do you agree colonialism is responsible for the choas in the Third World or whether this is just an excuse use

Question

by some thrid world countries to explain their poor performance as countries?

Answer 1

Colonialism did have negative impacts. Overpopulation, disease, lack of recourses, and other issues play key roles as well. Colonialism helped shape and define regions around the globe, usually with dysfunctional results, especially if you look at the Middle East and Africa.

Colonial powers created arbitrary borders and exploited both populations and recourses. Can they, as countries, overcome these issues? Sure, but it takes time.

Answer 2

I think that when the leaders of developing countries talk negatively about colonialism, it's just an excuse for internal failures.

That is not to say that imperialist nations did not cause great harm to people of their colonies or that industrialized nations are not taking advantage of developing ones. All this is happening. Powerful nations have always pushed around the weaker ones - militarily, diplomatically, and economically however it is still possible to direct the your nation through selecting the correct economic policy.

For example, Zimbabwe had a rotten history of colonialism that left a minority of whites owning the best farms and businesses. The majority wanted to redress this wrong. The president took the farms and businesses away from the whites and gave them to his supporters. Unfortunately those supporters did not know how to run the farms and businesses and the end result is that Zimbabwe went from being a food exporter to being under the threat of starvation.
Mugabe could have selected a different policy. He could have taxed the white farmers extra and used the money for education, infrastructure, and for starting black owned businesses and farms. Instead he just blames colonialism.

Answer 3

The detrimental effects of colonial rule can still be seen in Mexico and South America nearly two hundred years after they rid themselves of foreign rule, so it is not surprising that countries the have only been free of foreign powers for fifty years or less are still having trouble. Some of them would probably having trouble anyway, just as some countries that have not been colonize are not doing well, but that it had detrimental effect on civil society and development of institutions can not really be disputed when you look at the whole picture. It was not just European, much of the Arab world was ruled by the Ottoman empire before the Europeans took over, and India by the Mughal Empire .

Answer 4

It's definitely colonialism. And, those 3rd world countries are still trying to gain their independence. No matter what you think of Chavez in Venezuela or Danial Ortega in Nicaragua, they are there because the people are sick and tired of being an American colony with no sovereignty of their own. They want the freedom to make their own choices without the iron fist of Washington coming down on them and their families. This is happening in Chili, Equador and other parts of Latin America as well. It's only going to grow. I would love to see it in Myanmar too. Chevron has supported that horrible repressive regime for far too long with U.S support for its oil.
Look at Africa. They are really rich in natural resources. However, their leaders are proped up by the 1st world nations and the oil and mineral/mining corporations of the west and China. There are very few who are super wealthy because they are propped up by the oil industry and the Industrialized world countries. Ghana is one example. Those few number less than a thousand in Ghana alone. The rest of the country is dirt abject poor. Chevron, the U.S and the other oil corporations know this. They have built walls for these wealthy Ghanans to keep their 'neighborhood' protected and walled in from the rest of the country while they basically steal that country's oil. It's truly a disgusting thing happening. When the people decide to rise up because they have had enough, the U.S intervenes and gives military support to the rich 1000 who govern the country. It's a pattern that has played out in all of Africa, all of Latin America and all of Southeast Asia for the past 300 years. And, it's still being played out because the colonialists (now corporations) still haven't left.

Answer 5

That is silly. Those third world countries would be in the stone age without colonialism getting them civilized and giving them education and health care systems, along with a chance at self governance. Some of them were not ready for self rule. So they remain third world countries.

Answer 6

I'm a historian--and yes. Colonialism was and is the biggest cause of Third World problems.

Including the current colonial expansion efforts of the Bush regime.

Answer 7

Anyone who has to announce "yes I'm a historian" is a clown and not able to let his ideas speak for themselves. A high school teacher is not a historian, bozo.

No, colonialism is not reponsible for poverty and chaos in the third world. With the retreat of colonial powers after WW2, most third world countries merely reverted to the society they had before colonialsm. Most Africans were stone age tribesmen when Europeans discovered them. I don't think most of them had invented the wheel. They lived in tribal groups which lived barely above the substinence level, and participated in regular raids and warfare against neighboring tribes. The problems we see in Africa today are caused by tribal groups, barely living above the sustinence level, who participate in regular raids and warfare against neighboring tribes.

White guilt is just a modern day's expression of "the white man's burden." All nations have troubled histories, as do all people. Giving them the easy excuse of racism or past oppression is just a way of enabling dysfunctional behavior. And, not the least, a way for libs to feel superior to tribal societies while attacking their political enemies at the same time.

Answer 8

Is past colonialist the source of all problems in third world countries????????????Not at all, the problem is human behavior. We can talk Africa, the Carri bean, Indonesia, Burma and on and on. Once the colonialists,, leave corruption prevails and the new native politicians are greedy for power. Usually the success full leaders are corrupt, incompetent, cruel and could care less about their own people then their power.

Sad situation. Can't blame it on European , Russian, Japanese and Chinese colonialists. The only one to blame is themselves. Life is not easy and freedom is not given to you on a silver plate. You have to work for it.

Answer 9

It continues to this day in Iraq, and other places where American influence dominates.