The Industrial Revolution was a forerunner of imperialism in a number of ways. First of all, when a country industrialised, it needed a cheap and steady supply of raw materials, like cotton and iron. The best way to do this was to colonize countries where these materials could be easily sourced, like cotton from the West Indies, for example. Once the cotton had been turned into textiles, newly-colonized countries provided another market in which to sell them, thereby increasing imperial profits.
Imperialism also allowed these industrial countries to control the flow of trade. The Suez Canal in Egypt is a great example: by colonising this area, Britain had possession of one of the world's most strategic trading points because it was the most direct means of accessing Asia from Europe.
Finally, imperialism enabled rich, industrialised countries to show off their wealth and superiority. Driven by nationalist pride, countries like Britain, the U.S., and France, sought new lands to conquer which they could add to their list of great achievements.
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