Legacies of colonialism in the world today Essay Example for Free

Legacies of colonialism in the world today Essay The colonization of one country by another is rampant throughout history. One country invades and subdues another, extending its sovereignty over the said country or territory for various reasons. Mainly, it is to use the resources of the invaded territory in order to enrich and strengthen itself. As early as the 16th Century, various empires were colonizing nations and territories all over the world. The Portuguese, French, Japanese, British and Spanish were all out to enlarge their territories and empires. When the age of colonialism was finally over, many of the colonized people found that there way of life had changed. Their colonizers had left legacies, both good and bad. Three area’s were the legacy of colonization is felt strongly are economic development, civilization development and cultural transformation. 2. 0 Economic Development Prior to colonization, the indigenous people of any country traded mostly with the surrounding peoples. Most of it was a barter trade that was aimed at making sure there was an even distribution of resources among the people. When the colonizers invaded the countries, they came in search of what resources they could use to enrich their own country, often at the expense of the natives. They looked at agriculture, what crops would easily grow in the region based on the climate of the colony that would satisfy the demands of the people in their home country. They also looked at the natural resources and minerals available in the said colony. In so doing, the colonizers dominated trade, trade routes and even products that could be traded. In the 15th Century Portuguese ships were exploring Africa, Asia and the America’s. Henry the Navigator was pursuing trade in gold and slaves on the West African coast, Bartolomeu Dias was discovering the Cape of Good Hope on the Southern tip of Africa, and Vasco da Gama reached India (Portuguese Empire). Islands like Madagascar, discovered by Trista da Cunha, did not escape. In all these places they established trading posts and fortresses, moving aggressively in their quest to dominate. They took over the ports and controlled trade in the bordering oceans. Brazil, discovered in the year 1500 by Pedro Alvares Cabral, become Portugal’s most important colony. The Portuguese were able to get gold, sugar cane, coffee, precious stones as well as other cash crops from Brazil (Portuguese Empire). 2. 1 Trade in Brazil The economic backbone of present day Brazil is still agriculture, mining and manufacturing. Having discovered the importance of their natural resource during the error of colonization, Brazil’s economy has been doing very well with a GDP per capita of US$ 10,300 estimated in the year 2008 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009) With the rise of the sugar industry in Brazil established by the Portuguese, it became apparent that there was a great need for labour to ensure that the crop received the needed attention. This gave rise to a new form of international trade with a new product, African slaves. Diagram 1 – Slave Trade Routes Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www. unc. edu/wrc/maps/08-Map. png Using their connections in Africa, Portuguese slave traders imported slaves by the millions to meet the demand for labour in the sugar plantations (Portuguese colonization). It is important to note though, that slave trade had began way before the need ever arose in Brazil, by the year 1470, the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, was already a major slave port. The rise of coffee plantations in the 19th century further increased the demand for slaves. There were other advantages to Portugal in businesses that were associated with the slave trade. These included the trade of Portuguese commodities that were traded and exchanged for slaves as well as goods produced by the slaves. In this period the Portuguese imported approximately three and a half million slaves (Slave routes, 2009). Due to this importation of slaves as well as the immigration into Brazil of other cultures, native Brazilians today are a minority. Of the approximately 180 Million Brazilians, 55% are Europeans mainly from Portugal, 38% are of mixed African and European descent, 6% are African and 1% are classified as other, which includes Amerindian (Brazil demographic profile). 2. 2 Introduction of new cash crops and plants. When the Portuguese came to Brazil they started the plantation method that had worked very well so far in their African colonies. This plantation method continued even after they left and is still in effect in Brazil today. Seeing as it is the world’s largest producer of coffee, sugar cane, orange juice frozen concentrate and tropical fruit, it is easy to understand why they have kept the plantation method all these years. Additionally, Brazil is also the world’s largest producer of beef, with 170 million head of cattle. Among the other cash crops produced by Brazil are soybeans, cotton, tobacco, cocoa, corn as well as forest products (US Department of State, 2009). Many plants were introduced to Brazil by the Portuguese when they came to colonize. Mangoes were among them, introduced to Brazil in the 1700’s (Tropical fruits). They also introduced rice and coffee, which was introduced in the 1600s and became the major cash crop of Brazil by the 1800s. Additionally, they brought sugarcane from South East Asia in the late 16th Century. Furthermore, the dende palm tree, whose oil is used in making most Brazilian foods was also introduced from Africa in the early 17th century and with it came hot peppers as well. Another plant introduced to Brazil by the Portuguese is okra, used in many Brazilian dishes today (Hamilton, 2005). It is therefore clear that Brazil owes much to their Portuguese colonizers who taught them how to farm by introducing the plantation method, introduced many plants and cash crops that are now the backbone of the Brazilian economy, and brought racial diversity to the country that in turn has created links to many parts of the world. 3. 0 Civilization Development Civilization development is tied in with human development. In many of the colonized territories, though the people had empires already in place, they were not literate, did not written laws or medical facilities. The colonizers brought these aspects to the colonized territories. However, in the process of bringing in their civilized ways, they erased much of the indigenous culture found there. 3. 1 French West Africa Much of West Africa was colonized by the French with a port set up in Senegal in 1659. By the early 1900s, countries like Mali, Benin, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea were under French rule. They were French subjects and were used in forced labor as well as imprisonment in a bid by the French to expand and maintain their interests. Agriculture was the main economic sector and they farmed cotton and peanuts where the climate allowed. They encouraged migration by the natives to areas where these plantations existed by touting them as wage-earning areas (Ali-Dinar). This is a legacy that has remained and pervaded all of Africa, with people in the countryside migrating to the cities in search of jobs. This has led to the creation of issues related to urban cities such as the creation of slums as low income housing, vices like prostitution as well as high crime rates. By the year 1960 all French West African countries were independent (Ali-Dinar). Diagram 2 – French West Africa Source: Earlham College http://www. earlham. edu/%7Emodelun/images/gif/west-africa. gif 3. 2 Legacy in Government in Senegal Prior to the French Colonization of Senegal, the Wolof Empire was ruling. It was ruled by a King who also doubled up as a religious ruler. The Portuguese, who had already been in Senegal before the French, had a mutually beneficial trade partnership with these people before the French came on the scene. (Wolof Empire, 2009). After they were colonized, the Senegalese people took a new form of Government that was introduced by the French. Even after the French were gone, that same form of government remained. Along with it, laws that had been laid down by the French stayed as well. In so doing, the traditional rulership of the Senegalese people was erased and the new form, which was very French, took over. The constitution, created in 1963, backs up a civilian government that has an executive branch, a judiciary that is independent and a National Assembly. In addition to these, the Senate, which is also legislative, was formed in 1999 (Diajayette). The president has the power to elect his Prime minister and together they elect the Council of Ministers who serve as the cabinet. The National assembly is made up of 140 members while the Senate is made up of 60. Of the 60 in the Senate, 45 are elected to office by local government officials and members of the National assembly, 12 are presidential elections, and Senegalese citizens in the Diaspora have the privilege of electing 3. Senegal is divided into 10 regions that are ruled by a governor. In regards to the Judiciary, Senegal has four courts above the level of tribunals and lower courts. These are the Council of State, the High Court, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Council (Profile-Senegal). In addition to taking on French law and government as the basis of the countries executive, legislative and judicial system, the Senegalese also took on the French education system. Prior to colonization, there were no formal schools of any kind. Today the system includes primary, secondary and tertiary education. Senegal has six national languages and one official language, French (Bruhn, 1984). French is also the language of instruction in tertiary institutions although the Senegalese are undertaking English lessons as well. 3. 3 Formal Education in Senegal Along with the introduction to formal education that opened the Senegalese up to the rest of the world, there was an introduction to medicine. Whereas previously the sick would visit a witch doctor or a medicine man, now they have access to modern medicine. It is important to note that as the colonizers traveled, they brought with them diseases that the natives had no immunity against. As such, many of them died from these diseases since they did not have a cure for the same. This went a long way in causing the defeat of the natives, especially in the America’s where a small pox outbreak would kill almost whole colonies. The diseases brought by the colonizers included chicken pox, typhus, dysentery, measles, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, cholera and dysentery (Eddins). The legacies of colonialism in government, education and medicine have been beneficial and far reaching.