Distant territories were claimed and administered for the benefit of a ruling power. Colonialism is the practice by which one society establishes and maintains control over another land and its people, usually for economic extraction, strategic advantage, or settlement.

European colonialism expanded dramatically after the fifteenth century, eventually encompassing large parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Systems varied—settler colonies, plantation economies, indirect rule—yet all involved hierarchical political relations and cultural assertion of superiority.

Colonial rule reconfigured local economies, borders, and social hierarchies. Resistance took forms from everyday non-compliance to organized revolt. The legacies of colonialism remain visible in language, law, economic structures, and political boundaries across much of the world.

• Control of one territory by a foreign power
• Driven by economic and strategic aims
• Reshaped societies and borders
• Generated lasting political and cultural effects