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Imperialism in Latin America

Imperialism occurs when a strong nation takes over a weaker nation or region and dominates its economic, political, or cultural life. European nations and Japan practiced this type of foreign policy throughout the 1800s and early 1900s. In every case, a nation would experience industrialization prior to practicing imperialism on a foreign nation or region. This was due to the nearly insatiable demand for cheap raw materials and the need for markets to buy manufactured goods. Abundant raw materials and vast markets are needed in order to maintain an industrialized economy. Raw materials such as iron and cotton can be turned into products such as steel and textiles. Finally, these products need to be sold to a market in order to realize a profit. The forces of industrialization caused nations to begin looking outside of their borders for cheaper and more abundant raw materials. Foreign populations were also viewed as vast markets where goods produced in domestic factories could be sold.

Another cause for Imperialism was Nationalism, or pride in one's country. Citizens were proud of their country's accomplishments, which sometimes included taking over foreign areas. As European nations became competitive with one another, there was


All aspects of a native’s life were changed when imperialism was imposed on them, especially their daily lives. Daily life in this era reflected the extremes of social position and wealth, on the one hand, and the great disparity between urban and rural environments, on the other. For the rural majority, monotony broken only by religious activities and celebrations was the rule. Generally, the richer classes reserved the rights to the entertainment of the time. Urban dwellers enjoyed more frequent and varied entertainment than did rural residents, but most of them lived a precarious existence marked by a long working day, minimal diet, and poor health. The first of which that changed from imperialism was of course the diet. A food called maize was the dietary staple of the population of Middle America. High in carbohydrates, maize kernels were often ground and cooked as tortillas. Domesticated European animals were the most notable post conquest supplements to a diet that remained based on plants. Chickens, pigs, sheep, and cattle thrived in the New World and offered unprecedented amounts of protein. As one could guess, this definitely helped the native people. They were lacking protein in their diet and imperialism definitely helped them. The only problem is this, only the upper classes could really afford to eat this well on a regular basis. It would take a long time before this would be changed.

The force of imperialism upon the natives of South America also changed the way in which labor was carried out. From they time they were children, most members of society spent their daylight hours working. Whether engaged in agriculture, ranching, domestic service, mining, or other occupations requiring manual labor, the hours were long and the compensation modest. The struggle for survival consumed most of their energies. As in Europe at this time, wages paid to the majority of free workers in this era hovered around the subsistence level. Such minimal payment reinforced the social order already discussed. Social mobility practically didn’t exist in South America. Luckily, Urban manual laborers earned higher cash wages than did their rural counterparts, but they usually had correspondingly higher living expenses. Cities, however, offered more opportunities for employment in a variety of services that offered higher compensation. These jobs were of course only offered to the educated or at least skilled. This once again made it very hard on the poor, native people of South America.

Religion was another aspect of life that was changed during the era of imperialism in South America. The stronger and more centralized monarchy of the eighteenth century took numerous actions that reduced the power of the Church, its foremost rival. The government broke the long-standing tradition of equal and complementary authority exercised by Church and state. The expulsion of the Society of Jesus from Brazil in 1759 demonstrated toe Crown’s ability to destroy its opponents. The Crown then turned its attention toward the assets of the other orders. It seized the right cattle ranches and other property of the Mercedarians and forced other orders to lend it money in exchange for government bonds. It can obviously be seen that the people under this new ruling power wouldn’t exactly like this force. They were taking away something holy to the people and some of them desperately needed their religion.

an increased pressure to practice imperialism in order to maintain a balance of power in Europe. Effects of general imperialism include certain benefits that a ruling nation may provide for territories that form part of its empire. For example, the colonial powers built new communications and transportation systems, established universities, and introduced modern medical practices. However, many nations took advantage of their colonies by exporting natural resources without providing economic return for most of the people. Many coloni

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Approximate Word count = 2711
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)


  

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