Negative Effects Of Colonization Essay

Profound development began in 1660 when, after a five-year struggle against the Spanish crown, the British won power. There was a significant rise in population under British control. Their system allowed the colony to prosper as they gave new European settlers land to cultivate sugar cane and cocoa. “The European planter has been described as a machine for making money” (Waters, 1985: 22). The purpose of this colonial economic system was to provide raw materials and goods for the Mother Country. In addition, a general consumer market was developed to send wealth to Europe and allow for capital accumulation, all for the benefit of the colonizers.

“Many went in hopes of creating a profitable agricultural economy,” (Page 17.) The goal for the Spanish and English when colonizing new land was to increase and grow their economy whether it was agricultural or trading with others around. The economic development of the English was unsuccessful in finding valuable metals, gold, and silver luckily, they were successful in agricultural and trading. On other the side the Spanish were determined to find gold and silver which they succeed, they didn't do much trading, agriculture which lead them to waste wealth easily. The economic decisions the Spanish and English made throughout colonization affected their economic development.

Britain and Spain shared similar motivations for colonization, but their colonies were vastly different in many aspects due to differences in their own government and policies. Both countries created colonies to increase their wealth and expand their economies, but religious freedom played a factor in British colonization. The fundamental differences between the two countries led to a difference in the way the colonies of each country interacted with its government. The relationship of British and Spanish colonists with Native Americans also reflected the differences in the motives and the government of Britain and Spain.

The beginning of colonization was hard for the settlers in the New World. Disease, starvation, and aggressive Native Americans were some factors that lead to the end of several colonies in the Americas. The first successful colonies were Jamestown and Plymouth Plantation. Jamestown and the Plymouth Plantation had several differences like the type of government, relationships maintained with the Native American and the way they became efficient.

The rise of a powerful government and the enforcement of religious orthodoxy were factors that help established the Spanish Empire.

Differences in government, religion, and population set the settlements of the two countries apart, and their shared desire for wealth and eventual independence connected them. When colonizing the New World, Spanish monarchs held a primary goal of conquest. Subsequently, there was no self-government in the Spanish colonies. Conquistadors pillaged Native American land in the name of their mother country. Settlers obeyed the king’s laws, and had little freedom to do as they chose.

During the African colonization period, Western beliefs greatly impacted the African mindset and belief system. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe the impact of Western beliefs is very evident. The novel focuses on pre- and post- colonial life in Nigeria. It was among the first novels to be recognized globally by an African author, and it is widely read in modern African literature. The story is about the fall of the main character Okonkwo as well as the Igbo culture. European beliefs clashed with the traditions that are rooted deep into the society of this Nigerian community. The Igbo, especially Okonkwo, at first try to fight the influence of the evangelists; nevertheless the arrival of Christianity largely affects the Igbo religion,

Spanish/Portuguese government involvement in colonization vs. English government involvement in colonization: Many Spanish and Portuguese explorers received money from their leaders to begin colonizing. For example, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain funded Christopher Columbus’ expedition. But England grew more involved with their colonies. England’s King James had a very strong hold on the early colonies, such as Jamestown. He even continued to implement taxes, which eventually angered the people enough to revolt in the Revolutionary War

In the literary work “Colonialism” by the author, Frederick Cooper, discusses different types of economic projects colonizers had attempted to impose on their colonies. The author continues discussing how Great Britain and France had plans to make exploitation of colonial resources more systematic, therefore overwhelming their colonies with the effort of having more control over them

Spain was bathing in profits from what the New World had to offer. So in 1606the Virginia Company of London was organized and sponsored the Virginia Colony. Organizers of the company wanted to expand English trade and obtain a wider market for English manufactured goods. They naturally hoped for financial profit from their investment in shares of company stock. Queen Elizabeth played an enormous role in motivating the English peoples. She herself was secretly a financial backer to Sir Francis Drake. The defeat of the Spanish Armada was a significant event. Not only did England gain control of the Atlantic sea lanes but it also sparked a sense of patriotism. Spanish expansions in the New World were actions that needed to be limited. In a way, many also attempted to colonize out of spite; to establish England's greatness.

Also, theoretically, the colonies were designed to be economically complementary to Spain. Manufacturing was forbidden in certain colonies to keep the market open for imports. The economic health of the colony was always a secondary consideration. And finally, all colonial trade was channeled through a single port, first Seville until 1720, and then Cadiz. Spain’s mercantilist regulation was extreme almost to the point of absurdity.

Although imperialism had several negative impacts on certain regions, it lead to the introduction of a better government system and improvement in technology. The efforts put in by Europe to colonize weak countries resulted in improvement of education and sanitation in the colonized countries. Africa specially gained a lot from Imperialism. Schools and hospitals were built,

If prompted with the question what is colonization and or how did Europe and America colonize different countries and peoples the answer might be as simple as: it was the process of taking land from other countries and pushing to change the peoples of those countries towards western ways. This answer is to simple, a lot of people do not know the motives behind colonizing another country. Even though the motives behind colonizing another country depend on the time and location of the colonizing, Europe and America have always set above every other country around the world. They title themselves as being superior to all others. Thus, a lot of countries bought into the western ways and believe Westerners to be “demigod”. In Michael Adas essay, Contested Hegemony: The Great War and the Afro-Asian Assault on the Civilizing-Mission, even though the focus is on the ups and downs of colonization in Asia and Africa. The essay looks at the motives behind colonizing these peoples, why some bought into the idea and how World War One changed everything for Europe, Asia and Africa in terms of colonization.

Colonialism, which was a major cause of the north-south gap that occurred in the period following the Second World War, is the takeover by a nation of foreign territories; making them part of it to aid its own economical, social and political structures. The mother countries succeed in doing that by using the colony’s natural resources, money savings, and their lands, which leads the colony to rely on the mother country and therefore, leaving the country underdeveloped. Hence, the world wide scramble for colonies, particularly in the late 19th – early 20th century, had a tremendous negative effect on the economic, social, and political structures of indigenous, non-industrialized peoples.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was wrote in 1958 as a response to European Literature viewing Africans as savages who were then enlightened and found peace and safety by the Europeans. Chinua describes the Igbo people and showed the culture and showing the way of life of the Igbo people. This book shows this powerful and eye opening look into the complex society of these tribes and villages and how law and order is run. The major theme that is I will focus is that traditional development of the Igbo tribe alone and with the influence of the Europeans.