Select two of the following regions: Asia, Africa, Muslim World/India, the Americas. Identify whether social, political, or economic interests were the main motivation for imperialist nations in each region you selected. Use at least two pieces of evidence (examples) to support your assertions for each region.

Asia is economic--after exposure to items on the Silk Road, Europeans wanted direct access instead of going through the Middle East.

Africa is economic and political--it is economic initially to access humans for slavery in the New World. However the 2nd wave of imperialism was for resources and markets as well as empire building to amass political power in the modern world.

Muslim World/India is economic--Resources such as cotton, tea, oil, spices, and other commodities made these areas worth grabbing. After World War II, interest in the Middle East will become political as Europe needs allies in the Middle East to combat Soviet advances.

Americas are economic and social--For Catholic countries building trade and getting access to a marketable commodity or gold was a driving force but also was the conversion of people to Catholicism. For the Dutch it was purely economic as New York became a major trading hub for the New World. For England, it was social for those leaving Europe for religious reasons. The Southern colonies were economic ventures in particular for cash crops like tobacco and cotton.