Skip to main content Skip to Search Box
Definition: imperialism from Philip's Encyclopedia

Domination of one people or state by another. Imperialism can be economic, cultural, political or religious. From the 16th century, trading empires were set up by major European powers such as the British, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Dutch. They penetrated Africa, Asia and N America, their colonies serving as a source of raw materials and a market for manufactured goods. Imperialism often imposed alien cultures on native societies. See also colonialism

Imperialism

From A New A-Z of International Relations Theory
Imperialism is a form of relationship characterized by conquest, expansion, domination and subjugation. It is a term which represents the interests and actions of some actor s, and the relationships between these centres of power and authority with other actors. The latter are integrated into the spheres of influence or imperial domains of the imperial powers. In IR the term is most commonly used to refer to the period of human history where international relations were largely dominated by empire s and conflict over resources . The study of imperialism is often focused on by theories dealing with the study of conflict, the spread of capitalism and contemporary development issues. Some scholars, such as Niall Ferguson (2004) , argue that imperialism was (and potentially still is) necessary in order for the modern world system to emerge out of disintegrated pre-industrial economic systems. In short, imperialism helped to spread the capitalist world system, increase global economic…
3,795 results

Full text Article imperialism

From Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology
In an article on the “Sociology of Imperialism” (1919), Joseph Schumpeter defines imperialism as “the objectless disposition on the part of a state to unlimited forcible expansion.” In this sense, “imperialism” describes the common tendency of a political unit to grow until it encompasses the earth. …
| 1,161 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Imperialism

From World of Sociology, Gale
Imperialism is a foreign policy of economic domination and inevitable underdevelopment of another territory . It is achieved by seizing political control of a territory through military means for the purpose of acquiring raw material easily and inexpensively. Imperialism involves one government…
| 667 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article imperialism

From The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology
In its broad and conventional meaning, imperialism is the imposition of the power of one state over the territories of another, normally by military means, in order to exploit subjugated populations and extract economic and political advantages. As a form of conquest and domination, empires are an…
| 313 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Imperialism

From Feminist Philosophies A-Z
The domination of one culture and/or country by another such that the values and practices of the dominating culture are forced to be absorbed by the dominated country. Sometimes this is done through the occupation of one country by another. For example, some argue that the US has imperialised Iraq…
| 163 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article imperialism

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
broadly, the extension of rule or influence by one government, nation, or society over another. Evidence of the existence of empires dates back to the dawn of written history in Egypt and in Mesopotamia, where local rulers extended their realms by conquering other states and holding them, when…
| 886 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article imperialism

From Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought
The extension of power through conquest, or the pursuit of ‘empire’, i.e. of a global influence so dominant as to amount to virtual sovereignty wherever it is successful. Empire was advocated in the UK in the 1880s by Joseph Chamberlain, in opposition to the ‘Little Englanders’ who favoured a policy…
| 505 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article imperialism

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
State policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas. Because imperialism always involves the use of power, often in the form of military force, it is widely considered morally…
| 324 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article imperialism

From Collins Dictionary of Sociology
The political and economic domination of one country, or countries, by another, which leads either to alien rule imposed by force, or to economic domination and exploitation. Within sociology, and the social sciences generally, there are two major perspectives. One emphasizes the political dimension…
| 395 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Imperialism

From The Oxford Companion to International Relations
The term “imperialism” was originally used as an invective against the expansionist policy of Napoleon I, and a little later against the expansionist policy of Britain. The rhetorical use of this term continues today, appearing frequently in the discourse of Third World nationalist and…
| 3,115 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Imperialism

From The Social Science Jargon-Buster
Core definition ‘Empire building’ or the domination by one country over others for political and economic gain. Longer explanation Over 2000 years ago Caesar helped build the Roman Empire by using military might to invade and conquer his neighbours. In the late 1700s/early 1800s France's Napoleon…
| 532 words
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources