Colonialism and imperialism are two terms closely related to the lessons of history. These two terms have to do with Europeans who entered Indonesia in the past. These two terms are often considered the same because their purposes are similar.
However, imperialism and colonialism are actually two different things. If colonialism aims to control natural resources owned by other countries, exhaust them and then return them to their countries.
At the same time, imperialism aims to control all aspects of a country’s life. The most complete explanation of imperialism, including the goals of imperialism, is as follows:
The meaning of imperialism is
Starting with the first definition, imperialism is an attempt to control the government of another country with no other goal than to control that country in order to gain profit or power from the country in question.
This is in line with the origin of the word imperialism, which is imperarii, a Latin word that means control or rule. Apart from this definition, KBBI also provides an explanation regarding the meaning of this term.
In KBBI, we can see that the meaning of imperialism is a political system that aims to control other countries in order to gain power as well as profits of greater value.
In another sentence, it is explained that imperialism is a political idea or political policy related to efforts to expand the influence and power of a country. A country with this idea will certainly use different methods to expand its power.
Even including the use of violence. Therefore, it is not surprising that imperialism is a term synonymous with violence and oppression.
Background of imperialism
The term imperialism is said to have been around since the 19th century, and was first coined by Benjamin Disraeli, the British Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the background to the emergence of this same ideology began with the surrender of Constantinople to the hands of the Ottoman Turks.
Constantinople was previously a center for the European spice trade, specifically in the Mediterranean region. Access to the eastern Roman capital was previously open. Unfortunately, since the Ottoman Turks took control of Constantinople in 1453, access to trade has been closed.
As a result, the prices of spices in the European market rose dramatically, causing many Europeans to look for sources of spices that were certainly cheaper. Initially, the Europeans who did this in Indonesia were Spain and Portugal. England and the Netherlands followed later.
Unfortunately, the initial intention of simply wanting to source spices from Indonesia has changed. They even wanted to control Indonesia so that Portugal, Netherlands, Spain and England became examples of countries that implemented an imperialist political system.
However, the struggle for power has already existed since the time of kings. At that time, the ruler of one region tried to conquer other regions in order to expand his territory. This action can also be called imperialism.
Objectives of imperialism
In fact, the goals of imperialism are stated in the above definition. But to be more clear, it can be pointed out that the goal of imperialism is to control and expand territories.
The resources of the colonizing country will be extracted in this way, both natural resources and human resources. In this way, the imperialist or colonial countries will become stronger.
It is clear that imperialism will benefit the colonizing country while the colonizing country will suffer. Regarding this goal, it must be emphasized that the goal of imperialism is to exert influence on the various lives of the countries under its control.
Reasons for the emergence of imperialism
The existence of imperialism or the desire to control other countries is certainly not without reason. Because there are several factors that encourage the state to implement this understanding. Some of the reasons for the emergence of imperialism are as follows.
- There is a desire to become a powerful nation or country and have the greatest influence on the world
- There is a feeling that their nation is more distinguished than other nations, so they carry out imperialism to satisfy their sense of pride and increase their self-esteem.
- There is a desire to spread the religion and ideology that imperialist countries adhere to
- There is a geographical factor, as the location of imperialist countries is less strategic and less profitable, so they want to control other countries that are considered to be in strategic locations.
- The presence of economic factors represented by the desire to ensure the prosperity of the industrial sector, the desire to control trade, the desire to participate in global trade, and the desire to obtain wealth from other countries.
Types of imperialism
Although imperialism at its core is an attempt to control other countries in order to make profit, imperialism itself consists of several types. The types of imperialism are as follows:
Based on the goal
This is a type of imperialism aimed at controlling the military situation of a state and this imperialism is carried out with the aim of ensuring the safety of the imperialist state for economic or aggressive interests.
This political imperialism does not prioritize the colonization of entire countries. But control the strategic places. Because targeting strategic places also means controlling the country as a whole with military threats.
This second type of imperialism has the desire to control the culture of other countries. If a country’s culture can be changed, the culture of the imperialist state will automatically become the only culture in power.
It can be said that culture is the soul and mind of a country. So, if the soul and mind are successfully controlled, it also means that the nation has been completely colonized.
Therefore, this type of imperialism is considered very dangerous. Aside from this reason, it is also because cultural imperialism tends not to be felt by people who want to be colonized.
However, once cultural imperialism succeeds, it will be very difficult for the colonized nation to liberate itself again.
Political imperialism is a type of imperialism that aims to control everything that belongs to another country. In other words, this is the real attempt to colonize the country.
Nowadays, this kind of imperialism rarely exists. The reason is that currently there is an understanding of nationalism, that is, a feeling of love and pride for our nation.
This is a type of imperialism practiced by many imperialist countries. According to the aforementioned method, this type of imperialism aims to control the economic sector of a country.
This type of imperialism is often implemented to replace political imperialism. In other words, if a country’s politics can no longer be controlled, there is still an opportunity to do so through the economic sector.
Based on shape
This is imperialism that clings to the old slogan of imperialism consisting of the third generation, i.e. gold, the Bible and glory or wealth and the spread of religion and glory. This imperialism occurred in the past until the Industrial Revolution occurred.
This type of imperialism emerged after the massive industrial revolution led by Portugal and Spain. This type of imperialism focuses more on economic progress, and no longer focuses on the wealth, spread of religion, and glory that existed in ancient imperialism.
It is certain that the industrial revolution that occurred required raw materials for production activities, and it also required a wide market. As a result, Europeans looked for colonies to obtain these resources and markets.
It does not stop there, as the world is also explored to find places to invest.
Objectives of modern imperialism
At a glance, the goal of imperialism can be seen in the brief explanation above, but for more clarity, you can pay attention to the following points.
1. For success
Although times have become increasingly complex, it cannot be denied that the goal of any country implementing modern imperialism is its own glory. Because there are still those who believe that a large country is a country with broad power.
As a result of this confidence, states no longer hesitate to expand the territory they control in order to prove their glory.
2. Natural resources
Modern imperialism is carried out with the goal of natural resources. As is known, resources are one of the important and highly needed things in industry.
In general, the greater the production activity, the more raw materials and natural resources are required. At the same time, the Industrial Revolution led by Spain and Portugal meant production output increased dramatically.
In other words, every country that engages in industrial activity must secure its natural resources, which are the raw materials for production, so that productive activity can continue. For this reason, modern imperialism practices exploitation of natural resources.
3. Opening new markets
Furthermore, imperialism was carried out with the aim of opening new markets. The market is very important to provide the industrial results that have been implemented. Once again, the Industrial Revolution brought about many changes in various sectors of life in Europe, including the economic sector.
The development of technology also leads to the development of industrial processes. With this technology, the scale of production can be expanded and accelerated, or in other words, the industry can produce more goods in a shorter period of time.
If production increases, there will be more goods to be sold. Not all production results will be completed within the target time if the market is still limited.
Therefore, European countries then expanded their influence to other regions to open new markets for this industrial product.
Examples of imperialism
One example of imperialism is what Indonesia experienced during the colonial period. At that time, imperialism was carried out against Indonesia by the Europeans consisting of the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch.
They came with the aim of getting spices in Indonesia. At that time, Indonesia was considered a colony, and of course it was to be exploited to the greatest extent possible and to make as much profit as possible.
Meanwhile, as an example of modern imperialism, this happened in Indonesia in 1870, precisely after there was an open door policy or liberal policy. This understanding prevailed in the country between 1870 and 1900.
The open door policy itself is an understanding where the private sector gets the opportunity to invest capital or open a business in Indonesia. With this understanding, changes occur in people’s lives, especially those related to the expansion of the economy and the emergence of new classes.
Apart from this, settlements also grew in the area around the farm which later developed into a new town. This open door policy also fosters a sense of solidarity among indigenous people which also gives rise to the seeds of nationalism.
But unfortunately, behind this positive effect, the open door policy actually leads to the downfall of people’s lives and the exploitation of people on a large scale.
Close
In conclusion, imperialism is an attempt to control other countries with the aim of increasing the wealth of one’s own country. This imperialism is often carried out in various ways, including violence.
Regarding the practice of imperialism itself, before the colonial period, it was actually carried out at a time when the archipelago was still composed of kingdoms. However, this term appeared in the 19th century as a result of the Ottoman Turks taking control of Constantinople.