▁ ▁They ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁New ▁Imperial ism ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 8 8 0 s ", ▁especially ▁the ▁Sc ram ble ▁for ▁Africa , ▁was ▁a ▁continu ation ▁of ▁a ▁long - term ▁policy ▁in ▁which ▁inform al ▁emp ire , ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁principles ▁of ▁free ▁trade , ▁was ▁fav oured ▁over ▁formal ▁imperial ▁control . ▁The ▁article ▁helped ▁launch ▁the ▁Cambridge ▁School ▁of ▁histor i ography . ▁Gall ag her ▁and ▁Robinson ▁used ▁the ▁British ▁experience ▁to ▁construct ▁a ▁framework ▁for ▁understanding ▁European ▁imperial ism ▁that ▁swe pt ▁away ▁the ▁all - or - nothing ▁thinking ▁of ▁previous ▁histor ians . ▁ ▁They ▁found ▁that ▁European ▁leaders ▁rejected ▁the ▁notion ▁that ▁" imper ial ism " ▁had ▁to ▁be ▁based ▁upon ▁formal , ▁legal ▁control ▁by ▁one ▁government ▁over ▁a ▁colonial ▁region . ▁Much ▁more ▁important ▁was ▁inform al ▁influence ▁in ▁independent ▁areas . ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁W m . ▁Roger ▁Louis , ▁" In ▁their ▁view , ▁histor ians ▁have ▁been ▁mes mer ized ▁by ▁formal ▁emp ire ▁and ▁maps ▁of ▁the ▁world ▁with ▁regions ▁colored ▁red . ▁The ▁bulk ▁of ▁British ▁em igration , ▁trade , ▁and ▁capital ▁went ▁to ▁areas ▁outside ▁the ▁formal ▁British ▁Empire . ▁Key ▁to ▁their ▁thinking ▁is ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁emp ire ▁' in form ally ▁if ▁possible ▁and ▁formally ▁if ▁necessary .' " ▁ ▁Or on ▁H ale ▁says ▁that ▁Gall ag her ▁and ▁Robinson ▁looked ▁at ▁the ▁British ▁invol vement ▁in ▁Africa ▁where ▁they , ▁" found ▁few ▁capital ists ,