed the water frame for textile production.
Richard Arkwright
Over time, colonized peoples resisted imperial rule, leading to independence movements. Inspired by Enlightenment ideas of liberty and self-determination, many nations in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean gained independence in the mid-20th century, marking the decline of formal imperialism.
Resistance and Anti-Colonial Movements:
While many Enlightenment thinkers supported imperialism, others (like Rousseau and Kant) critiqued colonialism as incompatible with Enlightenment values of liberty, equality, and human dignity.
Philosophical Criticism of Imperialism