Imperialism
A. John Hobson (1902)
- English economist
- Critic of imperialism
- Wealthy family and well educated
C.
- One of the most famous critiques of the economic bases of imperialism
- Middle of 2nd IR
- Britain had lost its monopoly on the world market
L.
- Intelligent, enlightened, somewhat complex
A.
- Britain’s leaders
I.
- Inform Britain not only that imperialism is unnecessary, but it wastes Britain’s resources on peoples that can never become part of Britain instead of fixing internal problems
M.
- Meaning of the word imperialism shifts through manipulation
- Nationalism has had both unifying and dividing effects
- Nationalism set the momentum for expansionàimperialism
- Imperialism was unnecessary until Britain lost its monopoly of the world market
- As other nations such as Germany, Belgium, and the US encroached upon Britain’s markets, Britain had to find new markets
- Must be undeveloped
- Safest means of developing these new markets is establishing protectorates
- Imperialism is not inevitable like many people think
- If Great Britain focused on bettering itself, they wouldn’t need to seek our undeveloped markets to exploit
- Neglecting agriculture
- Overpopulation
- Poor education system
- New markets they are seeking cannot be assimilated to Britain
- Imperialism driven by class interest
- Must cut imperialism at its economic roots to be effective