Territorial Division of the World, a characteristic feature of imperialism, a form of colonial enslavement, oppression and exploitation of the working masses in economically less developed countries. In the 19th century, the imperialist states, despite opposition put up by the oppressed peoples, divided up the territories they had seized (see Colonial System of Imperialism). As a result, huge colonial empires were formed, such as British, French, Belgian, and Dutch. Somewhat later, Germany and the United States took the same path. Capitalist monopolies tried to consolidate their position by directly seizing other territories which served them as a source of cheap labour power, raw and other materials, markets, spheres of profitable investment, and of maximum profit-making. Exercising direct political rule in the seized countries, the imperialist states granted the monopolies aid in exploiting their wealth, cruelly suppressing their peoples’ struggle against imperialism, national and racial oppression. The uneven development of capitalism in the age of imperialism (see Law of the Uneven Economic 355 and Political Development of Capitalism in the Age of Imperialism) has altered the balance of forces between the imperialist states. Certain countries that broke ahead and outstripped their rivals in their development, demanded that the already divided world be redivided in accordance with the place they now occupied. This gave rise to general and local wars for a redivision of the world between the imperialist states. Since World War II, the territories and countries that used to be under the yoke of colonial and semi- colonial oppression have, one after another, won political independence and taken a path of independent socio-economic development. The colonial imperialist system has ceased to exist. Under present-day conditions, the aggressiveness of imperialism is manifested in the policies of neo- colonialism and militarism. The growing forces of socialism and peace check the implementation of the imperialist aggressive plans, but the danger of a world nuclear war still exists.