Imperialism is synonymous with colonialism, which not only occurred in the past but continues to this day. Simply put, the meaning of imperialism cannot be separated from the original word, which is “empire.”
Imperare is a Latin word meaning to rule, that is, by controlling other countries. The goal of imperialism is to control resources owned by other nations.
Imperialism has been around for hundreds of years in Europe. Then Constantinople fell and the Ottoman Turks wanted to control it. Apart from the goal of controlling resources, controlling other countries also aims to expand territory.
What is the meaning of imperialism?
Linguistically, the word “imperialism” comes from the word “standard.”To leadWhich has the meaning of command. From these standard words, imperialism is defined as a political system implemented with the aim of controlling the world through colonization or exercising influence over its colonies.
This control was carried out solely for the interests of the invading or colonizing state, such as the Dutch who colonized Indonesia for 3.5 centuries. Colonists will have a great influence on the countries they colonize.
Meanwhile, the meaning of imperialism in KBBI is a political system that aims to colonize other countries and gain power in the region so that they can obtain greater profits.
From the two definitions mentioned, it can be concluded that imperialism is the illegal control of a country with the aim of ruling or colonizing the lands within it, which can also lead to harmful effects on the local population.
Types of imperialism
Open colonization of one country by another is rare these days, so does this mean that imperialism no longer exists? To answer this question, you can look at the types of imperialism that exist in the world.
1. Old imperialism
Ancient imperialism is a form of imperialism that occurred in ancient times until the Industrial Revolution. The focus of imperialism at the time was to control and expand territory by conquering other countries.
2. Modern imperialism
The definition of modern imperialism is the imperialism that occurred in the nineteenth century, that is, during the Industrial Revolution until the end of World War II. The goals of modern imperialism differ somewhat from ancient imperialism.
Modern imperialism places greater emphasis on controlling industrial raw materials and expanding market areas with the aim of marketing its industrial products. It can be said that modern imperialism emphasizes economic factors as its motivation.
3. Ultra-modern imperialism
What is meant by ultra-modern imperialism? Ultramodern imperialism is a form of imperialism that emphasizes ideological, mental, and psychological control over other countries.
This ultra-modern imperialism no longer uses only war as it did in the past, because it can be done in many non-physical ways. The era of ultra-modern imperialism began at the end of World War II and continues today.
So, if we refer to the type of imperialism above, even today the so-called imperialism still occurs, but its form is no longer the same as the imperialism of the past.
Background of the occurrence of imperialism
The so-called imperialism does not happen on its own, but rather there are several factors that form the background. According to history, imperialism, including that which occurred in Indonesia, was caused and motivated by the following factors.
1. The fall of Constantinople into the hands of the Ottoman Turks
Imperialism began when Constantinople, the capital of Eastern Rome, fell and was taken over by the Ottoman Turks. At that time, Constantinople was a region that was the center of the European spice trade in the Mediterranean.
Because it was a center for the European spice trade, access to Constantinople was very open, and had only been closed since it was taken over by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Closing access meant that spice prices in Europe rose.
The increase in spice prices in Europe has prompted countries on the continent to search for spices from other regions, where prices are cheaper, including Indonesia. The first countries to search for spices in Indonesia at that time were the Spanish and Portuguese.
Moreover, as is known throughout history, the Dutch and British also entered Indonesia. At first, these countries just wanted to search for spices, but then they continued to control lands or colonize.
2. Gold, glory, gospel
The term gold, glory and gospel is very well known today. What is the meaning of gold, glory and the Bible? It turns out that this sentence is closely linked to imperialism. Nations that apply imperialism to other countries aim to achieve gold, glory, and the gospel.
Gold means gold, which can be interpreted as treasure, glory is victory or power, while gospel is the spread of religion in a country, including Indonesia. Therefore, the imperialist countries at that time really wanted to control Indonesia.
2. The development of science in Europe
Imperialism was also greatly influenced by the development of science on the European continent, which was accompanied by technological developments. This gave European countries knowledge of compasses, navigation, and even shipbuilding.
Thanks to this knowledge, Europeans were able to travel to search for spice sources using ships to reach Indonesian territory. The development of science and technology among Europeans also enabled them to create weapons systems for colonization.
4. The story of Marco Polo
Markopolo is a very well-known personality even in Indonesia. Who is Markopolo? Marco Polo was a merchant who came from Venice, Italy, and made a long journey by sea to the eastern countries to master spices.
The story of Marco Polo’s journey was then written down in a book and circulated in Europe. Marcopolo’s story later became an inspiration for other European countries to come to the Eastern countries so that they could master spices.
5. The spirit to triumph again
If you look at the meaning of imperialism, i.e. rule, you will find that there are factors to conquer a country. No country can be ruled if it is not conquered first. This was the reason why the Europeans wanted to reoccupy the eastern countries so that they could rule them.
Recovery Or the enthusiasm to restore Islamic rule to establish European Christian hegemony, which once controlled the entire Iberian Peninsula, specifically around the Portuguese and Spanish states.
The enthusiasm for the restoration of European Christian hegemony led Europeans to the eastern countries of Asia, especially those that contained several Islamic kingdoms, including Indonesia.
Objectives of modern imperialism
The period of modern imperialism occurred from the nineteenth century until World War II. If we go back to the definition of imperialism, there are several goals that the invading or colonizing country wants to achieve for its colonies.
Specific goals of modern imperialism include:
1. To open new markets
Countries in Europe need new markets to market their industrial products. This is the main reason why they carry out imperialism in eastern countries, such as Indonesia.
Technological developments in Europe meant that industry there was able to produce goods in very large quantities in a short time. Unfortunately, the market in Europe is naturally limited, so it is unable to absorb all of the industry’s production.
There is a need for other areas of the country that can be used as marketing areas for new industries, so that they can improve the European economy.
2. Resource mastery
The definition of imperialism, which means ruling, also means controlling other countries, including the resources they possess. One of the goals of modern imperialism is to control the resources of colonizing countries.
The industrial revolution that took place on the European continent led to very rapid developments in production production. This increases resource requirements as well. The increase in production numbers is significant with the need for availability of resources.
To maintain the availability of these resources, Western countries, specifically Europe, seek to obtain them from Eastern countries in the Asian region. The countries they control would then be bulldozed to meet Europe’s industrial needs.
3. Success
Gold, gospel, glory It became the spirit of European countries to conquer and control countries in Asia. Apart from inculcating ideology and controlling resources, the imperialism carried out by European countries over countries in Asia was gaining glory.
The more countries you conquer, the more your territory expands. The size of their territory was one of the ways Europeans used to show their glory to other countries in the world.
What is the difference between imperialism and colonialism?
If the meaning of imperialism is rule, is it different from colonialism, which is often interpreted as colonialism? Referring to the KBBI definition of colonialism, i.e. the control of one country over another country to expand its territory.
Colonization was generally carried out by countries that had good military power, such as the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and England. This differs from imperialism, which does not always use weapons and does not aim only to expand territory.
The origin of the word colonialism is colony, taken from a foreign language.ColonizerAt the same time, the meaning of the colon itself is control. Therefore, it can be interpreted that the meaning of colonialism is the actions of a state that aims to control an area outside its country.
At the same time, imperialism takes the form of control of ideology, politics, etc., as well as control of resources and expansion of territory. Not all countries that apply imperialism also apply colonialism to other countries.
The impact of imperialism and colonialism in Indonesia
There are at least three countries that colonized Indonesia: Portugal, the Netherlands, and Japan. The imperialism and colonialism that occurred in Indonesia had an impact in several areas, namely:
1. Economy
The influence of imperialism in Indonesia is felt in the economic sector. During the period of imperialism and colonialism, colonial countries used to implement a tax system that was imposed on the population.
Lands that originally belonged to the kingdom were confiscated and their ownership changed to become state property. In 1828, the banking system that had arisen from the colonial government entered Indonesia, marked by the establishment of the De Gavasch Bank by the Dutch government.
2. Politics and government
It was stated that the meaning of imperialism is rule, as it is clearly linked to politics and governance. Western countries that came and entered Indonesia changed the monarchy into a government system referring to their country.
At that time, Governor General Dandels divided Java into 30 districts, which were grouped into 9 provinces. The government system of dividing regions into provinces and regions is still in effect today.
The imperialism that stems fromTo lead“It means governance, where a state inculcates ideology, politics, systems of governance and territorial control over other states. The states of Europe began implementing imperialism over the eastern states since the fall of Constantinople.
The definition of imperialism is slightly different from colonialism, although they are both synonymous with colonization and control of other countries. Imperialism still exists today and does not always use weapons or war.