History of colonialism:
Colonialism as we know today is part of the history of most developing countries; we can never really understand the structure of these economies without taking account of the history. Colonialism may be defined as a particular form taken by the process of creating an integrated world economy and the development of an international division of labor Fieldhouse (1994:164). Colonialism in the 20th century has been subject to a lot of blame as a result various theorists such as Walter Rodney, Andre Gunder Frank have written extensively on the impact colonialism has African countries and how the disadvantage for this has been of advantage to the western societies. Similarly the discourse and practice of colonialism started around the 19th century and declined after the First World War.
Although most colonies had made significant economic advancement, prior to 1885 such progress could not be considered advanced like the countries of the west. The colonial struggle was not limited to Africa but also extended in Asia and pacific Islands.
The major aim of colonialism was profit and wealth accumulation, which was high in countries that had a lot of resources for instance Ghana is known for having abundance of gold, Nigeria for oil etc.
To begin with, trade in the early years of colonialism was the major vehicle for extending capitalism; it enhanced the growth of a money market and introduction of capitalist financial institutions. Most importantly trade encouraged primary production. To value this point one has to differentiate the impact of trade before and after colonization. It is noteworthy to say that there was trade prior to colonization, but at that point the Europeans were not particular relationships ...
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...The railway system did not constitute in any country a coherent system of communications as well as helping to build one, they were built in ad hoc in accordance with the metropolitan or western interest. It meant that the ports were not necessarily located where they could yield development of the country.
Disarticulation and the development of export commodities
It is noteworthy to say that before the coming of the Europeans the indigenous people in Nigeria were self-sufficing that is they had ways in which they organized their economies and their ways of life. With the coming of the Europeans they introduced capitalism that was introduced was devoid of competition, which is entirely different from what they had in their own country. To obtain supply of preferred commodities it was sometimes necessary to discourage the production of others
Throughout the 19th century, European Imperialism had a major effect on Africa. As countries expanded in terms of wealth, resources, and innovation, more territory and workers were needed. The first solution to solve these problems was to begin colonizing in Africa. The driving force for imperialism in Europe and Africa was mainly economical. This economical approach was established through many ways including cultural and nationalistic ideas.
...onial conflict is entirely one sided. The Europeans have been shown to define wealth as gaining money and spreading their religion, therefore they can be seen as the aggressors in this conflict, reaching outside of their area for personal gain and profit. To obtain this wealth they assume a position of power over the Africans by enslaving them and using their knowledge to overthrow the African culture and religion. The Africans view of wealth and their method for obtaining this wealth in no way involves the Europeans. All that the Africans wanted to do was to continue living on their own and to not be intruded upon. From this, one can see that the colonial conflict is entirely due to the Europeans desire for wealth.
By 1885, little to no independent countries existed throughtout the whole African continent. This was due to the imperialism done by strong European countries. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and Spain are to blame. There are many possible contributing factors as to why the European countries decided to completely carve up Africa, split it up, imperialize the whole of the continent. Because of the need for resources Africa could supply, the European desire for power, and the European's reaction to the White Man's burden, they took control of almost every square mile in Africa through imperialization.
Imperialism in the late 19th century became a competition among European countries to take control of as many areas in Africa before the others did. For the most part, France, England, and Germany competed for bragging rights to these countries. They thought at the time that the more colonies a country had the more prestigious and noble that country looked. European countries were in pursuit of demonstrating their power. Not only this, but imperialism helped build a strong economy in the mother country because they could invade their colony and strip them of their natural resources in order to produce goods with. In turn, that country could then sell these good to the colony in order to make money. Rudyard Kipling talks about this fierce competition in “The White Man’...
European colonialism was the period between 16th and mid-20th century. The triangle trade had emerged in the 16th century and slaves, sugar, furs, and cotton, enforced through military interventions, drew together the people, politics, economics, and even diseases of Europe, Africa, and the Americans in a triangle of previously unimaginable, highly unequal, and long-lasting relationships of exchange. Even today, we can find traces of many of these connections in the global economy for example, the French military operating in Côte d’Ivoire. So, the European colonialism played a pivotal role in establishing the framework for today’s global economic system.
First of all, imperialism improved the lives of the colonized people by aiding economic growth. The imperial powers prompted industrialization in the colonies, which is the development of advanced technology, leading to modernization in the colony. This is the change to a more modern, a more advanced country with new technology and better standards of living. These improvements then led to an increase in self-sufficiency, being able to maintain the colony’s economy by itself. In addition, industrialism
During the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution gave certain countries in Western Europe a big boost of economic power. France, Britain, Italy, and Germany emerged as industrialized powers, with high population and high production. During a time when Social Darwinism was popular, it was only natural that these nations compete with each other for survival. The most important motivation for Europeans to colonize during the 19th and 20th centuries was to strengthen their own countries in order to compete with the other European powers.
A true saying is “Colonization often does more damage than contribution.” Colonialism encouraged Africa’s development in some areas, but in many others it severely damaged the natural progress of the continent. If colonialism was never imposed on Africa, Africa’s developments would be significantly different and many of the problems that the continent faces now would not exist today. In conclusion, at first it seems that colonialism has both positive and negative effects, but the truth is it only damages the colonized nation.
The location and vast array of natural resources in Africa have led it to settled and exploited by many Asian and European countries in the past. The events in Africa’s past have greatly influenced its political, social, and economic well being today. Africa is situated below the continent of Europe and is west of the continent of Asia. It is boarded on its north coast by the Mediterranean sea and lies in between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Because Africa is almost completely surrounded by water and near large trading areas like the Mediterranean, it became very susceptible to colonialism from European and Asian countries. Colonialism and the discovery of natural resources in Africa’s past have caused the volatile political climates, social inequality and economic opportunities, that are seen throughout Africa today.
The strive for wealth was one of the factors of the spread of imperialism. After an abundance of raw materials was found in Africa, many countries began scrambling for land to create an empire. Many of these countries were industrialized, such as Britain, Germany, and France. Because of their industries and factories, they needed more resources and raw materials. They took over lands in Africa to supply their countries with material...
New Imperialism began in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and was a time when European powers began to pursue a structured (more formal) political control over other areas. Yet it is important to keep in mind that informal empires tend to have an expiration date. As time progresses, history shows us that one of the parties involved will start pushing for change, whether that change is for power or independence is based on the side that provoked the change. In this case, the party that pushed for change was the superior one. The push for power was motivated by greed and an overwhelming desire to control every aspect of valuable foreign areas. One of the biggest moments in the history of colonization was the ‘Scramble for Africa’, as historians (and Professor Hopkins) refer to it as. As slaves were the biggest resource of the time, the banning of slave trade in Africa in the early nineteenth century caused European disinterest in continent that they were once heavily dependent on. Although there were localized replacements, like ivory trading, they were not as effective in keeping Europe’s interest. As a result, Africa was desperate to be relevant again, their economy depended on it. Because of the ban on the slave trade, there was a sudden demographic collapse of middle aged persons, which was also counterproductive to the growth of the continent. Before the scramble, Africa was naturally
...olonialism has afflicted aboriginal people worldwide and has demonstrated perilous effects for countless cultures, languages, and traditions. There were many reasons for exploration and colonization including economics, religion, resources, and prestige. Colonialism has shaped the contemporary understanding of individuals from Niger as well as other parts of Africa and other places too, like the Chambri and Tlingit people; mainly in economics. The colonial past of so many cultures has caused numerous indigenous people today face many issues. Today colonialism is still active and continues to have devastating effects on global cultural groups.
Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other country in Africa. People were first known to inhabit Nigeria as early as 5 B.C. They first constructed a kingdom in the center of Nigeria, which is named Jos Plateau. This was the first of many widespread kingdoms of that region, but two centuries later it would extend to Bornu, which is located on the western region of Nigeria (Gascoigne 1). Nigeria was made up of mostly kingdoms until British colonized in the 1800’s. The Soko Jotojhad and Yotruba wars encouraged slave trade at the time the British were trying to abolish the slave trade. Slaves were normally traded for European goods such as guns and gun powder. At this time, the British encouraged trading palm oil over trading slaves. Many of the slaves that were exported to Britain were intercepted by naval ships and shipped to Sierra Leone to collect palm oil. Some Nigerians began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of their homes and trade. British missionaries were invited to follow the slaves back, and in the 1840’s they wer...
Colonialism was a concept of superiority of one territory over another; it was a concept that originated centuries ago. Colonialism had been put into action throughout a long line of history and did not end after World War II in 1945. Even with resistance and efforts from independent states after the war, colonialism did not disappear and continued as a dominant system. It remained and changed its form, resulted in the process of globalization, which continued to control over newly independent states following World War II. Globalization, a form of colonialism, maintained power for the system over states or regions through economic terms with the development of the World Bank, and its derivation of structural adjustments. This financial institution was formed and contributed to colonialism; it assisted in the economic affairs of colonized nation(s). Along with class, professor Manfred B. Steger's book, Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, and I.B. Logan and Kidane Mengisteab's article, "IMF – World Bank Adjustment and Structural Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa," discussed the indirect rule of colonial powers through globalization.
Colonialism, which was a major cause of the north-south gap that occurred in the period following the Second World War, is the takeover by a nation of foreign territories; making them part of it to aid its own economical, social and political structures. The mother countries succeed in doing that by using the colony’s natural resources, money savings, and their lands, which leads the colony to rely on the mother country and therefore, leaving the country underdeveloped. Hence, the world wide scramble for colonies, particularly in the late 19th – early 20th century, had a tremendous negative effect on the economic, social, and political structures of indigenous, non-industrialized peoples.