By Daniel Archibald | CFA
To all those who celebrated May the 4th, you may notice that the title of this article is the name of the composition also commonly known as "Darth Vadar's Theme". The word 'imperial' meaning something relating to an empire, and the word 'march' meaning to walk in military manner. Like many things in Star Wars, the symbolism of the "imperial march" is seen throughout much of human history.
Before we leave the world of sci-fi, and to introduce the main theme of this article, I turn my attention to the global sensation that is the Marvel cinematic universe (Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, etc). A recent instalment in the series sees the peaceful world of Asgard under threat from its new queen, Hela, the daughter of Odin. Before her brother, Thor, can come and save the Asgardians, Hela offers a reason for her bloodlust and also the reason for the peace and prosperity of the kingdom.
"Odin and I drowned entire civilizations in blood and tears. Where do you think all this gold came from?"
Alas, the beautiful golden city of the immortal Asgardians, was not built on love and goodwill, but from vanquishing foes and wiping out other worlds. And any student of history can see the parallels between this cosmic world and our own.
Imperialism is the extension of a state's power and influence beyond its borders. This can be achieved through diplomatic endeavours (i.e. convincing another nation of the benefits of a friendly takeover) or military action (i.e. skipping diplomacy for a hostile takeover). The motives for imperialism might include providing greater peace and security, spreading religion or sharing the benefits of effective government, but it more often walks the line of dreams of domination and exploitation of riches.
There have been many notable empires in the world's recorded history. Egyptian, Roman, Spanish, Ottoman, French, British, etc along with numerous Chinese dynasties and Islamic caliphates. Of all these, the post-WWI British empire is likely to be the grandest in history, while the current American empire, might be seen as the largest of the modern world (especially in terms of global influence).
Belgium doesn't usually come to mind when investigating imperialism, but its history does provide some interesting insights. Being a small country, it never really rose to the ranks of being an "empire", but its cross-border history does follow in the same footsteps as many of its European neighbours. Belgium became an independent nation in 1830, gaining its freedom from the Netherlands and installing King Leopold I as king. During his 34 year reign, Leopold oversaw the care of the fledgling country, encouraging industrialisation and thwarting hostile takeover attempts from the Dutch. Overall, history remembers King Leopold I in a kind light. The same cannot be said for his son and successor, Leopold II.
Upon taking the throne, Leopold II followed many of his European counterparts in exploring the African continent and in 1885, he and Belgium become the owner of the Congo Free State. This "ownership" was granted by other colonisers, and was meant to accomplish the objective of improving the lives of the Congolese people. By his death about 20 years later, approximately 10 million native inhabitants had lost their lives as King Leopold II lined his pockets with profits from ivory, rubber and of course, cocoa beans.
This exploited wealth led to the growth and prestige of the Belgian economy, and the construction and development of some of the grandest palaces, castles and courts of the time. Of course, all this wealth was not to help when neighbouring Germany twice decided to wage war against its enemies through and on Belgian soil.
It could be easy to not connect the dots between the current wealth enjoyed by the western world and its imperialistic past. Technological advances have probably been the major cause of growth in wealth over the past few centuries, but the share of that wealth has often fallen the way of the imperialist. Belgium's brief colonial flirtation is a small example of the way in which this has occurred, with most developed nations guilty of some level of exploitation... As a philosophical tour guide recently encouraged his group of sight-seers; "As you travel around the grand cities of Europe, enjoying their veritable peace and posterity, and admiring their beautiful streets and magnificent residences, remember to ask yourself - Where did all this wealth come from?"