Since the Meiji era, multiple wars that have occurred in quick succession have been " imperialism . It is not unrelated to the fact that the idea / policy called "" has been promoted in many countries including Japan.
I would like to find out what kind of situation led to imperialism.
What is imperialism? ??
(What is imperialism – Kotobank).
Lenin's theory of imperialism was the first to analyze imperialism. In this book, Lenin is
I also say.
"Imperialism" is such an idea and policy. Since it is difficult to understand from the text alone, I found a figure that describes various factors, so I will post it.
Source:History of International Politics-From the Age of World Wars to the 21st Century-From p.37
Economic domination by huge capital
In the upper right of the above figure, " Economic control by huge capital There is. This "giant capital" has been shaped during the development of European countries during the Age of Discovery and the Industrial Revolution at the end of that development.
The story changes, but in both Japanese and world history, economic power always has a great influence on the voice in the political world (like the Fujiwara family in the Heian period and customs politics, Nobunaga Oda who played the Rakuichi Rakuza in the Warring States period. Yes).
Even after the Industrial Revolution, the voices of people with huge capital cannot be heard by people with political power, as in the history of the past. In the figure above, " combination of economic power and political power 』It corresponds to the part.
What are some policies that could be profitable for people with such economic power and could be intervened by the state?
- Hire people for cheap wages
- Get a place to sell your products
- Get raw materials cheaply
What a place, such as.
We didn't look abroad from the beginning, but initially domestically, " hire people at cheap wages 』It starts from that.
What happens if you hire people at a low wage?
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The rich and the poor are born, and the gap widens.
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What happens when the gap widens?
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Security will worsen.
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What happens when security deteriorates?
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The foundation of the country may be shaken.
To prevent this from happening, economic policy / social policy / security measures to hold.
Implementing economic and social policies can be a security measure and at the same time stimulate the consumer behavior of the working class.
Narrowing of domestic market and national conflict
Consumption activity will stop at a certain upper limit. Employers want to work at low wages, so there is always an upper limit to consumer activity. This is the " narrowing of the domestic market " in the table above. "is.
When the domestic market becomes volatile, employers dismiss workers and lower salaries. As a result of financial hardship ... As pointed out earlier, it is conceivable that the government will be overthrown due to the deterioration of public security. It is unlikely that foreigners are silently watching domestic gudaguda, and they will try to intervene in some way.
For that reason, security measures are indispensable, and it also leads to the preparation of armaments for security measures. Employment is also created when arming is prepared, and it can be an economic measure. This is " economic militarization "is. Once armed, it will be possible to influence foreign countries.
" Narrowing of the domestic market " Conflict between the two peoples by the disparity society The countries that caused the Industrial Revolution first had the ability to actually carry it out, seeking a way to solve it overseas, and gained it through "militization of the economy."
Imperialism is an idea and policy that is beneficial to both those with political power and those with economic power, and at the same time, " two people . From the standpoint of the poor, it can be said that the policy of "may get the taste of other countries" could be a hope to improve lives.
On the other hand, some countries do not have (colonies) such as being late for overseas expansion. Such countries deprive developed countries that have already expanded overseas Or, advance into an untouched area I was forced to make a choice (in some cases, withdrawing from capitalism itself).
Otherwise, " Narrowing of the domestic market " Conflict between the two peoples ] Is difficult to solve. If the situation is not urgent, it may be possible to solve it by trade, but in reality, there is a limit to the consumption activity in the market.
Depression due to oversupply of goods
Depression is waiting for the oversupply of goods is.
In a large country like the United States, you can cover it yourself (New Deal policy), but in a country with a limited population and territory, the solution cannot be taken. Countries that have colonies can be solved by trade between their home country and the colonies (block economy), but countries that do not have colonies cannot.
It is the poor who are slowly cornered without a solution. Where do you complain when the poor are cornered? Normally, I would hit the rich, but the ruler side is not the rich, but the solution of dissatisfaction is directed toward the "minority (socialist, religious minority, etc.)" and the country is put together. increase. " Necessity of national integration " in the above figure "is.
In addition to complaining about the "minority", seeking foreign enemies and solutions is also " national integration . It became an effective means to do.
These factors work in combination to spread imperialism. It led to numerous wars such as colonial rule, resistance from the colonies, and conflicts between the great powers.