Imperialism

The acquisition of resources, land, influence, population, etc. through aggressive diplomacy/military force in order to gain an edge on rival factions or in an attempt to achieve everlasting total supremacy over all other factions. Imperialism saw a sharp rise in the early 20th century, in which various predominant European and Asian monarchies in dire need of raw resources to upkeep their growing industrial and economic needs frequently engaged in minor skirmishes with their weaker neighbors and distant, underdeveloped lands. This in turn contributed to the outbreak of World War 1, in which tensions for new territories rich in resources pitted imperial alliances against each other after the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand.