The positives for conquering most of the free world were great for the conquerors (surprise, surprise!) and not as great for those people who were conquered. To start out, those who were conquered did gain some good benefits. More often than not, Europeans would westernize areas they conquered and thus would change traditional practices (including the very touchy one, religion) to what they deemed as proper and civilized. some examples of bad traditional practices that were changed due to westernization included, (in India) the practice of burning the wife of a widower with her husband and other persecutions to other people that changed when both parties were conquered by a third. Often in conquered places positive modernization effects would take place such as legal systems being revised; shipyards, mines, and factories being constr
ucted; native people could get higher educations abroad in European schools; and, natives gaining access to new and exciting foreign technologies and (sometimes) luxuries. Now to the other side of the spectrum, the European elite gained an incredible amount of wealth, power, and land during the New Imperialistic age. Europeans like King Leopold II of Belgian gained private land abroad, labor to work it, and wealth from the natural resources he gained there. Europeans saw increases in labor and in their armies since conquered people would turn around and fight for the conqueror's army (its just another job). Europe also received a different sort of wealth, the wealth of knowledge of the world's geography, people, religions, philosophies, attitudes, ways of economy, and just general knowledge that being a globalized country brings. If one travels the world one inevitably learns more, I believe the greatest benefit of the New Imperialism for Europe and for indigenous populations was not gold, silver, or land. It was the knowledge of the multitudes of people that inhabit this Earth. every step into the unknown brought back another ten steps of insight and understanding.
ucted; native people could get higher educations abroad in European schools; and, natives gaining access to new and exciting foreign technologies and (sometimes) luxuries. Now to the other side of the spectrum, the European elite gained an incredible amount of wealth, power, and land during the New Imperialistic age. Europeans like King Leopold II of Belgian gained private land abroad, labor to work it, and wealth from the natural resources he gained there. Europeans saw increases in labor and in their armies since conquered people would turn around and fight for the conqueror's army (its just another job). Europe also received a different sort of wealth, the wealth of knowledge of the world's geography, people, religions, philosophies, attitudes, ways of economy, and just general knowledge that being a globalized country brings. If one travels the world one inevitably learns more, I believe the greatest benefit of the New Imperialism for Europe and for indigenous populations was not gold, silver, or land. It was the knowledge of the multitudes of people that inhabit this Earth. every step into the unknown brought back another ten steps of insight and understanding.
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