In the late 1800s and early 1900s, nations around the globe were expanding. Sometimes this expansion was peaceful. Nations used trade and diplomacy to acquire resources and expand their power. In many cases, expansion meant war. Countries competed with their rivals to acquire territory and resources. These resources were used to fuel more expansion and more wars. The mightiest nations created global empires. They ruled faraway peoples and places, waged war around the world, and supplied their home populations with goods and luxuries from far afield.