European Colonialism and Africa - Essay Example

European colonialism and Africa European colonialism, which prevailed in Africa, is deeply rooted in the renaissance spirit and the related geographical discoveries. One can see that colonialism helped the European nations to attain economic development and to be in the forefront of modernization. Besides, colonialism helped the European nations to exploit the natural resources and human resources in Africa. Still, one cannot neglect some of the positive aspects of colonialism because the same was helpful for the development of Africa in the post-colonial era. Thesis statement: In Africa, European colonialism served a moral purpose and was mutually beneficial to both parties in infrastructure development, social and economic development, modernization/ industrial development, and development of nationalism/ political unification, but these benefits did not outweigh the negative effects of the same. Argument The argument on the effect (say, moral purpose and mutual benefit) of European colonialism in Africa is divided into four: infrastructure development, social and economic development, modernization and industrial development, and development of nationalism and political unification. A. Infrastructure development The European colonizers (the French, the British, and the Spaniards) provided ample importance to infrastructure development to exploit the natural resources and the human resources in Africa. To be specific, the development of infrastructure in Africa is deeply indebted to the efforts of the European colonizers. Ambe J. Njoh stated that “That the foundation of Cameroon’s transportation infrastructure was established by the German colonial administration is indisputable” (94). On the other side, the development of infrastructure in Africa helped the European colonizers to export raw materials from Africa and to help their motherlands to be rich. From a different angle of view, the development of railroads and roads connected the colonies. Besides, most of the railroads and roads were linked with coastal areas of Africa. Later, during the post colonial era, this infrastructure helped the African nations to utilize the same for trade and commerce. Besides, the railroads and roads helped the colonizers to conquer more African nations. The European settlers did provide less importance to the wellbeing of the native Africans because their aim was to create a colonial Africa, not an independent Africa. So, they exploited the human resources available in Africa. For instance, the (French) Congo railroad under France can be considered as one of the examples which can illustrate the exploitation of human resources in Africa. Now, the Congo railroad acts the role of a backbone to the transportation facilities in Congo. In short, infrastructure development in Africa during the colonial era helped the European settlers (the French, the British, and the Spaniards) to be in touch with their motherlands and to exploit the resources in Africa. On the other side, the development of infrastructure during the colonial era proved to be helpful for the African nations in the post-colonial era. B. Social and economic development The colonization of Africa and social development in Europe are not interconnected. Still, one can see that colonization and exploitation of the African continent positively influenced the economic development of Europe because most of the industries during the colonial era depended upon the raw materials from Africa. From a different angle of view, economic development is interconnected with social development. During the colonial era, European colonialism did not help the African nations to gain social and economic development. But the social and development of some nations in Africa during the post colonial era proves that European colonialism helped some of these nations to be in the forefront of social and economic development. For instance, infrastructure development initiated by the European colonizers was beneficiary for some African nations like Kenya and South Africa. Melvin E. Page made clear that “In the middle and later years of colonialism in Africa, many land laws were introduced, and they varied over time and place accordance with colonial and African realities” (330). The European settlers from Britain, France, Spain etc, established settlements in Africa. Gradually, these settlements became the epicenters of social and economic development. Besides, mining industry in Africa created employment opportunities for the African laborers. The urban areas in Africa during the colonial era consisted of modern sanitation facilities, electricity connection, medical service, and educational facilities. But these modern facilities were utilized by the European settlers in the urban areas. The European settlers used the rural area in Africa to cultivate cash crops. Within this context, the settlers were forced to provide social services to the working class people in Africa. For instance, the wealthy colonies like Katanga in Congo, received large amount of money to provide social service to the natives. So, one can see that the African nations which produced cash crops gained social and economic development. C. Modernization and industrial development During the initial stages of European colonialism slave trade from Africa to Europe was the most profitable business for the European colonizers/slave traders. The slaves from Africa were forced to do menial jobs and acted the role of the cheapest available source of labor. Gradually, industrial revolution and mechanization increased the scope of Africa as the source of raw materials for the factories in Europe. This helped the European nations to be in the forefront of modernization. On the other side, Europe led Africa towards modernization and economic development. To be specific, the gradual shift from slave trade to industrial development forced the European settlers to introduce capitalism in Africa. A. J. Christopher stated that “European colonisation was encouraged in the rural and urban areas, producing enclaves of European society in an African setting” (2). Besides, private property was a new concept in African context. The African natives were under the direct control of chiefs and it reduced the scope of private property. As pointed out, the European settlers introduced capitalism and its related factors like industrialization, modernization, and private ownership. Jurgen Osterhammel made clear that “The discovery of diamond deposits in 1867 and of gold in 1886 unleashed a development that changed South Africa into a capitalist center of growth and a magnet for international capital” (34). During the colonial era, industrialization did not lead Africa towards modernization because African colonies were under the direct control of the European colonizers. Still, the African nations which accepted the positive aspects of capitalism show gradual development. D. Development of nationalism and political unification The renaissance spirit in Europe paved the way for the origin of nationalism. Within this context, political unification of Europe under different rulers deeply influenced the geographical discoveries. Besides, the shift from hand made goods to rapid industrialization forced the European nations to find out new markets and sources of raw materials. The monopoly gained by the Europeans in international trade and commerce is indebted to the brave seafarers. In the initial stages, the colonization of Africa was not based upon the policy of permanent settlement. For instance, the European nations considered Africa as a rich source of natural resources and human resources. Later, some of the European nations realized the fact that Africa is suitable for permanent settlement. This created tension among the settlers and the native population of Africa. The historical experience of European colonialism and related exploitation forced the African nations to turn against the European settlers. Charles Hauss opined that “In short, the British created tribes in many places where no such institution existed” (437). Within this context, political disunity was an important problem in Africa because hatred among different clans/ ethnic tribes reduced the scope of the same. As pointed out earlier, the origin of nationalistic feeling in Europe and the related development deeply influenced the origin of nationalism and political unification of Africa. So, the African nations follow the national boundaries envisioned by the imperialists/colonizers. Within this scenario, nationalism and political unification of South Africa under Nelson Mandela is noteworthy. So, development of nationalism and political unification of Africa is indebted to European colonialism. Benefits brought by Europeans did not outweigh the negative effects of colonization The main benefits brought by Europeans in Africa are infrastructure development, social /economic development, modernization/ industrial development, and development of nationalism/ political unification. On the other side, colonization helped the settlers to loot the natural resources and human resources of Africa. Olufemi Taiwo stated that “In other words, colonization, as it unfolded in tropical Africa, was a complex of philosophical exclusions” (39). During the initial stages of colonization, the European settlers did not consider the native Africans as human beings. Instead, they were treated as commodities that can be sold or bought in a market place. The slaves who were transported to Europe and other parts of the world were separated from their families and this created emotional problems among them. Besides, the European settlers considered Africa as an abundant source of resources that can fulfill their selfish motives. So, the benefits brought by Europeans did not outweigh the negative effects of colonization. Reason The main reason behind the fact that the benefits of colonization did not outweigh the negative effects of colonization is that the aim of the colonizers was to exploit Africa, not to lead Africa towards development. Besides, the European colonizers, especially the British, the French, and the Spanish conquerors considered the native Africans as uncivilized. The cultural difference between the European colonizers and the native Africans eventually led to violence and bloodshed. In addition, the European colonizers did not try to implement any measure to reduce the socio-economic problems faced by the Africans. So, these facts prove that the benefits brought by Europeans did not outweigh the negative effects of colonization. Summing, it is easy to prove that European colonialism affected the African nations because Africa is still facing the negative effects of the same. Still, one can argue that the development of infrastructure, socio-economic development, modernization/industrial development, origin of nationalism and political unification of African nations during the post-colonial era is deeply indebted to colonization. In short, the benefits of European colonialism prove that the so called benefits outweigh the negative effects of the same because Africa is still facing the problem of underdevelopment. Works Cited Christopher, A. J. Colonial Africa. New Jersey: Taylor & Francis, 1984. Print. Hauss, Charles. Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Njoh, Ambe J. Planning in Contemporary Africa: The State, Town Planning, and Society in Cameroon. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing, 2003. Print. Osterhammel, Jurgen. Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview. USA: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2005. Print. Page, Melvin E. Colonialism: An International Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia. California: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print. Taiwo, Olufemi. How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010. Print. Read More