Colonialism And The Destruction Of Africa

In Africa today both economics and politics are run by corrupt and oppressive people. These things really make Africa fall behind other countries and keep the country so underdeveloped. Many Africans

Instead the China-Africa trade has brought some impact on Africa’s market traders and also contributed to poverty. Mercantilism is failing Africa, particularly the SSA. Most of African states are still poor and majority of their citizens still lives in poverty. The trade between China and African is not mutually beneficial, because African states benefit less while China benefit most.

European leaders then became aware of two things: Africa was contained with natural resources, and a scramble of the riches could begin a war between European nations. At the Berlin Conference in 1885, European Nations claimed parts of the African continent through rule of occupation. Though they did not consider the land claims of Africans, they did agree to specific principles concerning colonization, which included free trade, and improving the moral and material well being of Africans. Before European nations stayed away from the African continent, and now powers such as England, France, and Germany want large amounts of land of Africa. Several reasons European nations began to colonize Africa included political competition and ideological superiority; however, economic profit was the primary driving force to imperialize Africa.

The African people have been victims of imperialism for so long and, even today, they wish to erase all the scars left by it. As a weak nation, Africa is still suffering from “indirect colonialism” and exploitation. These scars have traumatized Africa, and caused to become vulnerable, needing the investments of countries that wish to take advantage of its resources. Basically, imperialism is the influence over a certain region or

Things Fall Apart Whether British Imperialism in Africa was good or bad is still a hot topic today, despite the fact that it happened a century ago. Imperialism is when the Europeans invaded Africa and colonized it and forced their culture onto the natives. Even though there were definitely some positive effects for Africans, the effects of imperialism in Africa were mostly negative; borders weren't placed well, native Africans were made as slaves, and religion was forced upon them. Some positive results are the following: Europeans brought new crops, some political stability, education/ literacy, and better medical care including hospitals and medicines.

Africa continued to suffer over time reaching to modern times where parts of it are considered developing countries. The effects of the Berlin Conference are felt today, for “If Africa’s resources were used in her own development they would place Africa among the most modernised continents of the world. But Africa’s wealth is used for the development of overseas interests” (Pheko). The effects of the Berlin Conference have had lasting effects on the economic culture causing Africans to struggle as a developing country. The economic culture in Africa today is still based on events such as the Berlin

It may be that the previous imperialism of Africa and the unrest and poverty that it has precipitated will cause people to look the other way and not stand up for their fellow people’s rights.

When the depression hit Africa in 1929 commodity prices collapsed, some falling sixty to seventy percent, driving wages down and increasing wide spread poverty. British economic policy exacerbated the crippling effects of the depression in Africa because it made African economies highly specialized and dependent on “export commodities,” which tied them inextricably to the collapsing international market. The British compounded this damage by insisting Africans pay their taxes in cash, which they believed provided “a moral benefit” and stimulated “industry and production.” However, in reality taxation prevented Africans from switching from paid labor to sustenance farming – which might have alleviated some of the suffering - because they would have been unable to get cash to pay taxes.

Domiciled armed and non-armed conflicts are a vital problem in several countries that are located in the area at the moment. I chose to emphasise this fact because it affects many innocent people while the division of Africa during the Scramble of Africa is one of the causes to this. I also mentioned how the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources and means of production were exploited and how this affected the population back then, but also the present population and what it did to countries’ present economies. This was done to emphasise the fact that Imperialism did affect the general situation in the country and why this was

For Harrison in his poem, the construction of the ‘other ' was a way to exploit the naivety of the ‘other’ and subdue them for the economic gain of the ‘Other’. For the poem, the negative construction shouldn’t be for the ‘other’ but for the ‘Other’. And if really the imperialism was about genuinely assisting the ‘others’ then it should

To maintain their hegemony over the black populous, the white southerners severely underpaid African-Americans during this era. This had two effects: one, it kept black southerners in desperate need and thus constantly working; two, it kept them from saving any appreciable capital. In addition, the neighborhoods in which these underpaid workers resided also suffered, as they were unable to pay taxes or provide business to local facilities. Augustus Straker explains how the South suffocates the black populous in his examination of one of Grady’s speeches. “…by paying poor wages and giving him poorer rations,… and further denying him the opportunity for material advancement” (Course Reader 10).

If racial prejudice followed the economic decision to have slavery then racial prejudice can be viewed as a “historical accident.” It was only a matter of the specific time and place that Africans were enslaved and racism did not always exist. In this case, prejudice can be thought of as being “undone” because we were not inherently racist. Until slavery, racism was simply an ideology. The need for labor and indentured servants could only work for a limited amount of time.

By the year 1885, European imperialism in Africa was in full flight. Imperialism is the belief that a person or a group of people is superior to another person or group. Europeans strongly believed they were more important than the Africans. Because of this, they took Africa for themselves. Strong driving forces during this imperialism was resources, power, and technology.

There are economic, cultural, and political are the effects of the industrial revolution and European imperialism on both European nations and their colonies during the time period 1700-1914. European nations gained oversea colonies in North and South America, Africa and Asia. The European nations conquer Africa because they needed raw materials. European-introduced European culture, language, and religion to Africa. The European opened schools in Africa, which teach in the European language and spread Christianity.