- A variety of motives and methods led to the intensification of European global control and increased tensions among the Great Powers.
- European national rivalries and strategic concerns fostered imperial expansion and competition for colonies.
- The search for raw materials and markets for manufactured goods, as well as strategic and nationalistic considerations, drove Europeans to colonize Africa and Asia, even as European colonies in the Americas broke free politically, if not economically.
- The development of advanced weaponry invariably ensured the military superiority of Europeans over colonized areas.
- Communication and transportation technologies allowed for the creation of European empires.
- Imperialism created diplomatic tensions among European states that strained alliances systems.
*All information is taken from AP European History Curriculum Framework