The unit covers New Age imperialism and new world patterns from 1800 to 1914. Leading up to the beginning of my unit plan, students learned about the Industrial Revolution and the growing democracies within Europe. My unit highlighted how these developments contributed to European Imperialism. As Western nations industrialized and developed, they used their advantages to engage in imperial activity. Western nations sought to colonize and control other parts of the world in order to gain access to new markets, obtain natural resources, and enhance national security. While imperialism devastated many aspects of the non-Western areas of the world, imperialism did contribute to the modernization of the world as a whole. Eventually, many countries would gain their independence from Western powers. The unit provides a history of imperialism and emerging global patterns from 1800 to 1914 while encouraging students to understand the complex situations that took place within the time period. Also, the unit assists in setting the stage for the next unit, which covers World War I. Various conflicts that took place in World War I stemmed from imperialist activities among Western nations. Additionally, the various developments in technologies and weapons that Western nations used for imperialist goals were also used in World War I. Theoretically, these new developments underwent field tests during the age of imperialism before being used in World War I.