Some Things Never Change

           Colonial empires looked very different than the past greats. England in the nineteenth century looked very different than Rome or Mongolia. There were fewer states in control of more of the world and these states were richer. More than the growing land and state piggy banks, empires grew more imaginative. Empires were expanding in new ways that only the advancements of the nineteenth century could have allowed.

            Elites were confident in their superiority and their states capacity to dominate all opposing forces. Europe embodied the “right” way of life for the backward colonies. The colonies provided the opportunity for powerful European countries to demonstrate administrative control and professional bureaucracies. Creating a colony allowed states to choose who represented them in the new world. Racially segregated towns and cities were not uncommon, and many prospered. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. France, Great Britain, Belgium, and Portugal sought imperial power within Europe itself. Germany began expanding their territory in Europe itself, and eventually moved overseas. Britain had colonies across oceans, in their homeland, and was simultaneously fighting wars against Russia, Austria, The Ottomans, and the Chinese.

            With such diversified interests, some countries struggled to maintain their manifold investments. Encouraging the maturing of concepts such as race and national pride became essential to maintain a healthy positive social atmosphere. National pride encouraged citizens to brave the ocean and volunteer to be a part of new colonies. Race kept the colonies separated, preventing colonists from merging their talents and working together, thus sharing the wealth between nations. Many hands might make light the work, but most countries would prefer to keep all the money for themselves. With the seemingly limitless social, religious, military, and political potential gifted by the age of enlightenment, the reformation, and the renaissance, colonial expansion had the perfect combination of preexisting natural resources and land and volunteer adventurists who sought fame, wealth, and personal freedom in the new world.

            After the harsh beginning years, more often than not colonies proved to be worth the effort. They provided goods such as beaver pelts, spices, timber, seeds, cotton, and sometimes labor. Once the potential was realized, European states were clamoring for new lands. It was a race for land, wealth, prestige, and the ability to rightfully claim the title of world’s greatest empire. A title like that is attractive to empires of any century. Some things never change.