ABSTRACT
The neo-Marxist theories of imperialism are carried to extremes, sometimes treating all forms of foreign investment as imperialism. “Colonialism” is the policy of acquiring colonies; that is, territories ruled by separate local governments subject ultimately to the central government of the occupying power. French colonialism, which in principle has resembled US colonialism in a number of ways, faced a strong distinctive culture in North Africa, where Islam provided a cohesive influence strongly resistant to absorption into an alien culture. Imperialism appeared long before nationalism, and, in principle, nationalism and imperialism seem contradictory, but in practice the one often leads to the other. With the virtual completion of geographical discovery there is less scope for old-fashioned territorial imperialism, but a rivalry has grown up for favours from the former colonial areas, and between none more than between Russia and China.
