Imperialism was the belief that a country should extend its power and influence over other countries. This belief was what fueled most governments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For the motherlands of the time, it was the best thing that ever happened to them because they became exceptionally wealthy thanks to the profits of the colony. The colonies had horrible working conditions, no food, loss of homes, and the combination of all three of these factors led to death. The reason imperialism had a negative impact on the world is that the poor working class in the colonies far outnumbered the wealthy upper class population in the homelands. This meant that imperialism caused more harm than good as it affected more people in harmful ways. Although imperialism has improved economic conditions around the world, as a whole it has led to negative consequences for indigenous peoples. Imperialism was responsible for minor wars. The result of imperialism was colonization which destroyed homes, farms and wages. Imperialism eventually led to nationalism. Overall, imperialism has harmed indigenous peoples. One effect of imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was minor wars. There was never a major war in the 19th century. Instead, there were several smaller wars around the world, including the Boer War, the Opium War, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine War, the Hawaiian War, and the Sepoy Mutiny. To put it in detail, all these wars were not fought worldwide, but in small countries over territorial disputes or the colonies' desire for independence from the motherland. The Opium War was the largest war of the 19th century. It was fought between the English and the Chinese. The death toll was 19,00... middle of paper... due to colonization and the wave of nationalism. All in all, imperialism has had a negative impact on the world because it has caused more harm than good. Works Cited Ashby, Ruth. "The end of imperialism". Victorian England. New York: Benchmark Books, 2003. “Effects of Imperialism.” Effects of imperialism. Np, nd Web. 04 November 2013. West, Norman R. “European Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century.” European imperialism in the 19th century. Np, nd Web. 04 November 2013. "His101cd." His 101cd. Np, nd Web. October 23, 2013.Simpson, William and Martin Jones. “The Impulse of the Imperialists.” Europe, 1783-1914. London: Routledge, 2000. Spielvogel, Jackson J. and Dinah Zike. Glencoe History of the World: Modern Times. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2008.