Empires, Colonies, and Imperialism

Empire is an emotive word. Anything related to it is usually presented in negative terms, connoting exploitation, oppression, arrogance. But imperialism and its most visible products, empires and colonies, was a central force in the experience of all civilizations from the beginning of recorded history. Imperialism defined, shaped, often even determined the very existence of most human beings for most of the last three millennia—and was a profound force in the making of the modern world in the last five centuries. Empires brought civilizations together and propelled globalization. Imperialism shaped world politics, culture and economy. Colonies and the colonial experience shaped societies and reflected changing balances of power and energy. The very idea of empire established a world view that shaped our modern world, for better and worse. This module will introduce you to the study of Empires, Colonies and Imperialism by examining the imperial experience in the context of modern global history. We will tackle our topic by addressing three questions: Why and how were empires established in the first place? Why and how were empires developed and consolidated? And why and how were empires left or lost?