Imperialism is autocratic, and also sometimes monolithic [2] in character. While the term imperialism often refers to a political or geographical domain such as the Ottoman Empire[3] the Russian Empire,[4] or the British Empire,[5] etc., the term can equally be applied to domains of knowledge, beliefs, values and expertise, such as the empires of Christianity (see Christendom)[6] or Islam (see Caliphate).[7]