Is colonialism really so bad?

Question

When you look at Darfur, Congo, Zimbabwe, Sudan...seems to me putting France or Spain or the Netherlands in charge would bring some stability and economic growth to these places. Why does colonialism get such a bad rap when you have such "independent" hell-holes in contrast?

Answer 1

These places were once peaceful and independent naturally.

Allow me to draw out a scenerio of what happens when colonialism happens.

Take North Africa as an example. Before the French came there, it was peaceful and genocide-free. Sure there was war but that's natural. Nothing extreme happened (massive civil wars, genocide). But then the French came there. The French divided the people, installed its dictators, killed the original culture (forced the natives to assimilate to French culture), and etc. . .This lead to problems, it lead to division. So the people divided and at some point they start to fight. They get into a civil war and when the colonists have too much of it, they withdraw. What happens next? Civil war and genocide. The division of people and the installation of tyranny/dictatorship is what colonialism brings. And the rest is history.

I'll tell you what, if you can bring up any time in Africa's history when the situation was a severe (prior to the years of colonialism) as it is today, I'll admit that I was wrong. So tell us all. When was the last time that 600,000+ people died in Sudan due to genocide prior to colonialism? OR, when was the last time that Congo had government sponsored rape squads? I'm not trying to make you look bad or insult you. All I'm trying to do is explain that prior to colonialism, Africa was just fine and for the most part peaceful.

To add: Colonialism has a bad rap for many reasons. Here's a list:

- Colonialism usually requires the colonists to wage massive war against the colony which leads to excessive deaths
- Colonialism changes the religion, language and overall culture of the colony being colonized, most of the time against the will of the people of the colony (by force)
- Colonialism thrives off of dictatorship. You won't see democratic elections in a colonial Algeria or Morrocco. Instead you'll see brutal dictators who kill anyone who speaks against them
- When the colonists leave a colony, that colony most of the time has a civil war where a quarter or more of the population is killed

Colonialism may bring "economic growth" but that economic growth is usually the result of slavery/forced labor. Colonialism may bring a land everything that westerners dream of but that doesn't mean that the natives of that land dream of it as well. For example, you can bring the natives a metropolis (something that most westerners favor) but that doesn't mean that they want it. Why? Because it changes their culture and original way of life. Would you like it if colonists came to your country and did something that the colonists consider good even though you don't consider it good? Of course not.

I hope that answers you question. Sorry for the length.

Answer 2

Obviously you have never lived under it. And neither have I.

To put it most simply, the only reason one country ever colonized another was to make money for the Motherland at the expense of the people of the colony. Whatever economic growth the colony gained, the mother country would reap the profits while the locals reaped only starvation wages.Whenever the costs of maintaining the colony cost more than it was worth, such as a revolt or exhausting of natural resources, it would be "granted" independence. Of course, those from the Mother country would take as much of the colony's wealth with them as they could.

Having another country take them over just might unite them against us, though. Well, it isn't working in Iraq, is it?

Answer 3

Its the blame whitey and all the dead white males phenom.

No one can admit that prior to colonization there were only inter-tribal wars, that led to the capture of slaves or the extermination of the losers.

Some European colonial powers were racist and mistreated the natives in the colonies. But the race after WWII to give independance to most of the African Colonies only led to the giving of power to people that were unable to handle the responsibilities of their positions. Some Presidents of African nations only had a grade school education. Add to this mix the influences of communist agitators sent from China and the USSR and the truth is that no one in Africa really had any chance at prospertity.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Most of Africa was led down that road.

Answer 4

Colonialism generates weak dependent economic systems, which become enclave economies. Economies of enclave rely on a single export to produce income from export; former colonies lack the diversification to generate employment, income, and stability. Henceforth, colonialism is not only wrong but the root of the problem.

Answer 5

If colonialism is good, why are the Brits screaming about immigrants from India, Africa, and the Middle East. Hell, they even complain about Yank expatriates. However unintended, immigration is an obvious and unavoidable consequence of colonialism.

Answer 6

I tend to think that all this sensitivity crap is fake and will not last. It is not natural to care overmuch. I think the drift will be towrds brutality and wars again, and in that case I still prefer European and Western Nations to be in charge. But considering their present confused populations being feminised, homosexualised, liberalised, and whatever other ised you want to put, I do not think we have what it takes anymore. There is no national unity, we are a house divided against itself.

Answer 7

If colonilaism is that really bad in planet of apes.
Would not had blindly mastered our creator's universal gifts of life with our creator's universal communication system in planet of apes.
At loss and blurr colonialism was distributing our creator's universal gifts of life when living human kind was still primitives in those days in planet of apes.
At loss the men who would be king short-change their own children with ghost stories from the graveyards in making a monkey out of them living in misery blinded by their own self prides, self lack of knowledge with self rudeness and self discrimination of self racism living in misery in planet of apes.
The blunders and slip-ups with human errors was expose by the mystery of us-911 in Afghanistan and Iraq in planet of apes.
At self loss on who being left behind with time stll stranded in stomping their feets at the graveyards in planet of apes.
At loss until little children expose "The Elders in office were rude! Children behave with self lack of knowledge" living in misery in planet of apes.

Answer 8

it is if your the one in someone else's colon