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Joseph Chamberlain: The Father of Imperialism

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Joseph Chamberlain: The Father of Imperialism
Joseph Chamberlain can be rightly termed as the father of imperialism. Imperialism was the policy of acting as a nation 's authority figure or leader, and by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations. (http://www.infoplease.com) Joseph Chamberlain promoted British imperialism with full vigor; in his eyes, England was destined to control the whole world. Joseph Chamberlain was born in 1836, and at the age of 38 was elected as the lord mayor of Birmingham. He pushed for reform in the clearance of the slums and the takeover of the city 's gas and electric services. He was acknowledged as a British statesman, known to some as a champion of imperialism in foreign affairs and of social reform in domestic matters. Although he was somewhat primarily responsible for the Boer war, his main focus was to create a prosperous England. He was the man behind the rise and fall of the British Empire. "The day of small nations has long passed away. The day of Empires has come." (Hopkins 22)

Chamberlain was the leader of British imperialism in the 1890 's. His developmental policy of imperial expansion and consolidation was influenced by the same factors that influenced the general movement towards imperialism during those times. (http://en.thinkexist.com) As this period of British imperialism ran parallel to similar movements of expansion in France, Russia and Germany, it is perhaps natural to assume that factors influencing the one may have also influenced the others. This also leads to a possibility that factors influencing old imperialism and modern day imperialism are intricately linked, if not the same. If there is a continuity of the factors influencing imperial developments in various periods of history, then this essay strives to link those factors together, endeavoring to explain the basis of modern day imperialism.

Chamberlain 's relentless campaign for imperialism compelled others to change their definitions about the conceptions of the


Bibliography: Bergman, P. G. (1993). Joseph Chamberlain. In The New Encyclopedia Britannica (Vol. 26, pp. 501- 508). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica. Hopkins, J. Castell. (1906). The Empire Club of Canada Speeches 1905-1906. Toronto The Empire Club of Canada. Strauss, William L. (1942). Joseph Chamberlain and the Theory of Imperialism. Washington, DC (2005). Joseph Chamberlain. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (6th edition). Retrieved March 05, 2006, from Infoplease on World Wide Web: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0811257.html Zakaria, Fareed (February 20, 1995). Joseph Chamberlain: Entrepreneur in Politics: National Review. Retrieved March 05, 2006, from National Review on World Wide Web: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n3_v47/ai_16709036
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