Which of the following statements best describes the motivation behind European imperialism

A. European leaders believed the colonies were more advanced societies

B. European leaders felt imperialism would provide opportunities to learn from other cultures

C. European leaders felt imperialism would improve the economy

D. European leaders felt imperialism would prevent wars with other nations

The correct answer is - C. European leaders felt imperialism would improve the economy.

The leaders of the strong European nations felt that the imperialism would be an excellent method to boost significantly the economies of their nations. The reason for that was that the countries that were less developed provided free natural resources, very cheap labor force, and also market for the manufactured products, if conquered of course. The European colonial countries used the opportunity to the maximum, controlling most of the world, having enormous amounts of natural resources on disposal, and very large market for their products, resulting in significant increase of wealth, influence, and development.