FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND NORTH AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN EXPANSIONISM - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Foreign investment and North American and European expansionism refer to the placement of capital by the United States and Europe in areas beyond the territory of a nation. In this way they can expand their territorial base or achieve greater economic, political or social influence.

During the nineteenth century the expansionism of North America and Europe had an important advance. The recently proclaimed independence of the United States of America was followed by an expansion of its territory through various trade agreements and military confrontations.

European empires also sought to extend their sovereignty for mercantilist reasons, due to the loss of several colonies in Latin America throughout the 1800s. Territories such as Venezuela and Brazil achieved their independence from Spain and Portugal during this century.

It was then that they settled on an area hitherto unknown to Europeans, Africa, which at the beginning of the 20th century was under the rule of the Portuguese, Spanish, English and French Empires.

North American expansionism

After its process of Independence from the British Empire, the United States began to establish itself as a world economic and military power.

It was through foreign investment and military confrontations that the United States was expanding its territory. Some of the most important were:

Louisiana Purchase

In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte agreed to the sale of the Louisiana Territory to the United States.

The area in question was sold on credit and its final cost slightly exceeded 23 million dollars.

Thanks to this purchase - a fundamental movement in North American expansionism - the newly created American nation annexed more than 2 million square kilometers to its territory.

Alaska Purchase

This process consisted of the acquisition of Alaska by the United States, which paid Russia 7.2 million dollars for the region of 1.5 million square kilometers.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Signed in 1848 to end the Mexican-American War, the Aztec nation ceded to the United States what is now California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of other states.

European expansionism

After having lost important colonies in America, empires such as the British, Spanish and Portuguese, saw in Africa a territory to conquer to expand their territories and obtain raw materials, natural wealth and cheap labor.

Berlin Treaty

Between 1884 and 1885 the Treaty of Berlin, where 14 European nations participated, tried to resolve the issue of the colonization of Africa by the old continent.

The conquered countries could become concessions, protectorates or colonies. However, any of these areas was at the total mercy of the conquering European nation, which of course led to various conflicts.

Causes and consequences

The desire to invest in new territories, obtain greater wealth and expand dominance beyond national borders, prompted Europe to colonize Africa.

While there were important benefits for Africa such as the development of transport and industry, the negative consequences were much greater.

Slavery, racial segregation, destruction of local customs and culture, in addition to the death of thousands of natives, devastated the African continent.

References

1. Rolf Walter "Economic Relations Between Europe and the World: Dependence and Interdependence" in: European History Online (2012) Retrieved in 2017 from
2. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica "European Expansion Since 1763" in: Britannica (2016) Retrieved in 2017 from
3. Roger Burt «The Expansion of the World Economy 1800 - 1914» in: University Of Exeter (2001) Recovered in 2017 from
4. Ernest R. May (1961) Imperial Democracy the Emergence of America as a Great Power. New York: Imprint Pubns.
5. Sanford Levinson (2005) The Louisiana Purchase and American Expansion, 1803-1898. United States: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.