Were Economic Factors Primarily Responsible for Nineteenth-Century British Imperialism?

Were Economic Factors Primarily Responsible for Nineteenth-Century British

Imperialism?

In society today the almighty dollar is what motivates most people's

actions. However, there are other reasons that can promote a change within a

system such as morals, religious beliefs, values, and ethics. During the

nineteenth century, society was not much different from that of the present day

as the economy remains one of the most important parts of the country. This is

evident in the time period when the New World was discovered and numerous

people flocked to the uncharted lands in search for prosperity. British

imperialism was no different in that it was a means to stimulate the economy by

increasing land mass and make trading less difficult.

Upon looking at the economic system employed by a country, one of the

first things that needs to be examined is the land within that country's

possession. The British Empire had a major advantage on its side in that it had

many lands with very diverse economic bases. Some of the areas that were

encompassed by this vast empire were agriculturally bound while others were

industrially superior. Still, others had a port based economic system. With this

in mind one can envision the way in which these various systems of economy

can be woven together to form a tapestry of a truly independent and well

functioning economy. Within the lands that Britain held there were

agriculturally rich areas which supplied them with the means to produce raw

materials, textiles, and crops necessary for the production of other goods. After

harvesting these commodities they could be sent to the industrial areas for

refinement and finally the merchandise could be transported to the port based

economic areas where they could be shipped to other countries.

Another advantage which Britain had was that with the extent that their

empire covered they were able to send goods to locations all over the world with

little to no tariffs placed on their goods because they had access

...