Reference no: EM133658651

Question

During the period from 1870 to 1914, there was a intensified imperialistic expansion and competition among European powers, which is often referred to as "New Imperialism". John A. Hobson in his book Imperialism: A Study (1902) describes this period as; "(New Imperialism) ... has virtually recast the policy of all European nations ... has driven every European nation to consume an ever-growing share of its material and human resources upon military and naval equipment, has drawn the great new power of the United States from its isolation into the full tide of competition; and, by the multitude, the magnitude, and the suddenness of the issues it throws on to the stage of politics, has become a constant agent of menace and of perturbation to the peace and progress of mankind." In your opinion, what was the most important factor that led to rivalries among the European Empires between 1870 and 1914? Furthermore, how did this particular period impact colonised societies differently compared to earlier phases of European Imperialism?