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IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : History Of Modern Europe (Mid 18th to 20th Centuries)- IMPERIALIST RIVALRIES

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History Of Modern Europe Mid 18th to Mid 20th Centuries

IMPERIALIST RIVALRIES

Structure

24.0 Obioctlves
24.1 Introduction
24.2 Theories of Imperial~sm
24.3 Rivalries lor the Dominat~on of the Planet
24.4 Power Combinations as Background to World War I
24.5 Let Us Sum Up
24.6 Answers to Check Yout Progress Exercises

24.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading Lhis Unit you will he ahle to learn:

aboilt various thcories of imperialisnl;
about the emergence ot many European powcrs which wanted their shares in the division of the earth; and
about the hackground of Lhe World War 1.

24.1 INTRODUCTION

Until now we have been rel'erring to colonialism and inlpcria.lisni as it evolved in different
parts of the world, especially in the last quarter of thc .lineteenth century. It is time now to
go into some of the theoretical aspects and the way in which outstanding scholars have understood
these concepts and fornlulated theories. In this Unit urc will a!so discuss the rivalries between
various powers in Europe and elsewhere in an attempt to gain st~preniacy at the world stage.
Since no single coulitry was powerful enough to emerge supreme, it led to the formation of
alliances which ultimately resulted in Ule outbreak of the war in 191.

24.2 THEORIES OF IMPERIALISM

Even as these rivalries were heing waged, there were people, mostly economists and historians,
who.werc trying, tq understand the phenomenon of imperr. !1:~1. Given the influence of Marxist
at the,of the century, it was but natural for them to look
for an econon~ic explanation for he developn~ell~ of imperialism, Karl Marx himself had not
evolved gny Lhcory oi imperi:llisni. but there wcri sufficient polnte-rs in his analjrsis nf the
capitalist mode of prodncuon to {his r!irccrion, In Capital, blxx had shown that the capiraiist
mode of production was driven hy the need LC extract surplus value tiom'a class of wagelabourers. This surplus value had to tiild a ~llarkel ti)r the commodities which it produced.
J.A.Hohson io his work cur.itled Imperialism (1902) was one of the first to develop this the~nc.
Hohson, a H;;rish econon~ist. was rlot exactiy a Marxisi. In the politics of England, he stood
ai the point a( 1r3ich L~hcrill politics blcnded into that oi Lahour. His position on imperialism
later became thc otticiai p~sitlon of the Labour Pu-ty. He showed how. in countries which had
scetl the growth 01' capitalis~ii. tllc distribution of na~ioiial income was unequai. Ttlcre was a
large ciass ol'people with much i~s~ income than what tliey would have had, if there 'JW~
an eqnitahl:: diatrihutii)n of wcal~h (if the 1liltiolla.1 incomt: hati been equally divided among the
nation's populatiorl.) The capitalist would soon find that he co~ld not sell his products in his
home country due to low i1:comes. He would the11 look for markets to o:h~ European countries
but as those countries hecame industrialiscd, he !-;!,uld face compeiition Lhere. Consequently
he would turn towxds those caunuies which !?ad no industries of their own and could not
protect themwlves. Ai~otl~cr malivating i:lctk;r far inlpcrialism, according !O Hobson, was the