Colonialism
Colonialism is the act of one political state exerting its power over a weaker nation, and proceeding to control the resources and population of that nation. Colonialism became a very widespread practice by powerful European states during the second half of the nineteenth century. Colonialist practices became increasingly unpopular in the twentieth century, and most colonies were eventually granted independence. However, the extortion of resources from the colonized nations, as well as the suppression of the native populations, has created a lasting impact in former colonies. Colonialism is an example of globalization, as the lives of Europeans and colonized societies became increasingly interconnected; a governance decision made in Europe could affect its colonies, and scenarios such as a native revolt or a discovery of a new natural resource affected the pockets and sentiments of Europeans. The practice of colonialism in the past has helped to shape the world of today. Former colonies are overwhelmingly in the poorer economic bracket, with a significant disparity in the small elite class and large poverty-stricken class. In much of Africa, current state political boundaries are the result of the lines drawn by European powers to designate the boundaries between their colonies. This has led to the grouping of historically diverse and opposed nations within the same political state, often leading to civil war, government instability, and the rise of tyrants and war lords to power. The following is a listing of some of the European powers and their respective former colonies. The list of all former European colonies is extremely long, and this is only a partial recreation:
Britain
In Africa: Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and others
In the Middle East: Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and others
In Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Hong Kong, Singapore, and others
France
In Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo, and others
In the Middle East: Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Djibouti
In Asia: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and others
Germany
In Africa: German East Africa (Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi), German South Africa (Namibia), Cameroons, Togo (until 1918)
Netherlands
In Africa: Parts of South Africa, Ghana, Mauritius, Senegal, Angola
In the Middle East: Iran, parts of Iraq, Jemen
In Asia: Parts of India, Ceylon, Bangladesh, and others
King Leopold's Ghost
King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild is a course-assigned text that provides a historical glimpse at the grueling life of natives under colonization, the brutal depravity of those that used colonization to gain wealth and power, and the legacy of colonialism. Through deceit, trickery and fox-like ingenuity, King Leopold II of Belgium secures the massive Congo territory for his small nation during the European "Scramble for Africa" of the late nineteenth century. Leopold's policies in the Congo brought him great wealth, but took a terrible human price. Natives were held as virtual slaves and forced to gather incredible quantities of natural resources, particularly rubber, in order to meet quotas. If they failed, the native men, their wives and children, and their entire village would be terrorized, burned, and possibly massacred. In many cases, natives were killed savagely for little or no reason, at the arbitrary whim of their unchecked white colonizers. Hochschild estimates that in total, 10 million Congolese perished as a direct result of Leopold's harsh rule.
The final chapter of King Leopold's Ghost provides a modern history of the Belgian Congo, which was renamed Zaire in 1971. Hochschild reports that at the time of Congolese independence in 1960, the vast state had less than thirty college graduates, no army officers, engineers, or physicians, and management-level positions in the civil service were held almost exclusively by non-Africans. Colonialism ensured that the native African population was kept ignorant and uneducated, and what wealth could be secured through the exploitation of natural resources went exclusively to the colonizers. The history of the Congo since independence comes with little surprise: the western-backed dictator Joseph Mobutu is put into power, and he rules as a tyrant, living lavishly as he plunders the Congolese treasury and ensures the continuity of poverty in the Congo. Colonization is not just history; it explains much of today's political landscape. Former colonies overwhelmingly constitute the nations on the bottom rung of the economic ladder today.
The following links will further explore the issue of Colonialism:
Complete List of Former European Colonies
An Interview with Adam Hochschild
Statistics on European Colonialism