Extent Europe Benefitted from Colonization

European success and prosperity today can be taken back to their participation in colonization in the later years of the 19th century. It can be said that European success is because of imperialism. These countries gained in many aspects.

I would start with the greatest gain which was the economic aspect. Firstly, Britain had started their Industrial Revolution which gave them a greater advantage in development in Europe in the late 18th century. With Industrialization taking place they needed a constant flow of raw materials at cheap prices. It can be said that Britain created a land of milk and honey which they could not maintain by themselves. They showed that there was a flaw in their economic planning when their raw material reserves were diminishing at a fast rate. To maintain the high standard of living they had set they had to ensure that there was a constant flow of raw materials. Obtaining raw materials in Europe at that time proved to be an expensive endeavour and they saw imperialism as the gateway out of their problem. The colonies supplied European countries with raw materials like Gold, Rubber, Tea, Cotton etc.. Britain obtained tea, cotton, gold and various items from Southern Africa. Belgium obtained Rubber from the Congo at cheap prices. This made them one of the biggest contenders in the rubber industry. This improved their economy greatly and raised the country's standard of living.

Investment also comes into play. Because of the Long Depression there was a large surplus of capital and many European countries invested in the works of their colonies.

Trading companies were set up in the colonies. These companies were the ones that managed the trading activities of the raw materials in the colonies. Profit from trading in the colonies would mostly return to the 'motherland.' These inflows of money increased European economies. for example, Belgium would receive profits from rubber trading in Congo.

The Colonies provided marktes for European finished goods. This was a great benefit for them. Britain had markets in India and had largely monopolised markets where there was British influence.

Secondly the aspect of Empires comes into play. The successes of the First World War are mainly because of the colonies. Imperialism was a major cause of the war but the war victories were also because of the colonies. The colonies were joined to their "motherland" when it came time for armament for any conflicts. Britain had a strong navy but a useless army.