141 Imperialism Essay Topics & Examples

To write a high-quality imperialism essay, you will need to get a good topic and conduct thorough research. Our experts have gathered some original titles and examples to facilitate this task for you.

🔥 Top Imperialism Topics

1. The Drawbacks of Interventionism.
2. American Imperialism: Causes & Effects.
3. Driving Force Behind Isolationism.
4. 20-Century Political Cartoons.
5. The History of European Imperialism.
6. Real Goals of Progressivism.
7. Foreign Policies of the British Empire.
8. Manifest Destiny & Its Significance.
9. The Consequences of Imperialism in Africa.
10. Motives for Nineteenth-Century Imperialism.

🏆 Best Imperialism Essay Examples & Topics

1. Imperialism in Shooting an Elephant: Symbolism & Themes
   The story captures the violent reality of colonialism as the narrator unfolds the events of the actual shooting and the description of the slow and painful death of the elephant that seemed peaceful in hands […]
2. The Impacts of British Imperialism in India: Research Paper
   In order to ease the transportation of raw material from the remote areas to the ports and finished goods from the ports to various destinations in India, the British government started the railway network.
3. Imperialism in Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness”
   Heart of Darkness reflects the paradoxes of imperialism in the late 19th century through exposing the exploitation of foreign lands and people, Africa and the Africans in particular; the novel uses its characters and their […]
4. American Imperialism
   America wanted an efficient and easier access of its navy to the Pacific and the Caribbean oceans. The Panamanians were to be given their independence only if they accepted the treaty, but they refused to […]
5. Imperialism in the “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad
   Throughout his entire voyage he is exposed to the brutality of the European attitudes and the rules of colonialism. The colonial activities are given a harsh image by the author of the novella.
6. Imperialism in India
   By 1858, the British regained control and immediately passed the Government of India Act, which allowed the British Crown administrators to run the country instead of the British East India Company.
7. History of the Imperialism Era in 1848 to 1914
   In this paper, however, the term imperialism is used to refer to the era from the year 1848 to 1914 when the power of Europe was extended over several nations of the world.
8. Relationship Between Neoliberalism and Imperialism
   As the western world, led by the United States, later attained the control of the world long after the Second World War, the idea of putting the state at the centre of the economic functionality […]
9. Imperialism and Racism in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
   He lauds “the book’s anti-imperialist theme…a stinging indictment of the callous and genocidal treatment of the Africans, and other nationals, at the hands of the British and the European imperial powers,” and also details the […]
10. Architecture in Colonialism and Imperialism
    The aim was to mark the cities of Algiers and Casablanca as French territories by displaying sufficient architectural design that would also convince the conquered of the power of the conqueror8.
11. White Man and British Imperialism: “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell
    In the essay, Orwell realizes that he must shoot the elephant because as a representative of the British imperialism in the small town, not doing so would have shown the British Empire to be a […]
12. Social Darwinism in European Imperialism
    Darwinism, in general, is a biological theory describing the appearance of new species and extinction of the existing ones defining species through the process of natural selection1 that is the core of Darwin’s theory and […]
13. Industrialization and Imperialism in America
    The post-war era became a period of the tremendous growth of industries and modern businesses; giving the nation a new economic and political power both locally and abroad.
14. Lenin on Imperialism as the Highest Stage of Capitalism
    Lenin, in his analysis on imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism, stated that the integration of bank capital with the industrial capital facilitates the creation of financial oligarchy.
15. “When the Camera Was a Weapon of Imperialism” by Teju Cole
    Photography, in this case, is a tool, which can be used in a wide variety of ways, and condemning it rather than the practices it allows to document is strange. This photograph is a striking […]
16. European Imperialism Impact in Ibo Society
    Prior to the arrival of white men in Umuofia, the society was heavily dependent on agriculture. For instance, the Igbo would kill children given to the community as prisoners of war but this phenomenon was […]
17. American Cultural Imperialism in the Film Industry Is Beneficial to the Canadian Society
    Cultural imperialism on the other hand is considered as the situation where the western countries dominate the media worldwide and in the process exert a lot of influences on the cultures of the developing nations […]
18. Media Imperialism Debate: Arguments and Theories
    Apart from assisting in the imperialistic culture exportation of the Western values to manipulate the underdeveloped and developing nations, the Western media unfairly displaced the local media and dominated the telecommunication industry in the developing […]
19. The Influence of American Imperialism on Our Economy and American Society since the End of the 19th Century
    The United States of America was not involved in the scramble, the American imperialism only started later in 1898 during the Spanish American war where the United States of America saw the opportunity to gain […]
20. Swift’s and Conrad’s Critiques of Imperialism
    So, the authors of the works of Jonathan Swift called Gulliver’s Travels and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, agreed in their view of the imperialistic system.
21. Imperialism: A Study by John A. Hobson
    The author of this literature was found to be George Allen & Unwin, eminent economists, who appealed to the economists in the country against the school of imperialism opted by Great Britain in the early […]
22. Pop Culture as a New Tool of Imperialism
    From the first standpoint, most of the experts agree upon the point that the effectiveness of pop culture as one of the instruments of the so-called “soft power” is unquestioned.
23. The Platform of the American Anti-Imperialist League
    The aggravation of the social contradictions of the imperialist era at the end of the 19th century gave rise to democratic movements. The league was formed in 1898 to fight the annexation of the Philippines.
24. H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” and British Imperialism
    Though the British Empire was the complex of colonies, dominions, mandates, protectorates, and other territories ruled by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the people of the Empire lived in fear on […]
25. American Imperialism in the 19th century
    The term can also be used to refer to the extension of practice, to acquire dominion, control by to the distant or closer union of territory/ nation.
26. Racism in the US: Settler Imperialism
    They prove that colonial imperialism is a structure, not a contextual phenomenon and that, as such, it propagates the marginalization of native people.
27. Imperialism: Historical Background and Modern Perspective
    As a consequence of being denied a say in the creation of the laws and policies of the other country, its people are reduced to second-class citizens.
28. The Concept of English Imperialism
    Settlers that had financial or other influences had also partaken in the moves to the Americas in order to escape the control of the royal family and the current government.
29. Modern Western Imperialism: Causes and Impacts
    From the 18th to the early 20th century, most of the populated territories in the world came to be dominated by just a handful of powers from Europe of North America.
30. Imperialism, Colonialism, and Nationalism
    The concepts of imperialism, colonialism, and nationalism were particularly prominent and essential in the 19th and 20th centuries. In conclusion, imperialism, colonialism, and nationalism played a key role in the course of the 19th and […]
31. How Did Cold War and Post-Cold War U.S. Imperialism Affect African Societies?
    During the Cold War, both the socialist motives of the USSR and the imperialist nature of the United States affected African nations and their changing political states.
32. Imperialism and Nationalism in Middle Eastern Politics
    Thus, in order to understand the political situation in the region, one needs proper knowledge of its history and the driving forces that led to the emergence of its contemporary countries.
33. American Imperialism: Past or Present?
    The sequence of historical events, including the conflicts with Native Americans, the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican-American War, raised the question of American imperialism, taking into consideration the rapid growth of the country.

👍 Good Imperialism Essay Topics

1. The State of Arab Science: Role of Imperialism
   The interviews revealed that there are people who are unaware of the role Arabs played in the development of science, while others believe that their contributions are marginalized today. Similarly, Arab contribution to science is […]
2. Cultural Imperialism in the United States
   However, with the recent protests and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, more and more people start to believe that discrimination exists.
3. Imperialism: Politics and Differences of Empires
   Therefore, the Ancient Roman army combined the peaceful mentality of protecting the land from invaders and the notion of the conquest of other states.
4. Imperialism and Its Effect on the World
   He firmly believes that the western influence has been and is currently the cause of underdevelopment in the Third world countries.
5. Imperialism and Its Negative Consequences
   The article was written in 1917 when Lenin gave his explanation of why the World War One broke out stating the ‘predatory’ essence of the powerful states to take over each other economically and politically.
6. The Industrial Revolution & Imperialism
   The revolution began in the 18th century in England and subsequently spread to other parts of the world. The revolution has played a major role in the expansion of the global economy in the sense […]
7. Imperialism as a Policy and an Ideology
   From a political point of view, Hobson argues that a genuine nationalism characterized by possession of a national history and collective pride by the European nations in the19th century marked the passage from traditional nationalism […]
8. Globalization and Imperialism in the Third World
   In the face of globalization, communication as in the use of language and style in music, speech and art form the primary material for intercultural transmission in various forms of the media.
9. Why Manifest Destiny Is Another Form of Imperialism
   For the American society, the two have been seen and politicized as the fight for democracy and concern for the rights of the weak and the downtrodden, with the unique insight of strengthening the model […]
10. How Imperialism Offered Great Opportunities to Elite Women
    These women more often interacted with native women and were moved by the plight of women in the remote regions they voyaged.
11. Imperialism and Its Peoples: Facing Imperialism
    The European states occupied the whole of Africa and were competing amongst themselves for control of the territory. The European states that were economically stable and had stronger military occupied most of the regions.
12. American History of Imperialism: Cultural and Economic Processes
    Cultural imperialism on the other hand is the subordination of the culture, traditions, and ideologies of the subordinate territory by those of the imperial state.
13. American Empire and Cultural Imperialism
    So we can say that America has become imperialistic and the reason for it becoming one was in order to take the control of the market in order to sell its products and also to […]
14. Was Christopher Columbus an Imperialist?
    The travel narratives of Christopher Columbus were given in the Letter and Journal of Columbus. The Letter by Columbus was addressed to his mentors namely Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, is not just a narrative […]
15. American Imperialism and Democracy
    It comes with increased control as well as the subjection of the conquered to the rules and the demands of the conqueror.
16. The Practice of Wearing the Veil and Cultural Imperialism
    The questions that are raised by recent research in this context are whether banning headscarves is not cultural imperialism because it means the death of another culture.
17. Western Feminist Critics and Cultural Imperialism
    To be able to fulfill the above-provided task, it would be necessary to discuss and analyze the issues of race, gender, sexuality, the oppression of multiculturalism, cultural relativism, the attitude of the feminists toward the […]
18. Motives for British Imperialism in Africa
    By the stroke of the eighteen thirties the Boers who were by then the majority in South Africa, embarked on what has been called the Great Trek in order to run away from the colonial […]
19. Imperialism vs. Anti-Imperialism in American History
    This is the first meaning of this word and the second is the development of the country as to be means of expanding its territory.
20. Processes of the Political Decentralization of the Middle East and European Imperialism in the Middle East: Connection
    Although it would be wrong to attribute the political decentralization of The Middle East to a single factor, there is a direct connection between the early 20th-century European Imperialism and the dissipation of the political […]
21. Imperialist Global Order After World War I
    Thus, the general trend of the after-war years was the dismantling of multiethnic empires and the establishment of new nation-states. However, World War I also created new challenges to the existing hierarchies of wealth and […]
22. Global Culture and Cultural Imperialism in the United States
    The influence of the Indian culture in the UAE is visible through the acceptance of Indian cultural values in the UAE social scene.
23. World Civilizations and Imperialism
    The article discusses two theories explaining imperialism: the economic theory of imperialism advanced by Hobson and Lenin and the realists’ explanation promoted by Morgenthau, Niebuhr, and Aron.
24. Imperialism and the Life of Manly Courage
    The poem justifies the decision by the Europeans to enter Africa and mentions that it was a way of helping the Africans.
25. Ecological Imperialism in World History
    Therefore, the impact of the conquest of America is that it led to the introduction of new diseases to different countries.
26. Western Imperialism and Asian Response
    This defeat elevated the status of Japan as a military power, and it also led to the annexation of Korea by Japan.
27. “New Imperialism” in the Late 19th Century
    The need for new markets and raw materials, missionary work, new military conflicts, and new ideology were the main reasons for the new imperialism.
28. Sports Role in the Imperialism and Nationalism Development
    In that case, it is an indication of certain developments within the nation’s country that promote the ideas of inequality and superiority, such as the ideas of imperialism and nationalism.
29. The Far East Nations: Isolation and Imperialism
    Consequently, Japan and China were unable to resist the imperialism of the Western nations such as the United States and Britain.
30. American Imperialism and Global Identity
    The entry of America into imperialism was orchestrated through the military and economic approach. This implies that imperialism was a remedy for the lawlessness happening around the world.
31. Japanese Imperialist Expansion and Its Drivers
    The expansion of the Japanese empire in the Asian continent took place in the same period when the Western countries were actively invading China.
32. Politics and Western Imperialism in the Middle East
    At the height of the scramble for the Middle East countries, the Western powers first studied the region and also watched each other’s activities in the area.
33. The United States and Imperialist Power
    The relevant assumption is typically applied to the example of the USA that is certainly one of the most powerful countries in the current civilization.
34. Why Imperialism is Advantageous to the United States?
    Availability of resources and new markets will boost the development of the US economy. The US imperialism is one of the most efficient ways to solve this issue.

💡 Most Interesting Imperialism Topics to Write about

1. Imperialism and Revolutions in East Asia
   However, the US opposed the idea of spheres of influence in 1899 and advocated the open market system, where every Western power had the right to the Chinese market.
2. Holocaust and Nazi’s Racial Imperialism
   The scholar argues that the event was a result of the racial imperialism championed by the Nazi Party in the country.
3. Imperialism and Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa
   However, the level and speed of change of culture in Sub-Saharan societies increased massively after development of imperialism and settlement of Europeans in Sub-Saharan regions.
4. New Imperialism’ Role in the World History
   On balance, it is possible to note that the new imperialism was concerned with the desire to get access to resources and new markets.
5. Imperialism’ Impacts on Africa, Latin America and India
   The industrial revolution in Europe forced powerful states in the continent to acquire colonies in Africa with the aim of securing raw materials and cheap human labor.
6. Imperialism in King Leopold II Document
   The charges laid against the government explicitly defines all the cruelties and unfairness done to the natives which is opposite of the expectations.
7. History: Imperialism Impacts in Spain
   It also strengthened the relationship between America and many European countries, which led to the development of more political, economic and military influence in these regions compared to other parts of the globe.
8. Japan and Imperialism 1853-1945 by James Huffman
   The main topic in the reading is imperialism, which the author believes motivated Japan to economic and political development. The author applies a variety of data to present the concept of imperialism in Japan’s history.
9. New Imperialism and Politics 1850 and 1914
   One of the characteristics of the new imperialism was that Britain was no longer a major economic and political power in the world politics due to the emergence of other powers such as the United […]
10. Contribution of Marxism and Imperialism in Shaping the Modern International Political System
    Therefore, the postulated concepts of class struggles, materialism, and the surfacing of a capitalistic world market incredibly provide a point of alignment of the Marxism concepts and theories of international relations.
11. Critical Analysis of Dissertation: “Imperialism and the modern world – wars and revolutions or democratic peace?”
    Moreover, it explores the changing world systems after the Second World War and the interest on the concept of democratic peace as captured in the abstract.
12. Imperialism History and Legacy
    Moreover, the scramble for Africa by colonial masters began, and this led to the Berlin Conference of 1888. Consequently, massive migration from the colonies into Europe occurred, and this was a key factor to the […]
13. Ecological Imperialism
    This work can be improved upon by ensuring that human development is not relegated to the sidelines as Crosby has argued.
14. Imperialism Effect on the Nations
    Others define it as the spread of the western economy to the rest of the world. The civilized states in the west took it to themselves to spread the civilization to the rest of the […]
15. How New Imperialism Was Shaped
    In 1994, Rwandan population was made up of three ethnic group namely the Hutus who were the majority, the Tutsi who were relatively few and the Twa who were insignificant due to their number, the […]
16. To What Extent Are Liberal Theories of Humanitarian Intervention Complicit With Imperialism?
    In this, traditional theories such as Liberal Internationalism, which forms the basis of discussion in this essay, have also undergone a revival; particularly since the end of the Cold War, when with the failure of […]
17. History of American Imperialism
    The dichotomy in the politics of America, which involves way in which the nation operate has greatly influenced other nations. In addition, American was involved in operational factors which were seen as crucial on the […]
18. Imperialism and Modernization
    The skills learnt in farming were of great help to the colonies since they applied them in their farms after independence and this accelerated their modernization process.
19. US Imperialism in Afghanistan
    S-Afghanistan war; the cause of the Al-Qaida attacks on the U. S and its allies and motive of the subsequent military intervention by the U.S.in Afghanistan.
20. The Perils of Imperialism: Through the Lens of History
    To start with, it is essential to keep in mind that the imperialist tendencies especially in the Western globalized environment, affects a state on not only political, but also economical and socio-cultural levels, therefore, changing […]
21. Why Were Some Countries More Successful in Responding to the Challenge of European Imperialism Than Others?
    Despite the high imperialism of the European nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, some nations in the three regions were successful in evading colonial imperialism due to their well established systems and strategies.
22. Imperialism in the Interaction of World Cultures
    With all the colonization that the European nations such as Germany, Portugal and Spain associated themselves with in the region, came the synchronization of their cultures.
23. Marx’s Anticipation of the Nationalism and Imperialism of the Second Half of the 19th Century
    The process of civilization is nothing other than a typical and complete adoption or duplication of the injurious culture of the west.
24. Relationship Between Modern Imperialism and Economic Globalization
    Modern imperialism also relates to economic globalization in that the European and Western powers emphasized on civilization, as they spread in most parts of the world; this ultimately led to economic globalization. Modern imperialism led […]
25. Influence of Imperialism on World Cultures
    A depiction of the dangers of these extremes was the central character of the fictional novel “The Death of Artemio Cruz”.
26. Understanding the Influence of Imperialism on World Cultures through Literature and Arts
    As Spaniards continued expanding their territory in the Latin American countries, they influenced the natives’ way of life leading to most of the Latin Americans abandoning their culture and adopting the Hispanic culture.
27. Importance of American Imperialism to the Economy and Society
    The economic influence of USA is primarily necessitated by the internationalization of systems of production, circulation and investment, the interpenetration of private capital and the structure of the nation.
28. Imperialism or National Protection: Is it Part of the Definition of the United States of America?
    The purpose of the Address to the Nation Announcing Allied Military Action in the Persian Gulf was threefold: one, to announce the commencement of military actions against Iraq following the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam […]
29. Western Imperialism Dynamics
    This is a stereotype that Puccini had created in the eyes of the Western world in reference to women from the Far East.
30. American Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century
    From the early years of 19th century up to the civil war, Northern American boarders were to be expanded according to the plan and debates.
31. Imperialism or National Protection: What is the Definition of the United States of America?
    Truman’s speech points to one of the core tenets of the self image of the United States; colloquially, the United States defines itself as the world’s dad, in the traditional sense.
32. 19th Century American Imperialism
    Due to the inexperience of America in the concept of global domination, there were great challenges occasioned by the nation’s inability to decide whether or not to use the military to secure the interest of […]
33. Imperialism and Globalization
    In spite of the fact that Haiti is already past the threatening state of affairs that it experienced at the times of imperialism, it still survives the aftereffects left by the reign of the latter.
34. English Imperialism in the Caribbean and Africa
    Many nations were influenced by the colonizers by the use of the English language through which they were forced to believe and act according to the will of their colonizers.

❓ Imperialism Essay Questions

1. Why Did the US Become Imperialistic?
2. What Were the Effects of Roman Imperialism?
3. Why Did Korea Fall Victim to Japanese Imperialism?
4. Why Was Imperialism Inevitable in the United States?
5. Does Imperialism Work?
6. What Is the Primary Purpose of Imperialism?
7. How Important Was the Boer War in Changing Attitudes in Britain to Imperialism?
8. How Did Imperialism Cause World War I?
9. What Are Three Examples of Imperialism?
10. What Are Some Examples of Imperialism Today?
11. What Was the Most Important Cause of War, Imperialism, or Nationalism?
12. How Western and Japanese Imperialism Affected China Happened?
13. Was Imperialism Good for Europe?
14. How Did Imperialism Affect China?
15. Was American Imperialism Morally Justifiable?
16. How Important Was President Theodore Roosevelt to the Development of American Imperialism?
17. How Western Imperialism Affects China and Japan?
18. What Attracted European Imperialism to Africa & Asia in the Late Nineteenth Century?
19. What Were the Three Reasons for Imperialism?
20. How Did Industrialization Lead To Imperialism?
21. Why Was Imperialism Effective?
22. How Far Was Imperialism the Cause of the First Opium Wars in China?
23. How Popular Was the Policy of Imperialism in England?
24. What Is Imperialism Called Today?
25. What Do Women Want When Women Want Imperialism?
26. How British Imperialism Led to the Rebellion in India?
27. Was the Mexican American War an Exercise in American Imperialism?
28. Why Was Imperialism Good for America?
29. What Was the Impact of Imperialism on Subject Populations?
30. What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism?