Effects of Colonization on the World and Their Legacy Today
Introduction
Colonization is considered a concept that is outdated and does not have much to do with today’s modern world. Despite being associated with the past and having little to do with the present, European colonization has had and continues to impact nations. The effects of European colonization on nations found in the global south are still evident in the 21st century. One of the most evident impacts is noted in the challenges the nations have to undergo domestically and internationally to overcome their former colonizers’ supremacy. European colonization was the origin of divergent paths that the colonized took in economic development, as noted in institutions’ growth, industrialization, and political systems. Therefore, the current political institutions that steer the economy in many of the nations in the global south originated from colonization. Further, globalization which has become the core concept in the increased interaction of systems, people, and political leaders, has deep roots in the effects of European colonization. The world experiences global trade ties between countries, which has proven to be essential in increased exports and imports between countries worldwide. Therefore, a literature review of the three impacts of colonization and how the legacy still lives on today is given thoughtful consideration in this discussion.
Literature Review
Positive Impact on Economic Development
According to Easterly & Levine (2012), European colonization was the source of improved educational, institutional, technological, and economic outcomes in the colonized countries. The authors argue that European settlement outside Europe resulted in developing different sectors of the economy of countries from the global south. Countries colonized experienced development. Despite having some countries still lagging in terms of economic development after colonization, most former European colonies have become the wealthiest enjoying high per capita GDP levels of more than $200,000 yearly. Such nations that enjoy these high economic development levels include Australia, the United States, and Canada.
From the authors’ point of view, the divergent paths that countries took were significant in their economies’ growth using mechanisms such as political institutions. With the exploitation of resources from their colonies, the European settlers in the different colonies managed to create authoritarian political institutions. The institutions were responsible for the extraction and exploitation of resources from these colonies. It alluded that the British brought strong legal and political institutions into their colonies, which helped the countries develop fast and effectively compared to other European colonies under Spain, Portugal, and German as the colonizers.
One point emphasized in this research by Easterly & Levine (2016) is that the European colonizers allowed European settlers in the colonies who brought growth-promoting characteristics. These European settlers’ characteristics include institutions, connections with international markets, human capital exploitation, and cultural norms. The cultural norms diffused into the colonized countries’ communities, resulting in an economic-oriented focus for the natives of the colonies.
According to this research, colonized counties’ economic development was not measured over time but based on the institutions that the Europeans introduced into these countries. The institutions had guiding principles that helped establish governance, systematic extraction, and land exploitation for agriculture, mining sites, and trading centers. Through this introduction of such institutions, the colonies adopted the forms of governance and the empowerment of political institutions such as the government, courts, educational centers, and health systems. The government form of rule in many of the European colonies is an imitation of their respective colonizers. Therefore, other sectors of the country’s economy, such as education, healthcare, and criminal justice systems, are imitations of their former colonizers’ systems. Therefore, the article is significant in explaining the origin of the current institutions that motivate and protect economic development today. Many countries have not changed their court systems, political systems, and education up to today.
Neocolonialism
In the history of the world, Europe possessed many different colonies, which led to its increased access to the world. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) saw European colonies become political possessions of their respective colonizers. According to Stuchtey (2017), all European countries contributed to colonization either directly or indirectly. Having been tied to their colonizers through this treaty, the colonies of European nations such as those in Africa have continued to struggle with making independent decisions without the intrusion manifested from their former colonies. The problem being addressed herein is neocolonialism, whereby nations have continued to struggle to be of independent thought and decisions making.
Studies indicate that despite many countries, especially those from the African continent, having attained their independence, their former colonies’ influence is evident. The influence is attributed to the colonizers’ control of the nations and the agents that continue to exist in these colonies. As noted from the point of economic development, many institutions, political systems, and sectors such as education systems are based on the foundations of the colonial masters of the nation. Consequently, most ex-colonized countries are associated with the implementation of systems in governance, education, and healthcare guided by the constitution and principles of their former colonizers. In this way, Stuchtey (2017) confirms that neocolonialism descends from these aspects of copying and practicing legislation founded on the one introduced during colonization account for neocolonialism. During colonization, the world was Europeanized, resulting in the spread of cultural norms, governance forms, political institutions, and education systems, which the colonies would later develop. Developing these institutions and advancing urbanization, rationalism and religion were the positive aspects as discussed earlier. However, since then, the colonies have continued to take advantage of the influence they created to continue exploiting third-world nations. Through these means, the third-world nations have continued to retain their status quo because the main beneficiaries of the colonies’ economic development are the colonizers.
In the current world, European countries continue to import raw materials from Africa, especially countries that they colonized because they had already created a big market of goods back in Europe. Instead of promoting the local markets and manufacturing plants, European countries extended their colonialism through globalization. Despite globalization being the advancement of information communication technology and other sectors worldwide, it not entirely about modernity. A close examination of its features reveals it as a form of colonialism. It is especially evident with African countries through diversionary techniques. African countries have enough resources that they can exploit to ensure that they develop and manage their population. Still, they are made to believe that they are third-world countries that can only depend on developed nations through organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) controlling their trade regulations and the World Bank providing relief and monetary benefits in the form of loans. All of these are associated with globalization which sprouted from the impacts of colonization. Therefore, globalization as an impact of colonization in the 21st century has proven to be detrimental to developing and third-world nations because they continue to lag behind the belief system of the developed countries to provide the populations with relief and loans. Additionally, Stuchtey (2017) argues that the problem of racism, Caesarism, and colonial violence also account for the negative impacts of colonialism that are still experienced up today.
Globalization of Trade and Human Capital
Knapp (2007) argues that colonialism gave birth to a global trade system that has since helped in the development of import and export systems. In nations whereby small-scale agriculture was practiced, European colonizers formed institutions that protected economic and political rights, which helped foster the current economic development. In practicing agriculture extensively, European colonizers ensured that human labor was outsourced for the colonized country’s citizens. However, since then, the colonies have continued to take advantage of the influence they created to continue exploiting third-world nations. Through these means, the third-world nations have continued to retain their status quo because the main beneficiaries of the colonies’ economic development are the colonizers. In the current world, European countries continue to import raw materials from Africa, especially countries that they colonized because they had already created a big market of goods back in Europe. Instead of promoting the local markets and manufacturing plants, European countries extended their colonialism through globalization.
Employing workers to work on the farms was one way of accumulating the practice of national responsibility towards human capital. The individuals would then be organized so that culture was developed of employment for the ever-growing population. The practice nurtured the culture of a working nation even after colonization had come to an end. The culture still exists in today’s practice in many of these countries. Through human labor accumulation in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, high levels of economic development have been recorded.
Reflection
Examining the studies discussed herein reveals that colonialism’s positive and negative impacts are still carried into the 21st century. European colonization was the source of improved educational, institutional, technological, and economic outcomes in the colonized countries. Current systems of different institutions in former colonies are adoptions and improvements of the colonizers’ institutions at the end of colonization. Therefore, development can be attributed to colonialism through these institutions that helped the former colonies to develop in their economy, thus sustaining their population. The current economic growth in nations around the world was stimulated by colonialism due to the introduction of institutions supporting and protecting development. The institutions still exist and have continued to be strengthened into the 21st century to meet the ever-growing population’s needs. On the other hand, economic development helped create trade relations between countries which has since turned into an aspect of globalization. It is through globalization that countries have managed to connect with others worldwide. However, globalization has been viewed as a way of benefiting the developed countries and retaining the third-world and developing countries’ status quo.
Conclusion
Colonialism created a significant impact on the colonized nations by introducing political and economic institutions, which stimulated the economies of these nations. Since then, many nations have improved the institutions to create equality, improve revenue generation and protect the institutions from exploitation or individuals with selfish interests. Into the 21st century, the institutions have increased trade relations, sharing of information, and sustained economic growth. The European colonizers allowed European settlers in the colonies who brought growth-promoting characteristics with them. These European settlers’ characteristics include institutions, connections with international markets, human capital exploitation, and cultural norms. However, this study has a gap that requires in-depth research; the need to understand racism and neocolonialism as negative effects of colonialism.
References