Colonialism The unification of Germany in 1871 led to a shifting of the European balance of power. Until the fall of Bismarck in 1890 no serious conflict arose between England and Germany, which was mainly due to the fact that France and Russia remained Britain’s political foes on the global stage for some time. In the era of imperialism the governments stood under the pressure of the expectations of imperialistic and nationalistic mass organizations. In Great Britain Disraeli and others had achieved their goal of stylizing Queen Victoria to a popular symbol and übermother of the Empire.