Imperialism and colonialism are two sides of the same coin. Colonialism is the subjugation of one political entity by another, while imperialism is usually the subjugation of multiple entities by the home country. Both colonialism and imperialism is done to benefit the home country, which is the key component of mercantilism. Mercantilism is an economic theory that views economics as a zero sum game, where the home country restricts the ability of its dependents to trade with anyone other than itself. This allows the home country to exact more benefit from the colonies than it could otherwise.
