Different waves of European Colonization rose from the failure of the Crusades (and the expansion of the Ottoman Empire), and the successful Reconquista (end of eight-century long Islamic rule). Cut off from the Silk Roads and Indian Ocean Trade, the religious zeal of church-sponsored missions, and the promise of wealth spurred the commercial Christian adventure seekers. The same modern mixture of “higher purpose” and “a way to pay for it”. The Old World had deep and wide connections, but restricted movement for control seekers. The first wave from 1402 (Canary Islands) to the British annexation of Kandy in 1815 focused on Trade Posts and the New World. The American Revolution, collapse of the Spanish Empire, and defeat of Napoleonic France changed the game. The Great Powers of “New Imperialism” had the fire power of the Industrial Revolution, Trade, and “Civilising Missions”. Each believing in their better version. In 1885 around a table in Berlin, “effective occupation” made these powers insist on direct rule of indigenous people to recognise claims. Then they started punching themselves in the face in two world wars, which loosened their grip. We have always been connected. It is just who is in charge and the stories they tell that change.
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