Essay About Economic Factors And Century British Imperialism

Were Economic Factors Primarily Responsible for Nineteenth-Century British Imperialism?
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Were Economic Factors Primarily Responsible for Nineteenth-Century British
Imperialism?
In society today the almighty dollar is what motivates most peoples
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 countrys
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