Colonialism in Africa - Essay Example

History Assignment History Assignment Colonialism in Africa Colonialism took place in Africa from the early 1970s to 1900. Itinvolved European aggression, imperialism and diplomatic pressures, conquest and military pressures. Most of the African countries had been colonized by European powers in the early 20th century, except Liberia and Ethiopia. The rise of colonialism in Africa was influenced by economic, social and political factors. The capitalist industrial revolution by the Europeans was also a significant factor that influenced colonialism (Finer, 1998).

There was an increased demand for the market for the industrially manufactured goods as well as raw materials for industrial production. The Europeans scrambled for regions that were both economically resourceful and politically stable. The European powers divided the African continent among themselves in what is seen as a selfish interest to nosedive the economy of Africa. How the Indigenous People Reacted to Colonialism The indigenous people in Africa reacted differently to European colonialism.

Most of them were against the colonial powers since they saw it as a way of undermining their cultural values and practices. The colonial powers came with a new system of formal education and religion that Africans were not ready to adopt. The Europeans also introduced new systems of government that collided with the systems that governed the indigenous people. The chiefs and other leaders of the African communities lost their significance in their own land (Finer, 1998). Many African communities went into war with the Europeans to drive them out of their countries.

Although there is a number of the countries that collaborated with the European rule, this was only based on a short-term basis after which they resisted. The American Revolution The major goal of the American Revolution is to attain the independence of America by fighting back the control by the British government. Initially, the colonies did not have problems with the British powers because there was no direct parliamentary control by the British. Following the Indian and French wars between 1754 and 1763, Britain lost huge amounts of money that had to be recovered.

The colonial power imposed taxes on the colonies without their knowledge to pay for the huge national debt. This was the initial action that outraged the colonialists and the primary factor that led to the violent revolution that followed. From 1765 to 1783, the rebel colonialists in the American colonies rejected the aristocracy imposed to them by the British (Goldstone, 2014). The authority of the Great Britain was overthrown leading to the foundation of the United States. The revolution was violent because there was an outbreak of fight between the British regulars and the Patriot Militia.

The Orange Revolution in Ukraine The Orange Revolution in Ukraine was a protest against the presidential elections in the country that many believed was marred by rigging and corruption. The revolution lasted from November 2004 to January 2005 (Goldstone, 2014). Thousands of Ukrainian citizens were demonstrating daily with the opposition party sponsoring the demonstrations. The protests were influenced by various reports from election observers into and outside the country. The revolution is said to be non-violent because it did not involve the use of war.

The goal of the revolution was to enhance credibility in the electoral process in the country by opposing vote rigging and other malpractices. The Strategies of the American Revolution The primary strategy used by the protestors of the American Revolution is a boycott. The people boycotted goods produced by the British and refused to pay taxes. The initial action was the destruction of the Tea imported from Britain by American citizens as a way of boycotting British products. The Strategies of the Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution involved peaceful demonstrations and protests.

The people demonstrated on major roads and in towns across the country. They also used the mass and the printed media to air their grievances to the government. Peace was a key factor to avoid the outbreak of post-election violence in the country. References Finer, S. E. (1998). The history of government from the earliest times: 2. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press. Goldstone, J. A. (2014). Revolutions: A very short introduction. London: GMB.