Q: Why didn't the practice of imperialism gain fame in the days of Columbus, when explorers went out for Glory, God, and Gold, instead taking about three hundred years to evolve into Christianity, Commerce, and Civilization?
A: In the days of Columbus, the world hadn't been fully explored yet, and people were looking for new products, not so much new territories to control, only to exploit. When the age of imperialism came, people knew where pretty much everything was, and had many resources already. The Industrial Revolution was producing many things, and people became more concerned with their country's power. The ideas of ethnocentrism and social darwinism justified expanding empires, and the blooming indusrties were requiring more raw materials and the workers to go with them.
Since countries wanted more power, and could justify their expansion as 'civilizing the heathens', expansion continued to provide countries with the power and things they wanted.
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