In the latter half of the nineteenth century a surge of imperialism swept out of Europe and caused much of Africa and Asia to be colonized and subdued.
Three periods in the modern era witnessed the creation of vast empires, primarily colonial. Between the 15th century and the middle of the 18th, England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain built empires in the Americas, India, and the East Indies. For almost a century thereafter, relative calm in empire building reigned as the result of a strong reaction against imperialism. …
