“ady for it. . . but to be your subject, that I cannot be.
” As quoted by The famous quote of Chief Machemba, who resisted European conquest along with his tribal community. Throughout the 19th century, the powers of Europe sought control over Africa. The countries like Portugal, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Italy were involved in the colonization of Africa for the abundant resources that were available then. At the end of 1912 the only states in Africa that weren’t colonized were Liberia and Ethiopia. Liberia and Ethiopia were the only countries that weren’t colonized in the vast African continent. The conquest impacted the daily lives of African people relinquishing their resources.
In conclusion, European imperialism in Africa had many negative effects. Africa was devastated by the wrath of the European empires, however the power of these nations stretched around the world. Europeans caused many negative problems in Africa. Many Africans, at that time felt that the Europeans got more out of imperialistic laws than they did, for example many Africans were treated poorly, but most of them were transported to other nations where they were subjugated to slavery with no freedom and separated from families. The Europeans saw themselves as superior over other races and wanted the cultures of these people to assimilate into their “superior” one, as they believed that the Europeans tried to change the religion, the language and the way of life of the colonized people, which shows how Europeans had little respect for native culture and customs.
In addition, the colonial people had no control over their government or their country’s resources. Since, the European countries were often in conflict with one another, they stripped their colonies of their resources to fuel their might, which has made many African countries very poor. , In fact, the nominal gdp for all of Africa combined is less than that of Germany They also created division between the African tribes, which we all witnessed in the Rwandan genocide. This happened even decades after they left in the 1980’s because the Belgians placed Tutsis in power over the Hutus. The Hutus were angered by the mistreatment, revolted and mass murdered the Tutsis killing about 500 000 to 1 000 000. As more of the Europeans came to Africa, they brought diseases like smallpox with them.
The African people weren’t immune to this disease, which killed many. Also, most of Africa was stripped of its resources. However, in some cases, imperialism benefited the people of Africa. For example, missionaries caught attention of the African people by showing their generosity and their ways of Christianity. They built schools and medical clinics along churches by which the Africans received health benefits as well as but also education.
Over 800 different languages approximately known during the 1870’s and only 5 common languages were soon spoken by many Africans because of the missionaries who opened schools along with churches. In addition, imperialism also brought jobs and industry to the colonies and it introduced the ideas of constitutional government to the Africans. Imperialism is the total domination of the political, economic, or cultural aspects or a nation. Imperial colonization has been occurringsensethe beginning of time. An imperialistic nation would increase its importance and power by winning an empire.
Some takeovers were forced by political rivalries. One nation might seize a territory to prevent a competitor from expanding into that region. Some nations would expand to boost their economic value, or personal wealth. Imperialism advances a countries politics, society, and economic value into a powerful money-making country. The political aspect of imperialism progresses a country from beingweekinto a strong fighting nation. For example, when the French were taking over parts of Africa, the communication ofthe two countriesincreased and they started to share the Suez Canal.
Also, when the British government set up a system of Colonial rule, it controlled over 280 million Indians. Thus, encouraging officials to learn new languages. When the Spanish took over Latin America they constructed a Council of the Indies which issued over 400,00 orders to improve the cities. However,without society, politics would have gotten nowhere.
The social aspect of imperialism was very important. First, by the colonization of countriesscientist could find causes and treatments to diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. Also, Britain built canals, roads, and railways which opened India’s interior. The Spanish improved the Aztecs cities by making public waterways, paved and lighted streets, and an invention the printing press. The society increased but when it enhanced the economics boosted also.
The economics of imperialism is a major reason why nations would take over other countries. InAfricathey introduced better farming techniques like dykes and irrigation canals, which boosted the money growth. The British improved medical care that includeddoctor education, thus leading into a boom in the population. The Spanish exported crops and raw materials, making fortunes for the new government.
In conclusion, imperialism is a vehicle of advancement. This promotion is brought to countries that aren’t strong enough to defendthem selves. In most cases,the economic value of the “new country” will increase. Therefore,imperialism advances a countries politics, society, and economic value into a powerful money making country.
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