empirebuilding
Empire-building refers to strategies used by a political power to extend authority beyond its original borders to form a larger, centralized realm under a single sovereign. It typically involves incorporating diverse territories and populations and relies on a mix of military power, diplomacy, settlement, and coercive governance. It aims for lasting institutions, resource extraction, and integration into a single political economy, rather than mere territorial conquest.
Mechanisms include conquest or annexation, establishment of client states, colonization, settler expansion, administrative integration through standardized
Motivations range from security and economic advantage to prestige, ideology, or civilizing narratives. Consequences vary: expansion
Historical examples include the Roman, Persian, Ottoman, Mongol, and European empires, each with distinct methods and