Essay on Colonialism - 740 Words

Colonialism It is almost a given now that most everyone considers colonialism as a mistake. They thought that the spreading of ideas, culture, and religion would have a positive effect on the native cultures they colonized. In fact though, these changes had an adverse effect on the peoples of these countries. For although many laud the efforts of these countries to spread Christianity, some question the motives of these countries in dealing the everyday needs of these people. In seeing the natives as inferior the mother countries were able to justify their treatment of them. At this time many subscribed to the belief of manifest destiny and social Darwinism. This is the belief in which the colonizing of other countries is justified†¦show more content†¦In fact probably the best method would have been to leave the history part of education in the hands of the natives. In other subjects, such as math, the colonizing may then be able to add insights that may not have been apparent to the n atives. But as for the history of the country, there is nothing that a colonizing country can tell a native culture that wasn’t already known. As Jamaica Kincaid implies in her book, if there is one thing that was sorely missed after the English left Antigua it is the fact that for the first time in Antigua there were quality built, well organized places to learn. As kincaid explains in the book, the beautiful library built by the British has since been demolished. And although the renovations for a new one were supposed to end years ago it hasn’t worked out that way. The library has now been moved to a tiny apartment above a grocery store. Where once these books had been categorically stacked on shelves, they were now gathering dust, strewn across the floor and randomly inserted into cardboard boxes. This demise of education in Antigua says only one thing to me, that being that the emphasis of the government is in the wrong place. It is true that Antigua has had their problems with a corrupt government that is more interested in padding their pockets with foreign money than doing anything to improve the state of edu cation. For what does it mean when you have a Minister of Education, possibly thatShow MoreRelatedColonialism : Colonialism And Colonialism1821 Words   |  8 PagesJà ¡fia Petersen ENL 110B Professor Evan Watkins November 18th, 2014 Post-Colonial Colonialism Although Edward Said is one of the intellectuals who helped start the field of post-colonialism, the topic of colonialism in Orientalism raise the following question: is there such thing as â€Å"post-colonialism†? Is colonialism not happening every day in various forms? It seems that the only difference from modern colonialism to its classic meaning is that a ruler representing the colonizer has physically leftRead MoreColonialism740 Words   |  3 PagesPolitical legacy of colonialism in India A lot of countries were experienced of political legacy of colonialism. This essay will focus on concept colonialism and its reasons. This notion could be defined in different ways. Colonialism is a situation of some territory which ruled by another country. Colonialism is a political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world. Colonialism developed from imperialism, which canRead MoreColonialism2524 Words   |  11 PagesDefine Colonialism (Western) Colonialism: A political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world. The purposes of colonialism included economic exploitation of the colonys natural resources, creation of new markets for the colonizer, and extension of the colonizers way of life beyond its national borders. In the years 1500 – 1900 Europe colonized all of North and South America and Australia, most of AfricaRead Morecolonialism1163 Words   |  5 PagesHow should we evaluate colonialism? The colonial era lasted for 50-80 years in most African countries and left a lasting legacy. But many years pass before the definitive balance of its legacy can be properly struck. On the one hand, it is easy to see the destructive forces that were set loose; on the other hand, there was also a record of high-minded devotion and desire to serve the interest of the people who had come under foreign rule. Although Western countries had been in contact with AfricaRead MoreColonialism : A New Type Of Colonialism2124 Words   |  9 Pagesdeveloped. 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She also expanded the concepts including two new terms imperialism and Neo-colonialism. This is notRead MoreAfrican Colonialism During Post Colonial Colonialism2100 Words   |  9 PagesIt is evident that European colonialism had deeply affected the political system within post-colonial Africa. One of the main leading legacies of colonialism that hindered the development of post-colonial African states would be the ethnic division and the state conflicts resulting from ethnic rivalry after independence . Scholars would argue the weakness within African politics would be due to creation of forty new states brought about by the European colonial powers in the Berlin Conference ofRead MoreColonialism And Imperialism1836 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea.† – M ahatma Gandhi â€Å"I would say colonialism is a wonderful thing. It spread civilization to Africa.† – Ian Smith Over the centuries Colonialism and Imperialism have been viewed, justified and experienced differently throughout the world. The very idea created questions of both legitimacy as well as indignity in the minds of historians, writers, scholars and critics of the world. However, the growing incongruence andRead MoreColonialism in Nigeria1132 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is Colonialism? Colonialism is a system where one country has taken over another and foists its political power, culture, religion and language on it, or as Kozowsaki puts it: â€Å"Colonialism is a system of direct political, economic and cultural control by a powerful country over a weaker one† (Kozlowski, 46). The following essay takes two underdeveloped countries – Nigeria and Iran – and assesses the impact of the colonial era on their contemporary politics and political systems. More specificallyRead MoreThe Selfish Act Of Colonialism : A Nascent Of English Colonialism1741 Words   |  7 Pagesis completely a nascent of English colonialism, because it’s plot is based around colonialism. The story describes white men inhabiting an island and proceed to fight for control, without any input by the natives. What makes this a story specifically about nascent English colonialism is the alluding fact that humans are power hungry, which will prove to be true within the Engl ish government when they start to invade other countries. The selfish act of colonialism is revealed through the characters