How did advances in technology fuel both the vision and the reality of European imperialism?

A strong answer would include
-a discussion of how advanced military technology,such as the gunboat,Maxim gun,and dum-dum bullet,allowed Europeans to overcome colonial rebellions.
-an explanation of how steamships and the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 allowed for easy transportation between Europe and its colonies.
-an explanation of how the telegraph speeded up communications and allowed for coordination of military operations.
-a discussion of how the Second Industrial Revolution spurred a search for new markets for raw materials and the export of finished goods.
-an explanation of how European technological superiority was a justification for claims of European racial superiority and the "civilizing mission."