the evolution of imperialism

In his paper entitled Imperialism, J.A. Hobson asked, “If Imperialism may no longer be regarded as a blind inevitable destiny, is it certain that imperial expansion as a deliberately chosen line of public policy can be stopped?” After reading his theory and proposed solution, I find myself asking the same question, calling upon modern political relationships and economic connections that exist in the world to find the answer. The answer is no. Imperialism is a ‘vicious’ cycle that allows for immediate gain, which causes imperialist forces to remain invested in order to maintain these profits. I put vicious in quotes because imperialism connotes a very negative idea with historical examples like the Spanish-American War. It is unfortunate, because I believe modern day globalization is, itself, imperialist in nature and is in fact something that has helped turn the ‘third world’ into the more politically correct ‘developing world.’ Something about developing word implies coming improvement as time goes on, whereas third world sounds like a trap that one cannot escape.


I define imperialism as having interests in a foreign nation and developing a presence there. Historically, imperialism has been more severe, referring to complete militaristic coups and takeovers, oppression etc. The modern world has made a subtle, yet very profound transition to a not-so-harsh and actually quite practical and sensible type of imperialism. For example, outsourcing, to me at least, seems like a mild form of imperialism because, as Hobson discusses, it involves investments in other countries and expected returns (i.e. continual profit). So, imperialism definitely still exists in today’s world and will continue to be a prominent part of global relationships. It will continue to evolve as humanitarian ideals, political relationships and economic interests also evolve.