Imperialism

Imperialism  is the takeover of a country or territory by a stronger nation with the intent of dominating the political, economic, and social life of the people of that nation. This helped and hurt the world during this time.

How it helped:

• Africa had serious amounts of natural mineral resources that helped Europeans and were a source of wealth. For instance, South Africa had huge deposits of gold and diamonds. 
• Missionaries from Europe made efforts to "civilize" the people of Africa, which would (hopefully) end slave trade.
• Ideas and practices were spread to the people of the colonies, including democracy, literacy, and health-related improvements.

How it hurt:

• Europeans played native groups against each other, causing chaos.
• Europeans, with their advanced weaponry, easily overtook the African people due to their susceptibility. 
• Europeans forced the Africans to give up their culture to become more European. An example of this would be paternalism.