Capitalism was the main driving force that led to creation of colonial empires. It began to spread during the time of the Middle Ages and was that impetus due to which market relations started to develop rapidly. Mainly construction and plundering of the colonial system became the basis of such empires. It is obvious that such system largely depended on overseas territories and could last as long as these territories remained obedient and had enough resources.
During these historical developments, the main ways of trade and economic centers of Europe gradually shifted from the Mediterranean lands to countries which were part of the Atlantic. Shifting economic centers led to the fact that, gradually, those countries located there started to dominate on the world arena. These countries included Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, these powers were engaged in politics and diplomatic relations at the global level. In terms of foreign and domestic policy of these countries, all the interests were subjected to continual conquest of new territories with further glory and domination over them.
Economy became that sphere that mattered most for monarchs of these empires, as well as owners of large capitals, main purpose of which was to capture new markets by conquering new lands. These countries also strived to buy all new colonies and sought to gain dominance in the trade. As a result, there occurred a lot of wars, which took place mainly due to the rapidly growing interests of the holders of big capital.
This could not last too long, and first cracks in the colonial world order appeared already in the 18th century. A bright example was the moment, when the British Empire appeared on the verge of collapse for the first time. Back then, in the 70-80s of the 18th century, the rebellious colonies in North America won the war for independence (which was the beginning of the formation of the United States). Steadily, the rest of the colonial empires faced the same situation – more and more their colonies were rioting against them which soon led to collapse of these empires.
Bibliography
Craig, Albert. The Heritage of World Civilizations. Vol. 2. London, UK: Pearson, 2016.
