Historically, European nations sought overseas possessions for wealth and prestige. After a decline in the early 19th century due to high costs and wars, a new wave of imperialism emerged between 1871 and 1914, shifting focus to Africa and Asia.

The Industrial Revolution drove demand for raw materials and markets. The Long Depression (1873-1896) further pushed governments to seek overseas markets. Nations competed for resources like cotton, copper, rubber, tin, tea, diamonds, and palm oil from various global regions.

Nationalism fueled imperialism, with newly unified nations seeking recognition and France aiming to restore prestige. Governments used imperialism as a social policy to unite citizens and distract from domestic issues. Strategic control of key regions, like Britain's acquisition of Egypt for the Suez Canal, also played a significant role.

New imperialism shifted focus to Africa and Asia due to abundant resources, with explorers like David Livingstone discovering valuable minerals. Key characteristics included peaceful relations through treaties like the Treaty of Berlin and the rise of new imperial powers like the USA and Japan. Medical advancements (quinine) and technological advancements (steamships, railways, telegraphs, advanced weaponry) enabled this expansion.

The idea of racial superiority, influenced by misinterpretations of Darwin's theories and classifications by scientists like Blumenbach, led Europeans to believe they had a duty to 'civilize' perceived inferior races through commerce, Christianity, and Western culture.

Exploration, often driven by figures like King Leopold II of Belgium who exploited Congo's resources, led to widespread colonization. European nations like Britain, France, Portugal, and Germany secured vast territories, each with specific motivations like securing trade routes or raw materials.

Positive impacts included administrative systems, improved education, infrastructure, sanitation, and modernized farming. However, negative consequences were severe, including arbitrary boundaries, displacement of African leaders, undermining of traditional cultures, land ownership shifts, resource exploitation, and forced labor, leading to abuses like those in Leopold II's Congo regime.

Governments in Britain, France, and Germany fostered patriotism through education, media, literature, and missionary work to gain public support for imperial expansion. Conversely, religious leaders, intellectuals like Joseph Conrad, and economists like John Hobson criticized the moral injustices and economic/political harm of colonization, leading to anti-imperialist movements.