European Colonization Of South Africa Essay

At the beginning of the 17th century imperialization was all the rage for European countries. Europe, who started industrialization, was the most advanced continent on earth. With the production of more and more products, resources were needed. EXpeditions of other continents lead to the findings of many resources that would prove to be very useful to the Europeans. These other continents didn’t take too kindly to the idea of Europeans taking their stuff, but Aa the time Europe the most advanced weaponry in the world and they were not afraid to use it. South Africa was first colonized by the Europeans in 1652, specifically the Dutch. The Dutch first colonized South Africa to claim it as a rest stop for their ships that were traveling to Asia. They

Crops such as cotton became such a lucrative product that farmers that grew food for the communities began to grow these “cash crops” instead. With food crops decreasing famine became a real threat in parts of South Africa.

This treatment of the South Africans would lead to intense racial problems in South Africa, most notably in the 20th century. In the 1940’s laws were passed similar to the Jim Crow laws in the United States. These laws were based on white supremacist views making every other type of people on the same level as some kind of subhuman.

In an argument that the colonization of South Africa benefited the South African’s more than harmed them one might bring up the points of the introduction of modernized ideas and technology. Forcing anything on people is never a good thing even if they are forced with good intent. Just like Europe and Asia, Africa would have more than likely caught up to the advancements of the other continents without outside influence. The colonization of South Africa devastated the groups of native people, destroyed the land, and brought about hundreds of years of racial tension and