imperialism

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the policy or practice of extending a state's power over other territories through conquest, colonization, or political and economic control

   The historian traced how imperialism reshaped borders and trade across the region.

2. 2
   noun

   the ideology that supports or justifies the creation and maintenance of an empire

   The pamphlet attacked imperialism as a denial of national self-determination.

Formed in the nineteenth century from imperial + -ism. Imperial came through Old French from Latin imperialis, based on imperium, 'command, authority, or empire.' The term moved from describing imperial government to naming policies and ideologies of territorial, political, or economic domination.

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