The development of new technologies not only accelerated the drive for imperialism, but it also both further undermined and advanced indigenous cultures. The imperial powers actively embraced new technologies, such as military weapons, the telegraph, steamboats, and the railroad. These technological advances reinforced the attractiveness of European culture among native people. This included perceptions of European superiority among both the colonizers and the people they colonized. For the imperialist powers, the notion that technological progress had helped their countries to assert their dominance in the world was intoxicating and gave rise to fanciful ideas of ultimate European superiority. The “civilizing mission” thus played into
